Sports Media with Richard Deitsch

Episode 162 of the Sports Media Podcast features three guests. First up is a conversation with Lisa Byington and Kate Scott, the first women full-time TV play-by-play broadcasters for a major men's professional sports team. They are followed by Eli Saslow, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter who has published a new book —Voices from the Pandemic: Americans tell their stories of crisis, courage and resilience. In this podcast, Byington and Scott discuss the interview process for an NBA play by play role and how they landed their jobs; becoming the first full-time TV play-by-play broadcasters for a major men's professional sports team; the challenges of the job; how to adjust to a new city and fan base; the broadcasters who reached out to them; how they will view success and much more. Saslow discusses the oral history project he did last year for The Washington Post where he talked to people around America about dealing with COVID; what he learned about America through his reporting; how to get subjects dealing with trauma to trust you to tell their story; why COVID became a cultural war and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 161 of the Sports Media Podcast features a conversation with Conrad Thompson and Jeff Jarrett, the co-hosts of “My World' with Jeff Jarrett,” which focuses on Jarrett's Hall of Fame career as a main-event professional wrestler, promoter, and company owner. Jarrett has been a well-known figure in professional wrestling for decades including in-ring prominence in the WWE, WCW and NWA Total Nonstop Action wrestling. In this podcast Thompson and Jarrett discuss the process of forming a podcast; how they first met; whether Thompson's success with his other six podcasts gave Jarrett proof of concept; the number of downloads they average weekly and what the realistic celling is for the podcast; how the podcast makes money and what the download number is to make money; how prep works for the podcast; Jarrett's approach to nostalgia storytelling; how not to be duplicative with other wresting podcasts; navigating multiple podcasts as a host and much more You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 159 of the Sports Media Podcast features a conversation with the new Fox NFL broadcast team of Gus Johnson and Aqib Talib. The duo debuts in Week Two with the Vikings-Cardinals. In this podcast Johnson and Talib discuss how they formed their partnership; working together on a practice game; how Talib got into sports broadcasting and introduced himself to Fox Sports; how Johnson morphs between preparation for college football and the NFL; Talib's style on the air; how broadcasters deal with feedback; what Talib is looking at pre-snap and how that is different than other announcers; their upcoming Cardinals-Jaguars broadcast; whether Gus wants to continue doing NFL games; Talib's longterm thoughts about broadcasting and much more.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 157 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is Molly McGrath, an ESPN college football and college basketball host and reporter. She is followed by Christopher Clarey, a tennis writer for the New York Times and the author of “The Master: The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer” In this podcast, McGrath discusses returning to college football this season after the birth of her son earlier this year; finding a work-life balance; the internal pressure she felt to return to ESPN; how much college football coaches tell ESPN on-air talent during production meetings; her approach with her bosses after Maria Taylor left for NBC; being assigned to the team of Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge, and Todd McShay; COVID protocols for covering college football this season; dealing with toxic social media; being public about her pregnancy; her interest in hosting long-term and more.  Clarey discusses what he hoped to produce by exploring Federer in longform; why he connected with Federer as a subject and writer over the years; what Federer's top competitors said about him; Mirka Federer being non-existent on social media and not giving interviews for 15 years or so; how Federer's upbringing with parents from Switzerland and South Africa impacted him; what he expects Federer to heading forward; the challenge of selling a tennis book in the United States;  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 156 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is longtime WWE performer Seth Rollins, who will wrestle Edge on Aug. 21 at the WWE's annual SummerSlam event He is followed by The Athletic's Scott Dochterman, an Iowa-based college football writer who covered The Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa.  In this podcast, Rollins discusses how he views promotion and navigates when some media outlets want him in character and storyline versus others who want to talk about the business of wrestling; how much Rollins can dictate which interviews he wants to do for press;  talking to mainstream outlets versus traditional wrestling outlets; his philosophy of doing promos; how much his promo work is improvisation vs. scripted; bringing someone's real life into a promo; how he and his wife Rebecca Quin, who wrestles under the name Becky Lynch, navigate joint press; how he and Becky would approach the possibility of their real-life becoming part of storyline; navigating a massive social media following and the real mental health strain of toxic comments making their way to you; whether he would be interested in working as a heel or babyface commentator down the road, and much more.   