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Michael Jordan Isn’t The Only One Full of Bull

“Columnist Jay Mariotti says the truth has been twisted by many characters of “The Last Dance” era, including the tag team of Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf and writer Sam Smith.”

Jay Mariotti

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 Just when it seemed Michael Jordan was finished making history, with his savage conquests of sports and sneakers and even the eerie genre of pandemic TV, we find him caught in swirling crossfire that frames him as a threat to another life legend.

Pinocchio.

Since the final credits rolled on “The Last Dance’’ documentary series, Jordan has been called a liar by Jerry Reinsdorf, a liar and a snitch by Horace Grant and a liar by a Utah pizza maker. And he has been caught contradicting himself by a reporter, Jack McCallum, who released a 2011 taped interview in which Jordan indeed confirmed that he froze nemesis Isiah Thomas from the 1992 Dream Team, which he repeatedly has denied. All of which is fitting in the aftermath of a production — a Jordan vanity project and hagiographical romp — that portrayed him as a triumphant dictator, left many of his servants crumpled in his reinvigorated legacy dust and reminded us how the Chicago Bulls reign was as much about manipulation and infighting as winning.

Yet let’s not assume, simply because some are bitter about how they were portrayed in the Jordan-lorded series, that they’re all telling the truth and he isn’t. A whole lot of people have lied in this decades-old piss pot — then and now — which explains why the dynasty became a travesty that died nasty. What should have been a joyride, wrapped around the miracle of Jordan, too often deteriorated into dysfunction and finger-pointing that leaves me asking, to this day, how the Bulls won six NBA championships. And now Jordan’s detractors, after watching a film that couldn’t have made him look better, want him also to be remembered as a fraud so obsessed with control that he’ll tell fantastic lies to protect his narrative, a lonely man in his leather chair with a cigar and mixed drink.

Be careful before you let them.

Adam Martin (@adamuiowa) | Twitter

Because just as Jordan has his rules, there are The Reinsdorf Rules — and, by extension, The Sam Smith Rules, those of an ethically conflicted sportswriter and not the ballad singer or brewmaster of the same name. Yes, Jordan is all over the map on Isiah and needs to come clean. And I don’t really care whether he fell ill because of pizza poisoning, altitude sickness or a long night of partying; whatever, the man was mortally sick the next night and still scored 38 points in 44 minutes. But having covered the Jordan era as a Chicago columnist, I am compelled today to detail the machinations of a Bulls management dynamic that, quite often, oozed of more deception than a political backroom filled with aldermen.

And Reinsdorf and Smith always were in the smoky room together, as partners in slime.

On any list of essential occupations, sadly, a sports beat writer is no more vital now than a toenail painter or nightclub bouncer. That said, if and when seasons resume, there is a proper, professional way to cover a team. The process generally is defined as reporting for one’s core readers with tunnel vision — disseminating information and insight without selling out to sources as sugar daddies and slanting “news’’ in their favor.

Which is why Smith committed a flagrant foul, worthy of expulsion from whatever bogus media game he’s playing, when he claimed last week that Jordan “made up’’ and “lied about’’ why the era ended after the sixth title. See, Smith works for team chairman Reinsdorf — literally, as a staff writer for the Bulls.com website — after years of tickling Reinsdorf’s scrotum as the Chicago Tribune’s lead basketball writer. And his attack on Jordan’s integrity came only days (shocking!) after Reinsdorf testily emerged from his reclusive cave, saying he’s miffed at how Jordan characterized him in the final scene of the docu-series: as the owner who chose to dismantle the dynasty instead of prolonging it. “Maddening,’’ as Jordan put it.

Said Reinsdorf to NBC Sports Chicago, his broadcast-rights partner: “I was not pleased. How’s that? He knew better. Michael and I had some private conversations at that time that I won’t go into detail on. But there’s no question in my mind that Michael’s feeling at the time was we could not put together a championship team the next year.’’

