Sports TV News

Richard Jefferson and New Media Want Specifics on Debate Shows

“Now when you have guys like JJ [Redick], myself, Draymond, C.J. [McCollum] did a great job, guys now jump in and are like no, no, no, we are not talking broad generalities, we are talking about specifics. For me, that raises the bar on a lot of these shows.”

Published

1 year ago

June 17, 2022

Ricky Keeler

We have seen the back-and-forth debate about old media vs. new media in the news lately involving Draymond Green and Stephen A. Smith. As more and more athletes enter the sports media landscape, all they are asking for from hosts and commentators is to be a little more specific with their takes. That’s what Richard Jefferson says.

Jefferson was on the latest episode of What Did I Miss? With Michelle Beadle podcast. On the episode, the ESPN analyst mentioned that he views himself as part of the first group of players that played as social media was getting popular and they could hear what people said about them:

“As far as the new media goes, I just think we are the first generation. We are the guys that in the middle part of our careers, social media blew up. Then, we were able to see the Skip’s and Stephen A’s, we watched all of these guys. Guys have been keeping receipts.”

“It’s not to come and say you’re wrong or you’re this. Now, we are entering into the media space. We all have our own podcast. We all have our own social media followings and now we are all financially secure. We are getting into the media space to set the record straight, to give a more honest retired player’s viewpoint. I think that’s where it is going to have a positive effect.”

So, what do athletes like Jefferson want to see from Skip Bayless, Stephen A. Smith, or Colin Cowherd? They want to see the hosts talk about specifics during debates rather than just speaking broadly:

“There are guys in the media like Stephen A. and Colin Cowherd, they have to talk about everything and it’s a f***n skill, but they do use some broad generalities because that’s part of the gig. Now when you have guys like JJ [Redick], myself, Draymond, C.J. [McCollum] did a great job, guys now jump in and are like no, no, no, we are not talking broad generalities, we are talking about specifics. For me, that raises the bar on a lot of these shows.”

“If you aren’t ready to either debate or have a conversation about specifics, it’s not going to look really well. There is a group of athletes that are coming into the media now because we’ve been privy to the social media and the growth of television media from the sports debate side…It’s cool to be a part of the group that’s not tweaking or changing, but having a new type of voice.”

Even though new media is on the rise as more athletes start podcasts and get their voices heard, Jefferson doesn’t think that it means that athletes don’t need Skip or Stephen A:

“You need them because I don’t want to f***n talk about football. That s**t is so hard. They have to talk about everything, so they have to use generalities. I couldn’t do Stephen A.’s job, I couldn’t do Skip’s job. I say I couldn’t as in I don’t want to. That’s where they are so good.

I think it’s good because I think if we can make basketball more specific, then I think as more football players come in, they become more specific, so the broad talking people have to get more specific, which I think raises the bar for all of these shows because you have a little bit more honesty and you have athletes that have been in this fire of social media for 10-15 years.”

Ricky Keeler

Ricky Keeler is a reporter for BSM with a primary focus on sports media podcasts and national personalities. He is also an active podcaster with an interest in pursuing a career in sports media. You can find him on Twitter @Rickinator555 or reach him by email at [email protected].

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ESPN Officially Re-Signs Mina Kimes to Multi-Year Contract

Kimes originally joined ESPN in 2014, where she has since made her stamp on the company in multiple disciplines.

Published

49 mins ago

December 4, 2023

Jeff Kotuby

Get ready for more Mina Kimes on your ESPN airwaves. The company officially announced it re-signed its star NFL correspondent to a multi-year deal, shattering the hopes of Dan LeBatard Show fans everywhere.

Kimes originally joined ESPN in 2014, where she has since made her stamp on the company in multiple disciplines. She started as a writer for ESPN The Magazine and various ESPN websites before moving to an on-air personality for NFL Live, Around the Horn, and First Take. Kimes also hosts a podcast that also recently launched a YouTube channel to provide video content.

2023 has been a busy one for Mina. Earlier this year, Kimes agreed to terms with Meadowlark Media, LeBatard’s media company, to make sporadic appearances on his weekly podcast, while also agreeing to a new deal with ESPN. There’s been no word whether that deal is the same one that is being announced now or involves something different for Kimes.

Mina Kimes also allegedly turned down a lucrative offer from NFL Network to stay at ESPN, albeit on new terms. She also announced the birth of her first child, a son, fittingly during a Monday Night Football contest between her beloved Seattle Seahawks and the New York Giants.

Kimes said the familiarity with ESPN personalities was a key factor in her decision to stick around at the Worldwide Leader. “The biggest reason is I just really love the people that I work with, especially my family on NFL Live,” Kimes told Awful Announcing.

