17. Rob Hyland, 33, producer, NBC Sports

Last year, 14.2 million people watched Big Brown win the Kentucky Derby on NBC, and Rob Hyland was a big part of making that happen. As one of the producers of NBC's Derby coverage, he's in charge of queuing up the instant replays and human interest stories that fill out the broadcast.

“Horse racing is something I care a lot about,” Hyland said. “Besides the Super Bowl, it's my favorite event.”

Louisvillians can simply show up at the track with $40 to see — or at least experience — the Kentucky Derby; for the rest of the world, catching the race means tuning in to the broadcast. And, for many of those people, the Derby might be the only impression of Louisville they'll get all year.

Hyland said he's aware of the responsibility. He has worked in broadcasting for 12 years, on just about every type of sporting event. But horse racing — and the Derby, in particular — offers unique challenges. Hyland and his team begin researching the Derby early in the year; for example, they need to narrow down the number of horses on which to fix cameras, because it's not feasible to shoot the runs of 20 different ones.

“It is, by far, one of the most complicated events as far as coverage is concerned,” said Hyland (above, right, working with Faith Hill on an NBC “Sunday Night Football” special.) “When those gates open up, there are 20 different stories, in terms of the horses, the jockeys, the trainers, the owners.”

Hyland has another close connection to the Derby: He is engaged to marry Michelle Matz, the daughter of Michael Matz, the trainer of 2006 Derby winner Barbaro.

— Joseph Lord