Tone at the top - Chicago Bulls Confidential

He was calling Jordan a liar without actually using the L-word, a legal reflex as an attorney by trade. But he wasn’t done. In slippery Reinsdorfian fashion, as I witnessed often during 17 years at the Sun-Times, he relied on a henchman, Smith, to do his dirtiest work for him. Never mind that Jordan, after smirking and raising his eyebrows, reminded director Jason Hehir of the irrefutable timetable: Reinsdorf never interceded in the eight months after general manager Jerry Krause told Phil Jackson that he wouldn’t return as coach even if the Bulls went “82 and oh,’’ the eruption that prompted Jackson to coin the phrase “The Last Dance’’ and Jordan to vow he wouldn’t return without Jackson. Never mind how Reinsdorf used shifty semantics to say he made a last-gasp effort to keep Jordan and Jackson when, in fact, the damage had been done long before amid the owner’s insistence on backing Krause. Typically, Reinsdorf is trying a Hail Mary to sway public opinion that has been almost universally against him since then. Twenty-two years later, only his servant is buying in, making sure to spread the boss’ gospel during a quickie media tour.

“That was a complete and blatant lie by Michael,’’ Smith told 95.7 The Game, a San Francisco sports station. “There were several things in the documentary that I saw, I would know, that he made up or he lied about.’’

Later, Smith appeared on the Dan Patrick Show and elaborated: “He didn’t want to play that next year. He could have, in any number of ways. So he made that up too at the end: that `I wish I could have come back, I wanted to come back.’ He didn’t want to come back. … If he wanted that one (additional) year and the $40 million, he could have gotten it. He just didn’t want to play. … But it was a better story to end it that way. To say, `Hey, one more chance. Going for seven. We could have done that.’ Nah, he didn’t want to do that.’’

This isn’t professional reporting. It’s obedient, yes-sir, blame-deflecting trolling for the boss who employs him at the team website. The least Smith could have done was present Jordan’s side, but as Reinsdorf’s mouthpiece, he made the radio rounds for one purpose: To defend the owner, as he did for decades at the Tribune when Reinsdorf wasn’t signing his paychecks. As I wrote recently about the bleak future of independent sports media, I’m concerned that most aspiring writers will have to work directly as public-relations valets for leagues, teams and programs, or for outlets in bed with Big Sports. When young people see Smith operate in “The Last Dance’’ — as author of “The Jordan Rules,’’ the 1991 book — they might view Smith as a role model.

If so, don’t major in journalism. What Sam Smith does isn’t journalism.

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When I arrived in town after the first title, I was startled by the smarmy landscape of the Bulls beat. Smith was attached to the hips and lips of Jackson and Reinsdorf … and Jordan didn’t trust him, gravitating to other beat writers. Nor was it cool that one of our Sun-Times beat reporters, Lacy J. Banks, regularly played poker with Jordan. Reinsdorf didn’t like Banks, who had a lengthy newspaper career before passing away in 2012, and sometimes called Banks a liar to discredit him (seeing a trend here?). Uncomfortably driving past Sun-Times billboards across Chicagoland that heralded my arrival with my headshot and a menacing slogan — “Sports With An Attitude!’’ — I was compelled to drive an immediate stake into the politicking. And if I’ve told this story before, it’s worth telling here.

I’d heard rumblings about “The Jordan Rules,’’ yet to be released, and how Jordan wasn’t going to like it. So I called Smith’s book publicist and requested an advance copy. Indeed, for the first time in a mass-readership context, Jordan’s dictatorial side would be revealed in the book. Knowing the Tribune had invested thousands of dollars to publish Smith’s excerpts — yes, the Tribune paid for information from its own reporter — I quickly published a column about some of the book’s controversial contents, as provided by Smith’s publicist. This caused a furor; was a championship team going to be disrupted by a book? It also embarrassed the Tribune and landed Smith in hot water with his editors, who couldn’t believe his publicist had helped the rival paper beat the Tribune with its own, paid-for material. The Sun-Times was an underdog tabloid with financial problems. Already dealing with the recent demise of my previous employer, the great National Sports Daily, I had no time for Machiavellian sports-beat b.s. I was in the mood to brawl.

