Sports Radio News
Radio Show Helped OC With UFC
Jason Barrett is the owner and operator of Barrett Sports Media. Prior to launching BSM he served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He has also produced national shows for ESPN Radio including GameNight and the Dan Patrick Show. You can find him on Twitter @SportsRadioPD or reach him by email at [email protected].
Sports Radio News
Boomer & Gio Break Down Fight Between Tiki Barber & Joe Benigno
“Here’s Tiki, 0% body fat, all-time leading rusher for one of the great franchises in history, has run marathons in like seven different countries, and he’s got to deal with this wacko on Zoom.”
Sports Radio News
Greg Hill: Courtney Cox Controlled ‘Narrative of the Entire World Yesterday’
“You can’t get as wholesome and as basic and as, you know, cookie cutter as they come than Taylor Swift, and if she’s a fan of the NFL, then it is okay for anybody to be a fan of the NFL.”
Sports Radio News
SiriusXM Presenting Broadcast Coverage of 2023 Ryder Cup
“Our listeners will get comprehensive access to the tournament…”
Sports Radio News
Radio Show Helped OC With UFC
ou probably haven’t heard of UFC Fight Night 43 fighter Sean O’Connell, and if things don’t go his way on Saturday night, you might never hear of him again. That’s the harsh reality of MMA, but O’Connell wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I just want people to know that this is a sport of love, and it’s one of the few ones left in the professional sporting world where you actually have to love the grind and love what you’re doing,” O’Connell told MMAjunkie. “The money isn’t enough to justify getting yourself punched in the face all the time and putting your body and your health at risk.
“I hope that every fighter gets respect from people because it’s one of the last bastions of true athleticism in the professional sporting world. It’s not about chasing that contract and chasing that money. It’s about achieving a dream.”
For O’Connell, that dream has been years in the making. Growing up, his passion was football, but like so many other professional fighters, watching the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter” proved a transformative experience.
“I realized those guys weren’t necessarily any better athletes than I was,” O’Connell said. “They were just tough and willing to push themselves. I remember Chris Leben doing a treadmill test on the show, and no one else could do it. He didn’t look like anything special in terms of being an athlete. He’s just got the mental fortitude of going when everyone else was like, ‘I’m done.’ That impressed me.
“I was always a tougher guy than I was truly an athlete, so I was like, ‘I think I’m tough. I think I can do this.’”
The rush of competition helped fill a hole left by the close of a college football career that saw O’Connell transfer between three different schools while looking for an opportunity to secure playing time.
“I was doing rec center cardio kickboxing classes in the offseasons to stay in shape,” Rosholt said. “I was a decent wrestler in high school, but I didn’t take it overly seriously. I was one of those knuckleheads who thought football was my future. Hindsight being 20/20, I should have been a lot more serious about wrestling because I’m 30 years old and I’m still wrestling every damned day.”
O’Connell began his professional MMA career in 2007 and slowly worked his way up the regional scene. He had an early brush with the UFC, falling short in an elimination-round fight to qualify for “The Ultimate Fighter 8.” Still, he remained focused on his goal of competing in the sport’s biggest promotion, even as a career in sports radio began to flourish.
“That’s my big-boy job,” O’Connell joked. “Fighting is my dream.”
O’Connell’s “big-boy job” would eventually get him back in front of the UFC, when he was able to book UFC President Dana White on his San Francisco-area show.
“The UFC was doing their big media tour, and we had Dana White on my show,” O’Connell said. “We asked him the typical questions. My co-host didn’t know a damn thing about MMA, so he was like, ‘What should we ask him?’ I gave him a few questions he could ask, but I was like, ‘I’m going to ask him for a contract.’ My boss was like, ‘You really are?’ I told him, ‘The worst-case scenario is he tells me I’m an idiot, and it’s good radio. Everyone driving in their car will get a laugh.’
“So I was like, ‘When you’re doing this media stuff, have you ever had anyone ask you for a contract.’ Dana laughed, and I was like, ‘No, I’m serious. I’m 14-4. I’m on a five-fight winning streak. I train under Jeremy Horn. I was on Season 8 of ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ but I lost my fight to get into the house. I’m a prospect. I want a fight.’ He was just like, ‘Huh? Are you being serious? Alright, when we get off the phone, I’m going to give you (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva’s number. He’ll check you out, and we’ll see what happens.’”
For the rest of the story visit MMA Junkie where this story was first published
Jason Barrett is the owner and operator of Barrett Sports Media. Prior to launching BSM he served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He has also produced national shows for ESPN Radio including GameNight and the Dan Patrick Show. You can find him on Twitter @SportsRadioPD or reach him by email at [email protected].
Sports Radio News
Boomer & Gio Break Down Fight Between Tiki Barber & Joe Benigno
“Here’s Tiki, 0% body fat, all-time leading rusher for one of the great franchises in history, has run marathons in like seven different countries, and he’s got to deal with this wacko on Zoom.”
Even if WFAN is in the news for something a little less than flattering, the station does not run from it. That was evident on Tuesday morning as Boomer & Gio broke down the argument between Tiki Barber and Joe Benigno on Evan & Tiki from Monday afternoon.
Gregg Giannotti found it tremendously entertaining. Boomer Esiason says he had not seen the video, but had read about the argument.
