Britt McHenry may have become familiar to sports fans for her good looks and NFL reporting during a three year stint with ESPN, but after being laid off in April, she’s found her voice, and grown more confident in sharing her opinions. That in turn has helped her discover a new found freedom and desire to pursue projects outside of the sports media industry
During an appearance on The Federalist Radio Hour in Washington D.C., McHenry spoke openly about everything from her stint at ESPN, the company’s competitive challenges, being laid off, her infamous towing incident, the changing landscape of sports media, the dangers of social media, and her growing interest in politics. To hear the full interview, click here.
One particular part which stood out was when McHenry was asked why a move away from sports appeals to her. She said, “I’d rather do something that I believe and love than just take a job reading copy or doing a sideline report. I feel like I’ve done that already. I want to enter a new arena.”
The conversation also explored whether or not sports media personalities turn off their audiences by sharing their political positions, to which McHenry added, “I think there’s a disconnect with the viewers, and much of middle America isn’t acknowledged. I think that when you go on too much of a pioneering social justice stand, that’s great, but sports fans just want to watch sports.”
McHenry acknowledged that in our current climate, networks can’t ignore the intersection between athletes, games and social issues, but if those topics are going to be covered, it’s important for different perspectives to be represented. If a company is unable to do that then she feels they’d be better served staying away from the subject and focusing on the games.
Other highlights from the interview included McHenry admitting that she hasn’t watched ESPN programming in a long time, including while she was employed by the company. She also credited Chris Berman for being a great mentor, applauded Barstool Sports for their willingness to take risks, and talked about her issues with blogs such as The Daily Caller which have gone out of their way to take shots at her.
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.