Amid the book ruckus, Bulls training camp started. Visiting the team’s suburban facility for the first time, I heard a voice: “Are you Jay?’’ It was Jackson, not pleased. Now, why would he be rankled? Ohhhhh, he was close with Smith, who often would write soft, lengthy features about him. Around the same time, as covered in “The Last Dance,’’ Krause had circled book excerpts that weren’t flattering to him and summoned Jackson to his office, wondering what was up. Hmmmm.

So when Jordan pinpointed ex-teammate Grant in the docu-series as the principal book leak, prompting Grant to brand Jordan’s claim as an “downright, outright, (complete) lie,’’ it’s curious how Jordan protected Jackson. Because it’s obvious Jackson was involved in the book. And if Smith already had Reinsdorf locked in as a major source, well, draw your own conclusions. I’m sure Grant provided a few stories, as did other team members and franchise personnel. And Smith does have a reporter’s eyes and ears, having been trained on the news side of the print industry.

Sam Smith Bulls – BlackSportsOnline

Unfortunately, to this day, he is ensconced in business bed with Reinsdorf, the ultimate reporting no-no. You scratch my back; I’ll advance your agenda. You pay me a salary; I’ll go on radio shows defending you and calling Jordan a liar. And Smith wasn’t alone in the Jerry-rigging. Any time Reinsdorf’s baseball team, the Chicago White Sox, thought a critic was too harsh, out came hillbilly homer Hawk Harrelson, who would interrupt a broadcast in Anaheim and, oh, rip me for two innings. Don’t make the mistake of confusing Chicago as a hardass hub of sports media. It’s a cartoon show and favor-fest, filled with its share of media fanboys and suck-ups. For every beat writer who did a standup job of covering the title-era Bulls, there was the creepy, accompanying constant of Smith being fed stories by the same suspects year after year.

To the point where here in 2020, after tens of millions watched “The Last Dance,’’ Smith is still performing his deeds and calling out Jordan to appease Reinsdorf.

Smith’s backers will accuse me of sour grapes. Sorry, I was a columnist covering the entire sports world, not just the Bulls, and I didn’t enter the media business to kiss up to owners for information and money. Reinsdorf tried to woo me in my first year, inviting me to his ballpark perch in Sarasota for a come-to-papa talk during Sox spring training. Not long after, in the wake of a column he must not have liked, I was told by his office assistant to not contact him again. I never did. And once you’re on the guy’s bad side, it becomes a real-life version of “The Godfather’’ — his baseball manager called me “a (bleeping) fag,’’ his top baseball executive confronted me in a Chicago rooftop bar while I was entertaining friends, his p.r. director waged an Internet smear campaign. And, oh, there was Hawkeroo again, slamming into the back of my chair in a Minneapolis press-box dining area, prompting me to quietly tell him to knock if off or I’d remove his prominent nose from his face.

Sometimes, Reinsdorf resorted to desperate measures, once with Smith in the middle. I’d criticized the owner for attempting to lowball yet another Bulls coach, Scott Skiles, before they finally agreed to terms on a new deal. The contract numbers provided to the Sun-Times, from Skiles’ agent to our beat reporter, were volunteered to me by phone by an editor who now works at ESPN.com. Meaning, the numbers appeared in my column AND in our news story. Two places.

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Not surprisingly, they were a slight fraction off the Tribune’s numbers for Skiles, as supplied to Smith by Bulls management. Next day, Reinsdorf and his lawyers contacted the Sun-Times. And next thing I knew, the same editor was calling me with bizarre news: The paper was running several retractions because of the “erroneous’’ numbers in my column. Again, I’d been given the numbers by an editor who called me with the info — the very numbers that appeared in our news story. Didn’t matter. The Sun-Times often buckled to whatever Reinsdorf wanted. And, of course, the Tribune ran a blurb about all of my retractions.

Two words: Dirty pool. Is it any wonder both papers have deteriorated to the point both could die any day?