“It’s a little cliche to call them family, but they really are to me. They’re not only wonderful human beings and amazing to work with every day, but they challenge me, we push each other, and we make what I believe is one of the best shows on television. So just for me, probably the biggest appeal was just working with the people that I love so much there in particular.”

Mina Kimes also returns to ESPN today following her maternity leave.

Jeff Kotuby

Jeff Kotuby is a nationally-published journalist with bylines on many popular broadcasting and pop culture sites, including The Streamable, eBaum’s World, Twin Galaxies, and more. Jeff grew up in the shadows of New York City and cultivated his love for sports media with the classic broadcasting voices of the area, like Mike & The Mad Dog, Mike “Doc” Emerick, and Michael Kay. You can reach Jeff on Twitter @JeffKotu3y.

Sports TV News

Greg Olsen: I’m Not Chasing an NFL Head Coaching Job

“This is not something I’m actively pursuing. I would call the A game at FOX for 30 years if that was what was in the cards.”

Published

1 hour ago

December 4, 2023

Ricky Keeler

Courtesy: FOX Sports

With his former team, the Carolina Panthers, in search of a new head coach this offseason, there was a report last week from Joseph Person of The Athletic that the man who was the Panther tight end for 9 years and current FOX broadcaster Greg Olsen would be interested in the position if he was approached for it.

Olsen was a guest on The Rich Eisen Show on Thursday and he told Eisen that being a coach is not something that he is actively trying to pursue at this time.

“This is not something I’m chasing. This is not something I’m actively pursuing. I would call the A game at FOX for 30 years if that was what was in the cards. We all know how this world works. People come and go. Opportunities come and go. I’m never a believer in slamming the door on anything that you love.”

“That became kind of a big story this week. Obviously, there’s a lot of speculation and rumor and whatnot. I think the best thing I would say is ‘Who wouldn’t?’ This is a city that I love,” Greg Olsen admitted. “This is a team that I played the bulk of my career for. I want to see them have success. I live here, my kids are here.”

He continued by noting that he would listen to the offer if approached, despite not angling for the job.

“I would be crazy to entertain and take that conversation. This is a game I love. This is a game that I have been involved in my entire life. How that all plays out, I don’t know.

“I love doing what I do now. Calling games, studying games, I love doing this. How that future unfolds, a lot of this is out of any of our control.”

Greg Olsen took that question and used it to bring out a larger conversation as to why people overreact if a former player without as much coaching experience gets immediately dismissed as an idea for an open spot such as what happened when Jeff Saturday went from ESPN to being the interim coach of the Colts last year.

“What I will say is a larger conversation that has nothing to do with me, we saw it last year with Jeff Saturday taking over. I think there is an instant reaction that unless you have lived the NFL lifestyle in that ladder, you can’t be successful. I think we have to be careful saying experience leads to competence in all industries.

“Look at John Lynch. John Lynch had no experience in personnel and I’d say he has done a good job. We have to be careful thinking experience is the only prerequisite to be good at anything, coaching, broadcasting. Why do we just dismiss that as a pathway? Other sports don’t dismiss it. I don’t have the answer, but I think it’s an interesting conversation.”

As for answering the question itself, Eisen thought it was great because it showed how genuine Olsen is without trying to dismiss the question the second it was asked to him despite how difficult it is to answer.

Ricky Keeler

Sports TV News

Amazon Prime Video Sees Record Ratings in Latest Thursday Night Football Broadcast

This growth comes alongside news that the Black Friday game between the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets produced TNF’s lowest ratings of the season.

Published

2 hours ago

December 4, 2023

Jeff Kotuby

Thursday Night Football is off to a historic start in 2023 thanks in part to a thrilling contest between the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys. Seahawks/Cowboys averaged 15.26 million viewers and attracted a peak audience of almost 18 million viewers on Prime Video, making it the most-watched game ever on Prime Video and the most streamed NFL game ever.

The previous high was the Sept. 14 matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles at 10.4 million viewers. Seahawks/Cowboys was also the sixth TNF contest to average more than 12 million viewers.

Through 11 weeks, TNF is averaging 12.58 million viewers, an increase of 29 percent from last season’s 11-game average. Unsurprisingly, TNF wins Thursday night each week, because nothing beats NFL football in the United States, to the tune of 151 percent viewership over the second program of the night.

This growth comes alongside news that the Black Friday game between the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets produced TNF’s lowest ratings of the season, averaging just 9.61 million viewers.

Jeff Kotuby