Dochterman describes what it was like covering the MLB Field of Dreams game in person; his expectations and the reality; how many media people were in attendance; how the event came together; what it meant to Iowans; whether he expects MLB to make this an annual event;  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 155 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is ESPN staff writer David Purdum, the company's premier gambling reporter. He is followed by Mirin Fader, a staff writer for The Ringer and the author of GIANNIS: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP. In this podcast, Purdum discusses the opportunities for sports media staffers working in the sports gaming space; former ESPN-ers and others working in the space; the expectations on the handles on college football and pro football this season; the impact of Oklahoma and Texas moving to the SEC; preseason NFL betting; why sports betting is a long-term investment and a grind; why you should only risk 2-5% of your bankroll per wager; sign-up bonuses advantage; the ethics of using your reporting for betting; why futures are not a smart bet and a big house advantage; international soccer betting, and more. Fader discusses why she wanted to write a book on Giannis; how the book came to be; the process of interviewing more than 220 people for the book; her experience reporting in Greece; what it was like to watch the playoffs; the publicity for the book; how much time she got with Giannis; what we don't know about the racism Giannis and his family faced; her reporting on Jason Kidd as a Bucks coach; how ones promotes a book during COVID; and more.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 154 of the Sports Media Podcast features guest Rebecca Lowe, the host of NBC Sports Group's Premier League coverage as well as an Olympic host for NBCUnversial. In this podcast, Lowe discusses what working the Tokyo Games has been like; her broadcasting setup in Tokyo; what protocols exist regarding COVID; how she views the declines in Olympic viewership; NBC's Olympic storytelling; the on-air highlight for her; her Premier League preparation; what she expects from the upcoming Premier League season; if her future at NBC is tied to soccer; England's World Cup prospects and how they handled Euros, and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 153 of the Sports Media Podcast features Kavitha Davidson, a sports and culture writer for The Athletic and the host of Culture Calculus podcast. In this podcast Davidson and Deitsch discuss how much Olympics we are each watching; why the primetime viewership of the Tokyo Games is way down; how we viewed coverage of Simone Biles in different mediums; why the coverage actually holds well for the future; the story around Suni Lee; whether it is time for sports outlets to have a mental health sports reporter; the intersection of COVID and the NFL; whether baseball should have a bigger Olympic presence and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 152 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is Chad Finn, the sports media writer and columnist for the Boston Globe. He is followed by Melanie Newman, a broadcaster for the Baltimore Orioles and MASN and the play by play voice for the first game in Major League Baseball history featuring an all-female announcing crew (She called the game alongside analyst Sarah Langs, reporter Alanna Rizzo and pre- and postgame hosts Lauren Gardner and Heidi Watney.) In this podcast, Finn discusses the interest in the Olympics as a television experience; whether NBC will get the viewership it has received in previous Olympics; how NBC will navigate the news elements of the Olympics with the competition; ESPN's hiring of Peyton and Eli Manning for a Monday Night Football Megacast; the NHL's television schedule on ESPN and Turner Sports; Cleveland changing its MLB name to the Guardians and more. Newman discusses her journey to do doing MLB play by play and the minor league stops along the way; the women who are following her currently calling minor league baseball; representation in sports broadcasting; whether her all-female group will call another game; the prospects of the O's heading forward in the A.L. East and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 151 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is Jemele Hill, a contributing writer for The Atlantic, the host of the “Jemele Hill is Unbothered” podcast for Spotify, and a creative adviser for Meadowlark Media. She is followed by Fabian Ardaya who covers the Dodgers for The Athletic but up until May covered the Angels and Shohei Ohtani. In this podcast, Hill discusses the impact of the New York Times story that focused on Rachel Nichols saying Maria Taylor earned the job to host 2020 NBA finals coverage because ESPN was “feeling pressure” on diversity; what she expects Taylor do when her ESPN contract expires before the end of this month; whether you can work for management you don't trust; how this chapter impacts people of color working at ESPN and particular black women in front of and behind the cameras; the ESPN future for Nichols; Hill's podcast network to elevate the voices and stories of Black women, and more.  Ardaya discusses his experience covering Ohtani; how the Angels handle media access for him; his first time interacting with him; what; his desire to market himself; interacting with Japanese media on the beat; misconceptions about Mike Trout as a front-facing person in baseball; what he thought about Stephen A. Smith's comments on Ohtani and the conversation afterward, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 150 of the Sports Media Podcast features a conversation with two guests: Kavitha Davidson is a sports and culture writer for The Athletic and the host of Culture Calculus podcast. Jane McManus is the Director of the Marist's Center for Sports Communication and a Deadspin sports columnist. Both Davidson and McManus previously worked at ESPN. In this podcast Davidson and McManus discuss the New York Times piece on the storm at ESPN over Rachel Nichols' comments about Maria Taylor; their experiences working as women at ESPN; how they view ESPN on issues of promoting women of color, women overall, and people of color; what they would do if they were Taylor, whose contract is coming up; how big a failure this is of senior management; whether ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro should speak publicly; Kayla Johnson, a digital video producer, being the only person known to be punished and how absurd that is; whether the NBA production situation is salvageable and more.