The docu-series succeeded wildly in bringing back the Jordan years in their high-voltage entirety, including the discord that constantly seeped into the dominance and dampened the fun. But I tell these stories not to do my own “snitching’’ — amid a flood of post-documentary backlash that finds Reinsdorf, Grant, Scottie Pippen, Craig Hodges, Thomas and Krause’s widow among those upset with Jordan. My purpose is to establish a how-not-to manual for young beat reporters. It’s one thing to have important sources, quite another to sell out and serve as a lackey for life. Reinsdorf had his media lackeys, none bigger than Smith. Jordan had his — namely, close pal Ahmad Rashad. Krause had his in the national writing media. Jackson had his. And all the while, some of us were trying to maintain a semblance of professional independence and neutrality, wanting to avoid appearances of selling out or making money off the people we cover. I never was in anybody’s camp. Early on, at the old Chicago Stadium, I felt a nudge in my back as Bulls players jogged past press row before a game; it was Jordan, appreciative of a column where I wondered why the team media guide had strangely underplayed his importance with only a few pages devoted to him. It was proof of the farcical Krause mantra that eventually would break up the team: organizations win championships. 

But when I visited Jordan at a country club two summers later, wanting to know the truth about his gambling problems amid an NBA investigation, he threw an ice cube at me. I was in business bed with no one.

Smith isn’t the only guilty party in sports media. Sirius XM talk host Chris Russo always has been a shill for Major League Baseball owners, which explains why he told players to “go to hell’’ last week in a long, biting rant about ongoing labor negotiations, which seem particularly appalling during a pandemic. In the same vein as Smith works for Reinsdorf, Russo works for a network that has a long-term business arrangement with, yup, MLB.

NBA Star Joe Smith raps about Donald Sterling (Video)

At least Smith didn’t take money from Donald Sterling, the disgraced former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, who once suggested Smith become his general manager. But like commissioner David Stern, Smith was among those who continued to associate with Sterling even as he spewed racism for years. Why not use that relationship and his reporting platform to reveal Sterling as a racist years before a TMZ tape became the impetus for Adam Silver, Stern’s successor, to expel him from the league?

Funny, but the biggest story of my Jordan-coverage career came from simple, pound-the-pavement persistence. I made numerous excursions in the summer of 2001 to Hoops The Gym, a facility on Chicago’s west side, where Jordan was plotting his return to the NBA. He would see me waiting in the parking lot, yell at me for writing that he shouldn’t be trying another comeback, then give me another meaty column. Finally, on Sept. 10, one day before Jordan suddenly didn’t matter on Planet Earth, he stood in the parking lot and announced his Washington Wizards comeback to me and Jim Litke of the Associated Press.

That forced Smith, without the owner in his back pocket, to play catch-up in his belated news story. Every media outlet credited the Sun-Times and the AP — except one.

The Tribune credited the AP and another newspaper.

The Smith Rules, call them.

Jay Mariotti, called “the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ is the host of “Unmuted,’’ a frequent podcast about sports and life (Apple, Podbean, etc.). He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and radio host. As a Los Angeles resident, he gravitated by osmosis to movie projects. He appears Wednesday nights on The Dino Costa Show, a segment billed as “The Rawest Hour in Sports Broadcasting.’’ Compensation for this column is donated to ProPublica, an independent, non-profit newsroom emphasizing investigative journalism.

BSM Writers

Michael Kay Couldn’t Leave 98.7 ESPN New York Just Yet

“I wouldn’t want to leave it the way it is right now.”

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When a New York Post report back in January suggested that Michael Kay was “seriously contemplating retiring from his 98.7 ESPN New York show”, maybe he was in a dark room in his home thinking about his future.

In his mind, his days of hosting sports talk shows were pretty much over.

“When that story came out, I thought I was definitely not going to come back,” said Kay during a phone interview with Barrett Sports Media. “I almost appreciated it a little bit when Aaron Rodgers said when he went on the dark retreat that he was 90% retired. Well, I’d say I was even more than that. I was probably 95% certain that I was going to walk away in September when my contract was up.”

