Do you care who’s on your television while you’re watching Sunday Night Football or Monday Night Football?
Most would say yes, but the ratings may suggest otherwise.
This week, former ESPN headman John Skipper joined Dan Le Batard’s show and questioned whether ESPN reportedly paying Troy Aikman $90 million over five years is really worth it.
At the beginning of the podcast, Le Batard asked Skipper if he believed that a color commentator is worth $17-18 million per year regardless of how talented they are. Skipper said there isn’t really much evidence that proves that a commentator is worth that much money necessarily.
“I never saw a scintilla of evidence that the people in the booth change the ratings even by a smidgen,” said Skipper. “The race to hire people is mostly about internal pride. We want to present a good game.”
Speaking like a true executive.
The reality is that Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, and all NFL fans will watch their team play on 17 Sundays each fall, whether it’s Troy Aikman or Elmo on the broadcast. But the notion that the “face” of the broadcast isn’t worth a fraction of what you pay for that product is an absurd statement.
Skipper did go on to point out, “It is probably good for your brand. I wasn’t suggesting that it’s a foolish decision, just that it’s not about math.”
But here’s the thing, it is also about math. Let’s explain.
Last March, ESPN retained its rights to “Monday Night Football” until 2033 in a deal valued at $2.6 billion per season.
Paying Troy Aikman $18 million annually is .7 percent of the total cost of the broadcast for the season. So I’m supposed to believe that it’s not worth it to have a legitimate, highly-respected broadcast booth?
This is your most prestigious and highest-watched sporting event of the year, and you wouldn’t pay literally a fraction of the cost you’re already spending for the broadcast rights to have a voice and face people like, enjoy, respect, and find entertaining?
This is like buying a Bentley for $200,000 and using conventional oil for your oil change to save $50.
That’s crazy. And it’s bad business.
ESPN has been changing its broadcast booth for Monday Night Football more frequently than Skip Bayless mentions LeBron James.
And if ESPN couldn’t develop a star in that position, it also proves how difficult it is to be a great color commentator, especially in the NFL. As someone who has been on the play-by-play side earlier in my career (and wasn’t very good at it), I can confirm that even finding mediocre color commentary is difficult, never mind world-class talent.
It’s what makes a guy like Tony Romo, who stepped off the field and into the booth and became an instant star with his ability to understand, explain, and be entertaining at the same time, so valuable. Romo also landed himself a deal worth nearly $18 million per season. I hope Skipper didn’t lose too much sleep over this deal.
But it’s also basic supply and demand. When there is a short supply of something, in this case, very talented NFL color commentators, then demand will skyrocket. And when those who have that demand for these roles (ESPN, NBC, CBS, FOX) are paying billions of dollars per year for their product, then there is absolutely justification for the skyrocketing salaries. And it’s also a good investment.
In ESPN’s case, they had a chance to land a whale, and they got one in Troy Aikman.
It gives ESPN desperately needed gravitas and credibility in that booth, which the company has been looking for for a long time. There’s an inherent value in this that will bring respect and stability to their most important product that ESPN won’t regret.
Pete Mundo is a weekly columnist for Barrett Media, and the morning show host and program director for KCMO in Kansas City. Previously, he was a fill-in host nationally on FOX News Radio and CBS Sports Radio, while anchoring for WFAN, WCBS News Radio 880, and Bloomberg Radio. Pete was also the sports and news director for Omni Media Group at K-1O1/Z-92 in Woodward, Oklahoma. He’s also the owner of the Big 12-focused digital media outlet Heartland College Sports. To interact, find him on Twitter @PeteMundo.