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 149 of the Sports Media Podcast features Mike Golic, who spent 26 years at ESPN as a radio host, NFL studio analyst and NFL and college football game analyst. In this podcast Golic discusses leaving ESPN and why it happened; how management informed him they were no longer interested in his services; what he's been doing the last six months; what he's likely to do next professionally; how his salary impacted ESPN decision-making; his desire to work on radio again calling games; his non-existent relationship today with Mike Greenberg; how he felt about Greenberg wanting his own show; the other interesting candidates for his last ESPN show other than Trey Wingo; whether formal ESPN-ers who have found success in their post-ESPN life motivates him; living outside of Notre Dame; why people liked him on the radio, and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 147 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is Ian Darke, the lead play-by-play commentator of ESPN's soccer coverage. He will be in London this month calling UEFA EURO 2020 for ESPN. Darke is followed by Anthony Crupi, a sports media reporter for Sportico. In this podcast, Darke discusses the favorites for the tournament; calling the Euros from London's Wembley Stadium and the IMG studios in London; the in-stadium protocols Darke has to follow because of COVID; how he preps for the tournament; why Poland is the toughest team for pronunciations; why the Floyd Mayweather-Logan Paul boxing exhibition was cynical and dangerous; stories from his contemporaries about sparring with all-time greats, and more. Crupi discusses the first round of the NBA playoffs averaging 3.06 million viewers, up 46% over 2020 and up 3% versus 2019; what the viewership numbers mean; why the second round of the NBA playoffs will be a significant viewership challenge for the NBA; the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs averaging a total audience of 642,000 viewers across NBC, NBCSN, USA, CNBC and digital outlets, up 6 percent 2020 but NHL's least-watched first round since 2013; what those numbers mean; what the best viewership possibilities for the NHL, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 146 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is Jemele Hill, a contributing writer for The Atlantic, the host of the “Jemele Hill is Unbothered,” podcast for Spotify, and a creative adviser for Meadowlark Media. She is followed by Tom Hannifan, better known by the announcing name Tom Phillips. He spent nine years with the WWE and during his WWE career he served as the play-by-play commentator on Raw, NXT, SmackDown, 205 Live, and NXT UK. He was recently let go by WWE and is now looking for traditional sports broadcasting opportunities. In this podcast Hill discusses Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal from the French Open; the failure to find a creative solution by French Open organizers; the debate over the value of the post-game/post-match presser; the importance of the press conference for smaller media outlets; the performative aspects and uncomfortable nature of sports press conferences; whether this means something larger for the sports media; a very bad week of fans interacting with athletes including criminality; why we have seen that happen, and more. Hannifan discusses the most challenging thing about being a WWE broadcaster; how long it took him to get product knowledge; how he was initially get hired by WWE; whether he was overproduced while on-air; his surprise to learn he was no longer calling RAW and being replaced by Adnan Virk; the short tenure of Virk; his alltime favorite match called; his friendship with Big E; getting slapped by Stephanie McMahon; what he wants to do next; his attempt to get work in college football and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 144 of the Sports Media Podcast features three guests. First up are ESPN feature producers Lauren Stowell and Jenna Contreras, the directors of  “144” a behind-the-scenes documentary on what unfolded on and off the court over the tumultuous two-and-a-half-month 2020 WNBA season. The second guest is Julie Stewart Binks, who hosts Drinks with Binks on Fubo TV and NHL Twitter Live. In this podcast, Stowell and Contreras discuss how the project came about; how producer and ESPN on-air personality Chiney Ogwumike helped make the access possible; whether they got any internal pushback on the topics at hand; how they decided on who would be at the center among the league’s players; how they got beyond-the-scenes conversations of the players; dedicating the season to Breonna Taylor and getting her family on film; where the WNBA goes next, and more. Stewart-Binks discusses how to do a show from home; the challenge of getting press in a crowded sports media space; getting people to drink on-air; her reaction to ESPN and Turner getting the US rights to the NHL and whether they can they grow the game; how the playoffs feel this year; Leah Hextall getting a play by play job, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 142 of the Sports Media Podcast features a conversation with Sports