But between then and now, Kay had a chance of heart and he announced this past Thursday on his show that he had signed a new contract with 98.7 ESPN New York and that his show would continue for “a good long while”.

The decision to stay was not an easy one and, as it turned out, it was his family that played a big role in staying at 98.7 ESPN New York. 

“It was really difficult,” said Kay who is also the television play-play-play voice of the New York Yankees on YES Network. 

“The most difficult part of it is that my kids are 8 and 10 so you want to see important things in their life. Even during the winter when I’m off from the Yankees, I’m out of connection from 3:00 to 7:00, so I had to reconcile with that. I talked with my wife and I actually talked with my kids about it, too, and they like me doing it so I decided to keep doing it.”

After initially feeling like it was time to step away after hosting The Michael Kay Show for 21 years, Kay began to reconsider but he also knew that he had to decide with his current contract expiring this September. The sales staff at the radio station needed to know because they had to inform potential advertisers who was going to host the show. Kay also owed it to his co-hosts Don La Greca and Peter Rosenberg to let them know what his plans were.

Everyone at 98.7 ESPN New York needed a decision.

“The radio station has to make contingency plans,” said Kay. “What’s going to happen if I, in fact, do leave? All of those people are impacted.”

Speaking of La Greca and Rosenberg, Kay’s sidekicks played a huge part in his decision to continue doing the show. There’s a tremendous amount of chemistry on the program and Kay wasn’t about to walk away from his radio family. 

“Don and I have been together 21 years,” said Kay. “That’s a longer relationship than my wife and I have. We’re really special friends. Peter is for about 8 years and I feel the same way about him.”

Kay also acknowledged the people behind the scenes like Program Director Ryan Hurley, as well as executives from both ESPN and Good Karma Brands.

“They certainly tried to appeal to me to stay and after a while, it got to me,” said Kay. “I said you know what I’m not done yet so I decided to re-up. The pull to stay was stronger than the pull to just kick back and relax.”

These are certainly interesting times to talk about sports in New York.

Baseball season is about to get underway and both the Yankees and Mets are expected to be playoff contenders.

Future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers could be on his way to the Jets while the Giants are coming off of a trip to the playoffs last season.

The Knicks and Nets are heading toward the NBA Playoffs while the Rangers, Devils, and Islanders could all be going to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

But all of the local teams’ success wasn’t a factor in Kay deciding to continue talking sports.

“To be honest, it didn’t play any role because sometimes when teams are bad it makes for better talk radio,” said Kay. “The fact that they’re good and they could be playing in postseason, all of them, is intriguing but that didn’t play a role.” 

And now that Kay has signed his new contract, he can continue his quest to regain the top spot in the afternoon drive war with WFAN. The show has been losing the ratings battle with Carton & Roberts and it would have been difficult to retire with his show in second place.

It’s not the reason why Kay decided to sign a new deal, but he does now have some more time to become number one again.

“Obviously, I wouldn’t want to leave it the way it is right now,” said Kay. “We had beaten everybody that they put in front of us. We beat Mike (Francesa), and we beat Joe and Evan. People conveniently forget that we also beat Carton & Roberts. Carlin, Maggie, and Bart…we beat them all. Our ratings, for some reason, have not been comparable to what they were before the pandemic hit.”

The ratings aside, Kay is happy with the content he, La Greca, and Rosenberg provide their listeners daily. While they have some catching up to do in the battle with WFAN, Kay is pleased with the product and that his show is good clean sports talk.

In Kay’s mind, business is business but he has his way of doing a show.

“Ratings tell you one thing and that’s how we keep score, but if you listen to what comes out of the speakers, in my opinion, our show is the best sports show in all the country. We not only talk about sports but we treat people with respect. We don’t have to go low-brow. Ratings didn’t have anything to do with (his decision) but it does give you a little more runway now to make up some ground. We have already proven that we can beat them.” 

Michael Kay has been a part of 98.7 ESPN New York going back to the launch of the radio station in September of 2001. Just like Aaron Rodgers, he was pretty close to calling it a career…but Kay didn’t want his radio career to fade to black just yet. 

