23 years ago, Jim Rome launched the “Smack Off”, an opportunity for sports talk radio listeners to rant, rave and display their passion, knowledge and personality while sounding off on players, coaches, teams and regulations. Since then, the annual tradition has increased in popularity, even serving as a launching pad for a number of on-air sports radio personalities including Jay Mohr, JT The Brick and Sean Pendergast.
This year’s highly anticipated event will take place on Friday July 28th on CBS Sports Radio between 12p-3p ET. The contest will feature 25 contestants competing for a cash prize of $5,000.
In years past, high profile celebrities such as University of Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh, and retired NBA player and KNBR afternoon host Tom Tolbert have participated. MMA legend Chael Sonnen actually won the event in 2012, and has agreed to re-enter the jungle this year in search of a second victory. Yahoo MLB columnist and New York Times bestselling author Jeff Passan has also announced he’ll take the plunge this year, hoping to impress Rome and his legion of ‘Clones’.
“The first Smack Off came about because I wanted a day when only the best callers would be invited to call in to compete with each other to determine who was the best,” said Rome. “At that time, I had no idea it would become an annual tradition, let alone one that would last for more than two decades. Every year, the callers get bigger, bolder, and more creative with their ideas, so I can’t wait to find out which caller will become the next legend.”
“Jim Rome’s ‘Smack Off’ is a sports event like no other,” added Eric Spitz, Director, Programming, CBS Sports Radio. “The ‘Clones’ represent the most passionate, knowledgeable and creative sports fans around; the preparation and ingenuity they put into making their ‘Smack Off’ truly original is just amazing. This year’s contestants have their work cut out for them and I’m sure they’ll deliver just as always.”
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