Media Watch founder and editor Jon Lewis and Sports Business Daily managing editor/digital Austin Karp. In this podcast, we discuss the three days of the NFL Draft averaging 6.1 million viewers and what that means; how the opening round’s 12.5 million average should be judged against the overall number; why Day 3 of the NFL Draft was down on viewership; analyzing NBC’s Kentucky Derby viewership numbers, which drew 14.5 million viewers for the race portion; what can be learned from the Derby in relation to upcoming jewel events; what Karp and Lewis’s expectations are for the NBA postseason and NHL postseason; whether the NBA Finals will be up over last year; the recent increase in NASCAR ratings; the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo and why both Lewis and Karp think the numbers will be down from 2016; what NBC can do to try to juice the Olympic viewership and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 139 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests — Sports Illustrated writer Jimmy Traina and Boston Globe columnist Chad Finn — for a roundtable discussion on various sports media topics. In the podcast we discuss Paul Pierce and ESPN parting ways and why the decision was made; did ESPN make the correct decision with Pierce; the ascendency of Kendrick Perkins; Alex Rodriguez working for ESPN and Fox Sports and whether that constitutes a conflict of interest; why none of us think Rodriguez is good in his ESPN role; when the NHL’s second media rights package will be signed; baseball fans being shutout with Hulu and YouTube TV among other carriers;  the role of sports gambling in sports media in 2021 and forward; the plans for Meadowlark Media; why Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman are great at what they do, and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Audacy, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 138 features Paul Heyman, a longtime WWE performer — he currently is the special counsel for Universal Champion Roman Reigns —and sports entertainment impresario. In this podcast, Heyman discusses how doing press has changed for wrestling performers from the 2000s to current day; how much the public should the media know about the private lives of performers such as Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch or Charlotte Flair; whether he would let a media outlet go behind the scenes for WrestleMania; the freedom to ad-lib as opposed to being tightly scripted; the upcoming Wrestlemania 37 in Tampa; the ease of booking  Becky Lynch in next year’s WrestleMania; the challenge of performing the last calendar year in front of no crowds; his comfort level in taking bumps; his time in ECW; how he has been able to work with people who are main event stars; the status of his WWE contract, which is set to expire; whether he would consider hosting a podcast about wrestling; perpetually changing greatness, and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Radio.com and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 137 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests. First up is NFL Network reporter Stacey Dales. She is followed by ESPN national baseball reporter Marly Rivera. In this podcast Dales discusses her journey from Canada to becoming an All-America basketball player at the University of Oklahoma to playing professional basketball to landing a job at ESPN; the challenges of navigating a high-profile media job in her 20s; how she ended up at the NFL Network after leaving ESPN; the challenges of focusing on an entire league; how to get better as a reporter; her duties and responsibilities at the NFL Network; why offensive lineman are excellent interviews; the state of women’s college basketball and the NCAA’s leadership’s attitude toward its most prominent women’s sport; and much more. Rivera discusses the major stories the baseball media will focus on to start the season; what kind of access MLB reporters will have this year; the challenge of covering amid COVID and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 135 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sean Shapiro, an NHL reporter for The Athletic who specializes in the business of hockey, and Ryan S. Clark, who covers the NHL and Seattle Kraken for The Athletic, for a discussion on ESPN’s seven-year television, streaming and media rights deal. The new agreement will run from the beginning of the 2021-22 season through the 2027-28 season. In this podcast, the panel discusses their impressions of the ESPN-NHL deal; what the deal means for the popularity of hockey in the U.S.; the impact of streaming on the deal; whether it will create more NHL talk on ESPN platforms; the prospect of NBC or Fox getting the other package; whether the NHL should re-align next year and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 133 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a conversation with Sports Business Daily media writer John Ourand on the NFL media rights. In this podcast, Ourand and Deitsch discuss where things stand between the football-airing networks and the NFL regarding a rights extension; why John believes CBS and NBC are the furthest along in the deal; the money gap between Disney and the NFL and whether that can be bridged; why some ESPNers believe they have more leverage today than they did in 2011; what ESPN would owe distributors if it jettisoned the NFL; what ESPN would look like without an NFL rights contract; Amazon’s role for Thursday Night Football; the change in Disney leadership impacting the NFL deal; how much of an increase the NFL is likely looking at for its rights; ViacomCBS using the NFL to drive subscriptions to Paramount+; whether there will be a gold rush for soccer rights on streaming and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 132 