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Xperi & Joe D’Angelo Are Ready For Radio’s Future

“I want this audience to see how they can leverage the technology that is nine times out of ten already going to be at their radio station.”

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In October 2022, Xperi Senior Vice President of Global Radio and Digital Audio Joe D’Angelo hosted the single most impressive radio presentation I’ve ever seen at the NAB Show in New York.

I wrote about my takeaways from the presentation after returning from New York, which essentially boiled down to: Xperi is looking out for the future of radio like no one else is. I don’t think that’s hyperbole. The company is making sure FM radio is in the best place to succeed as the audio space continues to evolve and see more and more emphasis placed on on-demand digital offerings.

D’Angelo will continue the conversation in a panel at the 2023 BSM Summit titled “How Radio Can Compete and Win in the Connected Car” on Tuesday, which will focus on the company’s DTS AutoStage platform. The offering from Xperi will revolutionize broadcast radio as automobiles become more and more technologically advanced.

“So many other platforms are much more crowded — mobile phones, smart TVs, smart speakers — there’s very low barriers of entry to building a brand, and getting content on those platforms,” D’Angelo said. “But broadcast radio has the unique advantage in the car and it’s incumbent on the publishers — the producers of content — to look for every opportunity to sustain and exploit that branding and that relationship with the car driver.

“We also allow and deliver internet-only radio — so streaming services for broadcasters — as well as catch-up content. So if you wanna make yesterday’s morning show available today, we create all the linkages there, as well as podcasts. If you’re creating podcasts, we create those linkages that aid in the discovery of that content and serve it up on your behalf on the dash of the car.”

DTS AutoStage will allow drivers to continue listening to radio stations even after leaving the broadcast range of a station, utilizing the station’s stream to continue a seamless audio delivery. Additionally, it will provide real-time analytics weekly to stations about the time spent listening, and a “heat map” of where your listeners live, work, and travel.

D’Angelo noted that the sports radio space is ripe with opportunity to promote and utilize the technology Xperi has worked on, adding that music has been co-opted by brands like Apple and Amazon to sell you more products, while sports radio is simply looking to share opinions and content with passionate audiences.

“The real opportunities now are accruing to the talk formats and sports is such a ripe opportunity with a passionate audience, and I’ll tell you from personal experience, finding sports programming on a platform like TuneIn is nearly impossible,” D’Angelo continued. “If you’ve ever used it and tried to search for a live event, you’re going to get a catalog of a hundred different things that might related to the team but have nothing to do with the live event.

“I’m coming here because we’re at a unique opportunity where I want to explain to this audience how what they do can benefit from the technology we’ve deployed…clearly, sports programming — live sports, sports talk, sports betting, local sports — is a really unique category for local radio and I want this audience to see how they can leverage the technology that is nine times out of ten already going to be at their radio station.”

At the BSM Summit, D’Angelo will showcase the real-time analytics available to stations who opt to share data with the platform, and will give attendees a look at a sample of what information is supplied to stations and companies by using data gathered by listeners of Washington D.C.’s 106.7 The Fan. BSM Summit attendees will get a first look at the information, before it’s released worldwide at Radiodays Europe on March 28th.

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BSM Writers

Jack Rose Wants to Create Sports Media’s Next Stars

“I thought there were a lot of untapped opportunities for personalities in the sports space to really go out on their own and build media businesses.”

Derek Futterman

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While there are a plethora of people working in sports media, it is only a select few that have genuinely identified and attracted a bonafide target audience and proceeded to adopt them as their own. Yet what viewers often do not ponder over is how these personalities are able to amass a platform to allow them to stand out with agents, managers and consultants acting as decongestants to clear the fog surrounding talent. Jack Rose, who works for Silver Tribe Media, is one of those people behind the curtain that has helped those in the industry advance their careers, including Mina Kimes, Bomani Jones, PFT Commenter, and many more.

Silver Tribe Media is a talent management firm founded by Michael Klein, formerly a sports media agent at Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Klein started the company in June 2021 after several years in sports agency with MAXX Sports & Entertainment Group and CAA.

