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ESPN Pulls Katz From SiriusXM Show

Jason Barrett

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Charles de Gaulle once opined that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians. Apparently, the same goes for college basketball reporters and Outside The Lines hosts.

Without warning, ESPN management last week pulled Andy Katz from co-hosting a SiriusXM program called “The Arena,” featuring Katz and Rick Klein of ABC News interviewing subjects from the sports and political worlds on how sports-related topics can drive the agenda in Washington. The six-episode run debuted on October 2, and you can see here that Sirius XM promoted the show in a big way. The show aired on SiriusXM’s non-partisan political channel, P.O.T.U.S, and the first (and now only) guest was Florida governor and current GOP candidate Jeb Bush. That conversation produced some interesting news for SiriusXM, ESPN and ABC News, given all three were attached to the project.

Said Bush on whether the Washington football team should change its nickname: “I don’t think [the team] should change it. But again, I don’t think politicians ought to have any say in that to be honest with you. I don’t find it offensive. Native American tribes generally don’t find it offensive. We had a similar kind of flap with FSU if you recall, the Seminoles, and the Seminole tribe itself kind of came to the defense of the university and it subsided. It’s a sport for crying out loud.”

Last Thursday SiriusXM confirmed that “The Arena” is no longer airing on SiriusXM. The company declined comment beyond that. If you think it’s strange that a SiriusXM show ended after one episode and no one wants to talk about it, you’d be right. But the onus isn’t on SiriusXM here. It’s on ESPN.

Katz was clearly given an internal green light to do this – SiriusXM isn’t putting out a splashy announcement for a show that talent hasn’t signed on to do – so the question is: what happened? Sources told SI.com that Katz was pulled off the show in an effort to minimize Presidential candidate appearances on platforms connected to ESPN, and the sensitivity of such political identification. The supreme irony here is that Katz and Klein continue to host a politically-based (but ideologically neutral) podcast (Capital Games) on ESPN since 2014.

Klein declined comment via email.

When contacted by SI.com on Sunday, an ESPN spokesperson said, “Some internal miscommunication occurred, and we apologize. ESPN’s policy does not allow for full-time employees to create content for other outlets, so Andy could no longer appear on the show.”

I feel bad for Katz (who was not made available by ESPN for this query) and Klein. They forged something unique and interesting – and apolitical – and it was pulled for what appears to be a heavy-handed management decision. Perhaps there is some merit to ESPN’s public response (Stephen A. Smith’s show on SiriusXM is produced by ESPN) but ESPN has a history in this, well, arena . Readers can be the judge.

To read more, visit Sports Illustrated where this was originally published

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Colin Cowherd: I Have Tried to Invest in MLS Teams Twice

“I think they’re smart. I think they’re boutique stadiums, their fanbases feel European. The in-game environment’s excellent.”

Jordan Bondurant

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Courtesy: FS1

Could we have seen FOX Sports Radio host Colin Cowherd having some sort of ownership stake in an MLS team? Cowherd said he tried, and then he tried again.

Talking about Inter Miami adding global superstar Lionel Messi on Thursday, Cowherd mentioned that he inquired about getting involved with the league, but the asking price at this point is too much for him.

“I have twice tried to invest in the MLS, and I just can’t afford it,” Cowherd said. “I think they’re smart. I think they’re boutique stadiums, their fanbases feel European. The in-game environment’s excellent. The academy is slowly becoming something, but it is becoming something their academy system. And they are now on a regular basis going and getting the world’s biggest soccer stars.”

Colin pointed out that Messi is the most popular athlete in the world, boasting social media followings and name recognition that easily eclipses that of superstar athletes like LeBron James and celebrities like the Kardashians and Beyonce. So not only is Messi’s signing a monumental moment for Inter Miami owner David Beckham, but it’s a feather in the cap signing for Major League Soccer as a whole.

“Messi is massive for the MLS. It’s the biggest moment in the history of the franchise,” he said. “Think Beckham times two. And Beckham was big when he arrived here in the States.”

“I think it’s cool that the MLS, our domestic soccer league, can go out and bring a superstar – not a star, a mega superstar on our soil regularly,” he added.

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San Antonio’s Sports Star Shuffles Weekday Lineup

“The station also announced a new show hosted by producer James Pledger which will air from 6-7 p.m. and debut on Monday.”

Jordan Bondurant

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A few days after eliminating its midday show, 94.1 FM San Antonio Sports Star has announced further changes to its local weekday lineup.

Gone is Jimenez & Spence, hosted by Mike Jimenez, who was let go last week, and program director Tim Spence. Afternoon show The Blitz with Jason Minnix and Joe Reinagel is shifting back an hour and will air from 2-6 p.m.

The station also announced a new show hosted by producer James Pledger which will air from 6-7 p.m. and debut on Monday.

Pledger has been a longtime contributor to San Antonio Sports Star, producing The Blitz in addition to hosting a Saturday morning show. He will continue in those roles while also adding his hourlong daily program.

“I’ve worked for this for so long,” Pledger told local CBS affiliate KENS. “I have long wanted to be in both worlds because of the creativity that I use when producing, how it differs from creating a show.”

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Andy Gresh: Lionel Messi, Apple is Doing Dirty Work For NFL Digital Distribution

“Those NFL owners in that MLS room, they’re watching what’s going on with all this digital stuff.”

Jordan Bondurant

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Courtesy: Audacy

Aside from the PGA/LIV Golf merger, another sports news story that dominated the headlines was the decision of soccer icon Lionel Messi to join Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.

Messi will become the biggest name to suit up in MLS, and on WEEI on Thursday, host Andy Gresh believes league media partner Apple will stand to gain the most out of Messi mania.

Apple and MLS agreed to a 10-year media rights deal worth $2.5 billion ahead of the 2023 season, making the tech giant’s streaming platform the home for the vast majority of league contests.

Apple was also long considered a frontrunner to land the NFL Sunday Ticket package before bowing out late in the process. Google and YouTube ultimately ended up with the package.

But Gresh pointed out that there is a good number of MLS franchise owners that also own NFL teams.

Atlanta Falcons owner Arther Blank owns Atlanta United, Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper owns Charlotte FC, the Haslam family owns the Cleveland Browns and the Columbus Crew, Robert Kraft is the New England Patriots owner and also owns the New England Revolution, the Kroenke family owns the LA Rams and the Colorado Rapids, and the Hunt family, which runs the Kansas City Chiefs, also owns FC Dallas.

“If you look at the ownership group of the MLS, there is a lot of NFL crosspollination there,” Gresh said. “Now this Messi deal is really based on Apple TV, because you can stream it anywhere. It’s all over the place. It’s worldwide distribution for your product.”

“Those NFL owners in that MLS room, they’re watching what’s going on with all this digital stuff,” he later added.

The discussion over the NFL looking at the feasibility of expanding into Europe came up, and Gresh felt like Apple could play a role in helping football fans in America and across the world experience a full day of action.

“Whether it’s a 9 o’clock eastern kick that porks the west coasters or the other way around, either way you’re trying to make it the worldwide game,” he said. “You’ve got to have that big platform distribution. This is where I think MLS might be doing some dirty work for those NFL owners and kind of priming the pump to make the digital pot that much bigger, so that if you want to have a team in London or Barcelona you can get these different European ownership groups in there.”

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