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features longtime ESPN Monday Night Football play by play broadcaster Steve Levy. In this podcast, Levy discusses calling Monday Night Football this season; the challenges of broadcasting during a pandemic; what management has told him about returning to the booth along with partners Louis Riddick and Brian Griese; whether he believes their group has earned the right to come back; reading about others rumored to be getting the MNF job; the differences between calling hockey and the NFL; thoughts on ESPN getting part of the game rights to the NHL; navigating ESPN over three decades and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 131 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable on Super Bowl viewership with Sports Business Daily media writer John Ourand and Austin Karp, the Managing Editor/Digital at Sports Business Journal. In this podcast, Deitsch, Ourand and Karp discuss the Super Bowl averaging 96.4 million viewers across all platforms, the lowest since Super Bowl 41 on CBS in 2007; why viewership was down; the declines in the 18 to 49 demographic; the broader context of jewel sports being down during the pandemic; the long-term impact on the NFL; the prospect of post-COVID sports viewership, and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 130 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests: Chelsea Janes, a national baseball writer for the Washington Post who previously covered the 2020 U.S. Presidential election. She is followed by Donnovan Bennett, a host, podcaster and writer for Sportsnet in Canada (where I work as well in addition to The Athletic). In this podcast, Janes discusses her professional path of covering the Nationals as a beat writer to covering the 2020 U.S. Presidential campaign to becoming a national baseball writer; the challenges and advantages of moving from sports to political reporting; what the Washington Post newsroom was like on January 6, 2021; the most interesting story in baseball right now; how to report baseball in a pandemic; how many women reporters have a story that tracks the allegations against Mickey Callaway, and much more. Bennett discusses how the sports media has approached the nexus of sports and COVID with regard to daily coverage; the possibility of the NBA All Star game; how we can discuss the Olympics/China in an intelligent way; the BIPOC mentorship pilot program he has started at Rogers Sportsnet; why the program is vital, and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 129 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a conversation with Sports Business Daily media writer John Ourand. In this podcast, Deitsch and Ourand discuss NBCSN shuttering at the end of the year and assets moving to Peacock; what the end of NBCSN means for the NHL upcoming media rights deal; the future of Dan Le Batard and John Skipper’s Meadowlark company; potential Super Bowl viewership; the WWE Network morphing to Peacock in the U.S.; the prospect of a canceled Olympics for NBC;; what sports TV PR departments should pitch, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 127 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests. First up is Noah Eagle, who called Nickelodeon’s first-ever NFL broadcast and is also the radio voice of the L.A. Clippers. He is followed by Ryan S. Clark, who covers the NHL and Seattle Kraken for The Athletic. In this podcast, Eagle discusses the Nickelodeon NFL broadcast; what made the broadcast unique and the planning for it; how he got the assignment; navigating having a well-known father in the sports media business;  how he feels about criticism of being gifted jobs; calling the Clippers; being interviewed by Steve Ballmer, and more. Clark discusses covering a team that exists but does not yet play on the ice; what kind of Kraken stories he does today; the interest in the NHL in Seattle; the most interesting stories in the NHL right now; how COVID has impacted coverage; what NHL teams have said about media coverage heading forward; how Clark evaluates diversity and gender among those covering the game; whether those numbers will get better; how the numbers of people in color covering the NHL can get better, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 122 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Trey Wingo, who joined ESPN in 1997 and anchored multiple sports and events for the network including serving as the lead host of ESPN’s NFL Draft coverage. Wingo is debuting a new podcast series this week —  Half-Forgotten History. In this podcast Wingo discusses his new podcast venture; why he is no longer at ESPN from his perspective; what ESPN management told him when he told them last year that he no longer wanted to continue co-hosting his ESPN Radio show upon the conclusion of his current contract; being the subject of negative news; whether he was a casualty of the company purging high-salaried, long tenured folks; how he viewed the outpouring of praise he received on Twitter after the annoucement; working with Mike Golic on ESPN; why Golic is no longer hosting a prominent spot on ESPN Radio; hosting the September 11, 2001 SportsCenter with Bob Ley; how social media has impacted ESPN; his thoughts on future television work and much more.