Based in Los Angeles, the company’s primary goal is to assist its clients in finding and making the most of opportunities in the industry to grow their audience. Later that year, Rose departed his job as manager of global platform and revenue innovation at DAZN to join Klein as Silver Tribe Media’s head of strategy and operations.

Klein and Rose previously worked together at CAA, where Rose began as an intern and worked as a sports media assistant. He remained situated there until March 2019 when he started working as a project coordinator with DAZN.

“I left CAA to join DAZN because I saw a great opportunity there to get really rich exposure of building a media network,” Rose explained, “but when Michael started to bring this idea to life in 2021, I was thrilled for the opportunity to join him…. I think we complement each other really well – he’s excellent at identifying talent; bringing in business; and sharing the story of what we do.”

In working at a startup company, Rose has a wide array of responsibilities to ensure the firm provides its clients with stellar service and support for their careers. An aspect within operations that has helped the company is he and Klein’s relationships that they previously built and maintained in the industry, effectively giving Silver Tribe Media a headstart in its network compared to other companies. As the axiom goes, “Your network is your net worth,” and Rose is always cognizant about finding ways to expand his for the good of the company.

Aside from working directly with clients, Rose oversees the expansion of Silver Tribe Media as a whole, working to manage the team so they can execute the mission of assisting clients in constructing their own brand and a concomitant, consistent and expanding audience. Returning on investment and legitimizing the trust their clients place in them is a fundamental aspect of cultivating means for proliferation.

“Every day is different, as I’m sure everyone’s job is, and it’s individualized with each client,” Rose said. “I try to spend my day thinking about our clients, what they need and executing on delivering all of our resources for those clients so we can help them grow most efficiently.”

Nick Khan, who Rose worked with in the sports media department at CAA, was someone who helped Rose become immersed and set a foundation in the industry. Through his mentorship and expertise, Rose became interested in entrepreneurship and discovered more about the nuance of sports media as a whole. Today, Khan serves as the CEO of WWE and responsible for making critical decisions as it pertains to the industry.

“I was lucky to watch him and learn from him while I was [at CAA], and since then I’ve been lucky to be in his orbit as well,” Rose said of Khan. “He understands the landscape of anything, but with sports media in particular, better than anyone else. His leaving CAA was really an inspiration to branch out and start something in this world.”

Before moving into sports media, Rose began working in entertainment through internships he completed while matriculating at the renowned S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, including with Conan and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Despite having an early interest in sports, he never worked in the industry itself until landing at CAA as an intern in the summer before his senior year of college. The experience effectively changed his mindset, serving as an epiphany of sorts, and compelled him to attempt building a career in sports media.

“I thought there were a lot of untapped opportunities for personalities in the sports space to really go out on their own and build media businesses,” Rose said. “I’ve always been a sports fan and curious about the business. It became clear to me that it was a path that I wanted to follow.”

Rose will be an attendee at the 2023 BSM Summit, with sessions beginning tomorrow morning from The Founder’s Club at the Galen Center at USC. He attended last year’s BSM Summit held in New York where he was exposed to many key figures across the industry and is excited to rekindle, nurture and begin new relationships this year in his home marketplace.

“It was clear to me that if you work in sports media or in any of the businesses from radio, gambling, digital media; any of those spaces – it was clearly a must-attend event,” Rose said. “The people in that room last year were aspirational. Jason and his team have done a great job assembling big names and big executives and decision makers across our business.”

Attending the conference serves a dual purpose for Rose; not only will he be there to listen to panels and absorb new information, but he will also be interacting with existing and prospective clients. He is cognizant of the importance of being present at these events and is eagerly anticipating having the ability to greet people outside of a virtual setting.

At the same time, he is excited to listen to some of the top names in the industry – including Colin Cowherd, Joy Taylor, Jay Glazer, Jim Rome, Eric Shanks and Al Michaels – discuss the state of the business and what can be done to ensure continued maturation both quantifiably and qualitatively.

