There have been plenty of takes about Chris Russo at this point. If I were to write a think piece about his “shut up and play” comments regarding Draymond Green at this point, I would be like the 78th guy to the party. Hell, at this site alone, I would be the second guy to the party.
If Mad Dog was going to learn anything from Thursday’s edition of First Take, it would have happened by now. I agree his stance is problematic, but I also am sick of hearing about it being problematic.
Instead, let’s talk about the other guy in that debate. Let’s move Chris Russo to the back of the line and instead shine a spotlight on JJ Redick. You know how good he is on TV, whether it is analysis or debate. The guy is bright, handsome, and opinionated – born to be a star.
I am not going to make this all about JJ Redick as the future of sports media. I am pretty sure I am late to that party as well.
This piece is going to focus on a single point JJ Redick made. It is a point that is more important for our industry to pay attention to than anything said about Green or about Russo.
When Chris Russo said that he had been watching the NBA for 60 years and rattled off a list of old players that he loved as a kid, Redick fired back with a perfect response.
“I don’t actually care about the fans that watched Bob Cousy play or watched Wilt play. I don’t care.”
I absolutely love this stance. Replace “Bob Cousy” and “Wilt” with “Magic” and “Bird” or “Joe Montana” and “Jerry Rice”, and the point is the same and just as valid. Why are some hosts or analysts dedicated to the idea that the best days of sports are behind us? How does that help our business?
Former athletes often fall into this trap. It’s ego-driven, and that is understandable. Men and women that have spent their entire careers in broadcasting make the same mistake. It is a bad habit that producers and programmers have to make sure is stopped.
Getting old sucks, I get it. But when you say that Kyrie Irvin couldn’t hold a candle to Bob Cousy or that Shohei Ohtani is no Babe Ruth, you are telling the audience you actively resent them. They are coming to you for information about what is happening right now, not to hear that nothing matters because it is all downhill from here because everything has sucked since football legalized the forward pass.
Being able to dismiss nostalgia is probably easier for JJ Redick than for some analysts. He just retired. He can appreciate the performances in the 2022 playoffs without being caught up in the bullshit way of thinking that it is some kind of indictment on his own career. Still, I applaud him for saying the quiet part out loud.
Every viewer is precious in this era of endless media options. Nothing on TV is performing the way it did 15-20 years ago. So many of us in the sports media hate “back in my day” conversations. Give JJ credit for saying it.
I am not going to tell you that all-time great performers and performances from bygone decades are not impressive. I am not making the point that LeBron is better than Jordan. What I am saying is, isn’t it great that it is a legitimate debate.
If you’re 40 or older, you are old enough to have seen and appreciated both of the two best players to ever pick up a basketball. When you think about the age of Earth itself and all of the people that have been born and died since basketball was invented, the fact that you got to be here for Jordan and LeBron is f***ing amazing!
Sports talk, no matter what platform is it done on, is built on the 3 Es: entertainment, enlightenment, and education. The secret is that the second 2 Es don’t really count. They’re nice, don’t get me wrong, but if you aren’t entertaining, no one is going to stick around to be educated or enlightened.
Let’s get the history lessons out of sports talk. Remember, there is a reason ESPN Classic never made it off the premium sports tier. No one is turning your show or network on to hear a lecture. This is supposed to be fun. Storytime with grandpa is only fun when it is your grandpa, and to be fair, there are plenty of times you wish your grandpa would just shut up.
Enough people have piled on Chris Russo for what he had to say about Draymond Green. I don’t need to do that. I want to lift JJ Redick up, because, while he may have been speaking to Russo, he said something every sports talker needs to hear occasionally: Yesteryear means nothing to people who are tuning in to hear you talk about yesterday.
Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