“I was laughing,” Esiason said. “Then, of course, I started to think that, you know, you have, you know, obviously passionate fan. in Joe, who is just going to be screaming and yelling, and you have Tiki, who’s a very reserved, smart bright that is not going to want to put up with the frickin nonsense.”
Both hosts agreed that Tiki Barber and Joe Benign will not let this ruin their relationship. Giannotti said that there is no denying that Barber took Benigno questioning his work personally. He very clearly pointed to the screen Benigno appeared on and said “that’s bullshit.”
Giannotti added that the visual is even better than the audio.
“Joe, who I believe just turned 70, is wearing a jet sweatshirt, a Jets hat. He’s got a Joe Namath Jersey thumbtacked to the wall behind him, and he is screaming at Tiki Barber’s credibility in breaking down Zach Wilson,” Giannotti said. “Here’s Tiki, 0% body fat, all-time leading rusher for one of the great franchises in history, has run marathons in like seven different countries, and he’s got to deal with this wacko on Zoom.”
“Well, welcome to talk radio,” Esiason joked.
Sports Radio News
Greg Hill: Courtney Cox Controlled ‘Narrative of the Entire World Yesterday’
“You can’t get as wholesome and as basic and as, you know, cookie cutter as they come than Taylor Swift, and if she’s a fan of the NFL, then it is okay for anybody to be a fan of the NFL.”
One woman has proven that she knows how to get Bill Belichick talking and willing to have fun with the media. Media outlets of all types ran with the Patriots’ coach’s reaction to seeing Taylor Swift in concert last month with WEEI’s Courtney Cox asked him about it. Those same media outlets pounced again this week when Cox asked Belichick about his thoughts on Swift being romantically linked to Travis Kelce after she showed up in a luxury suite with Kelce’s mother in Kansas City on Sunday.
“Well, I would say that Travis Kelce has had a lot of big catches in his career. This would be the biggest,” Belichick quipped during his regular appearance on The Greg Hill Show Monday morning.
Hill opened his Tuesday show by acknowledging Cox once again using Swift to get attention for the show.
“Congratulations on directing the narrative of the entire world yesterday with your question for Bill,” he said.
The show debated if Kelce and Swift were really an item or if this was a publicity stunt. Cox said it doesn’t matter if it is real or not. The NFL is embracing it for a reason.
“Travis Kelce ended up being one of the top five selling NFL players’ jerseys on Sunday after the game. His jersey sales spiked 400%. That is the Taylor Swift effect,” she said. “Whether you like her or you don’t. That’s why the NFL is running with this. That’s why everybody’s talking about it.”
She added that the NFL has changed it handles on multiple social media platforms as well to take advantage of the moment. The league’s bio on its TikTok account reads “Taylor was here” while its name on X (formerly Twitter) is now The NFL – Taylor’s Version,” a reference to Swift’s album re-releases on Spotify.
Greg Hill believes the relationship is not real, or at least that it is not really romantic. Co-host Jermaine Wiggins said that there is too much upside for the NFL to completely dismiss the idea that this is not a set up.
“You can’t get as wholesome and as basic and as, you know, cookie-cutter as they come than Taylor Swift, and if she’s a fan of the NFL, then it is okay for anybody to be a fan of the NFL.”
Sports Radio News
SiriusXM Presenting Broadcast Coverage of 2023 Ryder Cup
“Our listeners will get comprehensive access to the tournament…”
SiriusXM will be the radio home of the Ryder Cup, delivering consumers more than 28 hours of live coverage from the bi-annual international golf competition from Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Guidonia just outside of Rome, Italy. The tournament will showcase various teams of skilled golfers from the United States and Europe that will face off with one another in match play, including head-to-head singles matches and four-ball matches over the three days.
Coverage begins on Friday, Sept. 29 at 1 a.m. EST/10 p.m. PST (Thursday, Sept. 28) and will continue through the final hole of play. The same structure will take place the next day and feature commentators Mark Carnevale, Brian Katrek, Colt Knost, John Maginnes, Drew Stoltz and Taylor Zarzour. The official Ryder Cup Radio channel, which is produced in partnership with IMG and Ryder Cup Europe, will include a score of additional voices such as Alberto Binaghi, Raymond Burns and Sophie Walker. All of the broadcasts will be available to consume on SiriusXM channel No. 92 and on the SiriusXM app.
“The Ryder Cup is one of the most exciting events in all of sports,” Scott Greenstein, president and chief content officer of SiriusXM, said in a statement. “Our listeners will get comprehensive access to the tournament, with live coverage of every match and a level of insight and analysis leading up to and throughout the event that you’ll only get from SiriusXM.”
As the competition approaches, listeners can tune into SiriusXM for golf programming previewing the festivities. Moreover, listeners can tune in for a special, Backstory: Ryder Cup, hosted by David Marr III that examines Europe’s success in the competitions played on their own continent. Marr III will decipher the phenomenon through the lens of the 1993 Ryder Cup in England, the last time the competition was won by the United States overseas, led by Jim Gallagher’s win over Seve Ballesteros.
Two special collaborative podcast episodes hosted by former American tour pro Smylie Kaufman and European Tour pro Andrew “Beef” Johnston will debut on Tuesday, Sept. 26 and Wednesday, Sept. 27. Both golfers currently host their own podcasts – The Smylie Show and Beef’s Golf Club, respectively – and will blend the American and European perspectives on the tournament. Kaufman will record episodes of her show each night in Italy reacting to the day’s events and looking ahead for what is to come.