“We earn the business of our clients every single day, so it’s that motivating factor to keep doing that and helping build and grow for them,” Rose said. “It’s nice that it’s a measurable thing, whether it’s getting them a deal; landing a new sales client; helping them launch a new show; securing business. Whatever it might be, we try to do things every single day that are deliverable and actionable whether it’s big or small for our clients.”

Audio consumption has drastically changed over the last decade, affording people more opportunity and freedom to disseminate their viewpoints to an audience. The growth is substantiated primarily through digital platforms, even though terrestrial radio listenership in certain areas still remains strong.

In addition, podcasts have augmented in popularity because of their broad distribution and ability to discuss esoteric topics. The crux of the business is in being able to meet consumers where they are; keeping them informed and entertained; and urging them to come back for more. Executives at Silver Tribe Media believe that they can play a pivotal role in this process, expediting it for clients and their agents.

“We thought and continue to see an opportunity for managers to come in and work more closely with clients day-to-day alongside their agents and make sure we’re giving them the care that they need to really grow their business,” Rose expressed. “Our focus is on working alongside agents and agencies to help grow a business and doing other things than just deals and monetization.”

Cross-platform integration has bolstered the promulgation of content, allowing talent a more effective means to be discovered. The roadblock lies in the sheer numbers of people aiming to gain a foothold in the business, rendering the challenge of standing out more difficult even though it is easier to share content.

“In today’s world, you really need to have authority and authenticity,” Rose said. “Those are things that help build a tribe, which is obviously core to us and what we do.”

Working with clients and their agents in a management role is something Rose looks to continue to improve upon, and he enjoys doing it with people he can trust. Rose affirmed that the decision to join Klein at Silver Tribe Media was a “no-brainer” because of his experience and complementary skillset.

While some professionals in the industry have defined future goals, Rose is more focused on being a part of Silver Tribe Media and augmenting the company.

“My growth is entirely tied to Silver Tribe and our clients, as it should be,” Rose said. “If our clients succeed, Silver Tribe will succeed, and we will hopefully have had somewhat of a hand in our own clients’ success.”

Over the years, Rose has had memorable experiences in sports media through his work, including recently attending Super Bowl week in Phoenix, Ariz. When reflecting back on his previous experiences and looking to what will come next, he makes sure to remember the hard work associated with getting to the position he is in.

Simultaneously, he examines ways to maintain a growth mindset in accordance with Silver Tribe Media’s upwards trajectory. One can consider it a professional raison d’être; being part of Silver Tribe Media and helping its clients is where Rose’s future thoughts lie, part of the reason the company has emerged from the crowd.

This Wednesday, Rose will lead The Era of Personality-Led Audio Networks panel at the BSM Summit featuring Logan Swaim, head of content at The Volume; Mike Davis, President and Executive Producer at Dirty Mo Media; and Richelle Markazene, Head of Audio at Omaha Productions. Through their discussion, they will divulge insights and proficiencies into the future of audio networks and how their companies leverage their assets to stay ahead of the pack.

“Those folks and the businesses that they run are content creators who are really in the weeds of sports media, and I’m excited to have a good conversation with them about what’s working; what isn’t working; and where we’re going next,” Rose said. “The panel as a whole – the reason why I’m excited for it – is [that] it really hits on what we believe at Silver Tribe: that there are a handful of cut-through talent in this business who really command a tribe [and] an audience, and can grow businesses around them and the talent that they identify.”

As his time in sports media continues, Rose is optimistic about the future of audio consumption and sports media in its entirety and looks to have a hand in its evolution. He considers himself fortunate to be working in an industry that combines his alacrity for media and fervor for sports, always stopping to remind himself about the honor and privilege he has to be a leading voice in the trade.

His savvy and foresight will be on display at the BSM Summit this week in the “City of Angels,” a leading media marketplace where he turns professional dreams into legitimate possibilities and, hopefully, tangible realities.

“Working in this business is a ton of fun,” Rose said. “I love our clients; I’m lucky that some of them have become friends. I just want to do great work for our clients and [hopefully] that stays fun and… becomes lucrative as well.”

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