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 121 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features three guests. First up is ESPN and YES Network broadcaster Ryan Ruocco, who serves as a play-by-play announcer for ESPN’s NBA and WNBA coverage and was most recently named to serve as ESPN’s lead play-by-play commentator for Women’s college basketball. He is followed by Lindsey Adler, who covers the Yankees for The Athletic and Olivia Witherite, who is the social media lead for The Athletic. In this podcast Ruocco, who has worked for ESPN since 2008, discusses how the women’s college basketball assignment come about; whether he will be traveling for it this year; if feedback from producers and executives is different for women’s basketball vs the NBA; the anticipation of calling the Nets this year; why he thinks Brooklyn are legit NBA Finals contenders; his relationship with C.C. Sabathia, and more. Adler and Witherite discuss the impact of Kim Ng becoming the first female general manager in MLB; Adler’s column on   on what Ng’s hiring meant for women in baseball and why it matters beyond her; Witherite’s piece on what Ng’s hiring meant to her and Korean-American representation in sports; how much Adler feels her gender on a daily basis covering baseball; Witherite on often being the only Asian person in the room during her sports career; the reaction to their pieces; representation heading forward in sports; Witherite on the skills needed to become a social media lead at an organization; Adler on the challenge for Ng with the Marlins talent base, and more.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 120 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests. First up is Hall of Fame basketball coach Muffet McGraw, who served as the head women's basketball coach at Notre Dame from 1987 to 2020, leading her team to nine Final Fours, seven championship game appearances, and two National Championships. Last month McGraw joined ESPN to work in a studio analyst role for the ACC Network. She is followed by soccer journalist Grant Wahl, who hosts the "Fútbol with Grant Wahl" podcast. This week Wahl debuts "American Prodigy: The Freddy Adu Story," a seven-part series on the American soccer player Freddy Adu. In this podcast, McGraw discusses her decision to join the ACC Network and how it came about; why she is sure she will not coach again; why studio work is interesting to her; reaching out to former college basektball coaches Andy Landers and Seth Greenberg about the transition to broadcasting; the challenge of being associated with Notre Dame while analyzing Notre Dame; her relationship with current Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey; the decision to play college basketball this year amid COVID; teaching at Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business and working on Election Day as a poll worker; promoting women’s equality and speaking on behalf of women across the country; her former players in the WNBA and their activism; her relationship with Pete Buttigieg and more.  Wahl discusses his new narrative podcast on Freddy Adu, a 7-part series including nearly two dozen interviews with people who have been closest to Adu; the reporting process for such a podcast; why Adu turned down media requests over the years; why Adu did not turn into an American Messi; what Adu told Wahl during their conversation; what Adu is doing now, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 117 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features three guests as part of a roundtable. The guests are: Michael Mulvihill, the head of strategy and analytics and an executive vice president for Fox Sports; Flora Kelly, the senior director of Strategic and Brand Insights at ESPN and Austin Karp, the Managing Editor/Digital at Sports Business Journal and Sports Business Daily. In this podcast, the trio discusses the macro trends of sports viewership and where things are on linear television and on-demand; why the numbers for so many signature sports properties – Stanley Cup Finals, Kentucky Derby, NBA Finals, Indy 500, and U.S. Open golf etc… — have gone down so much; the NBA and how much impact social justice messaging has had on viewership; why the NFL generally speaking has kept afloat with viewership; general college football viewership trends; social media changing the way perceptions are created about the success of leagues and networks; how much will streaming be a factor over the next five years; can sports gambling produce more sports viewership; what the next 12-36 months might bring in sports viewership trends, and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 116 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests. The first guest is Sports Business Daily media writer John Ourand. He is followed by Turner Sports NBA analyst Stan Van Gundy. In this podcast Ourand discusses where NFL viewership is after Week 5; how much the Presidential Election coverage will impact sports viewership; the NFL’s thoughts on ratings; the use of ABC has a sports channel; the conclusion of the NBA season and more. Van Gundy discusses his experience and challenges and joys working in the Orlando bubble; spending time with his brother, Jeff Van Gundy, inside the bubble; the current popularity of the NBA; the nexus of sports and politics and race and his willingness to discuss them publicly; how having money gives you the freedom to speak your mind in sports; how he sees owners in the NBA; and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 115 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features ESPN NBA reporter Malika Andrews, whose work appears across ESPN platforms including ESPN.com, SportsCenter and ESPN Radio. In this podcast Andrews discusses working inside the NBA bubble for four months; the challenges and rewards of the experience; the medical protocols of the bubble; being the youngest television sideline reporter ever to work the Eastern Conference finals; how she has found her age to be a factor in her reporting and access; her choking up on camera on SportsCenter following the Louisville grand jury’s decision in the Breonna Taylor case; her social media experience; flunking out of middle school suffering from an eating disorder; how she views her future and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices