While NFL veteran and current ESPN analyst Ryan Clark has become one of the better analysts in the business, that hasn’t stopped him from trying to go further. He does not care to stick to doing just one thing in the industry.
Clark was a guest on the latest episode of the Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast and he expressed that one day he might want to be a host of the show. He understands that hosting is not an easy job to do, but he wants people to know he is versatile. He tries to show that off in hosting his current podcast, FaceFirst Podcast With Ryan Clark and in co-hosting DC & RC with Daniel Cormier.
“Obviously. ESPN isn’t going to necessarily look at me and give me that chance,” Ryan Clark told Deitsch. “Sometimes, you have to create your own things and own lanes to show people you have some versatility that they might not find useful or they might not want to use you in that capacity.”
When he started at ESPN, Ryan Clark leaned on the advice of Michael Wilbon, Stephen A. Smith, and the late John Saunders. In fact, it was Saunders who gave him the idea to create content outside of the NFL. Clark said that Saunders told him that he was capable of much more.
During his playing career, Clark did tell Deitsch that he did have an “up-and-down relationship with the media.” He says the root of any clashes are also what makes him a good analyst now.
“I think what makes me good at my job now and probably what made me annoying to people doing the job then is I’m not scared to call BS when I see it or I’m not scared to say what the facts are. A lot of the times, people don’t like being corrected or challenged and I’m like F that.”
Once Clark’s media career started, he realized that authenticity is key to anything that he does. He told Deitsch that he has moved away from the bad habits of his early days that reulted in him being less interesting on air.
“When I initially started, I was going to show people I was as smart as hell. I just studied and studied and got the numbers and did all those things, but it took so much of my personality. I had to learn how to be able to do all of that studying and then still be Ryan Clark. Once you kind of find your voice and you are willing to continue working, I think that’s how you have longevity. ”
