LaVar Arrington used to learn about opposing quarterbacks and how to shed blockers.
Now he’s learning everything he can about the second act of his career: sports media.
“My career is media. I am a media person,” Arrington tells BSM. “I’m not a former player that comes on shows. This is my business, and I approach it that way.”
The former No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft and seven-year veteran had a very accomplished playing career. He played collegiately at Penn State and then with the Washington Redskins (Commanders) and New York Giants. Now he’s fully immersed in his next chapter, which sees him as a host on a few projects. He’s on the daily Fox Sports Radio show 2 Pros and a Cup of Joe and the weekend show Up on Game for the network. Arrington also the hosts the podcast, Conversations with a Legend.
His newest venture? He’s helping to open up doors for collegiate athletes by developing NIL opportunities in the digital media space. He does so thru the company Up on Game Presents.
“I absolutely have enjoyed being able to learn, and be a part of the process of how the production of it works, how driving a show works, how being a part of the show works. I’ve also really enjoyed learning the business of it all, what goes into it. When they say content is king, content truly is king,” he says.
Arrington has been delivering that content in many different forms for several years now.
Before this current iteration of his media career, Arrington was all over television. He worked for Comcast SportsNet in the D.C. area, and the NFL Network. He also made appearances on FS1. He also previously hosted a radio show at 106.7 The Fan and had a multimedia blog for the Washington Post.
When the opportunity presented itself early in 2020 to work for Fox Sports Radio, Arrington jumped at it. He described having great conversations with Scott Shapiro (Vice President of Fox Sports Radio & Podcasts) and Don Martin (then Senior Vice President of Programming for FOX Sports Radio) when he met them at that year’s Super Bowl in Miami.
“We just had a great chemistry from the beginning, in terms of our connection,” he said. “And they told me that they were going to give me an opportunity and that’s what they did.”
That first opportunity was with Up on Game in February of 2020. Remember February of 2020? The Chiefs had just won the Super Bowl, Tom Brady was about to be a free agent and the NBA and NHL seasons were humming along. It was just a month later when the sports world come to a halt because of the pandemic. Some in our business struggled without true sports content, Arrington says the time actually helped him.
“It showed my abilities — my capabilities,” Arrington says. “I was always available. I never missed a show. I just felt like I exercised a level of professionalism and work ethic that really resonated with Don and Scott. It led to a bigger opportunity, like much bigger opportunities. I’m doing so many things with Premiere, Fox Sports Radio and iHeartMedia. It’s been an amazing ride and it’s because those two really, really bought into me, really believed in me and gave me a fair opportunity to show my worth.”
As those opportunities have grown for Arrington, so has his skillset. He’s been able to work in a variety of different radio roles that have helped him grow as a personality.
On 2 Pros and a Cup of Joe, which launched in in September of 2021, Arrington describes himself as more of an “older brother” figure. While Jonas Knox leads and directs the show, Arrington gets a chance to share opinions and contrast with former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, who he calls an “All-American dude.”
You compare that to Up on Game with former NFL wide receivers TJ Houshmandzadeh and Plaxico Burress, and Arrington is the driver of the show.
“I am the Jonas Knox of that show. So I drive, I direct, I set up, I facilitate and I take a lesser role,” he says. “And even though I will give my opinion, I do take a lesser role and give the floor to them to give their perspectives on things. So, I think it works really great.”
In these columns, I tend to not put in too much personal opinion, but in this one? I find it appropriate, because there were was one distinct message Arrington had that really resonated with me.
See, 2 Pros and a Cup of a Joe airs at 6 AM EST. Arrington lives in Los Angeles, so the show airs at 3 AM his time. I just had to know: “How do you prepare for the show given that it’s so early?”
“Sometimes it’s not even about watching games,” he says. “Anyone who says they watch every game in their entirety is an effing liar. They’re lying to you. And that means that they’re geeking out over trying to make sure that they have the credibility to the world as to what it is that that they’re saying. I’ve been a part of sports since I can remember. You learn how sports work. Whether it’s basketball, football, golf, etc. you start to learn the characteristics of what you’re looking for that’s relevant to speak on.”
While it’s evident that his own personal experiences help shape some of what he says on the air, Arrington also talked about studying box scores, looking at highlights and trying to “capture” the story of a game even without having seen every pitch, play or snap.
I found that sentiment personally refreshing. I have always tried to be the host that watches everything. It’s a painstaking effort to make that a reality. Sometimes, it truly is impossible. It’s certainly impossible without driving yourself mad. It was nice to hear that there are methodologies to show prep that include other ways of gathering information about games and stories.
This column started with how LaVar Arrington enjoys learning about sports media.
It ended with how LaVar Arrington ended up teaching me something.
Brady Farkas is a sports radio professional with 5+ years of experience as a Program Director, On-Air Personality, Assistant Program Director and Producer in Burlington, VT and Albany, NY. He’s well versed in content creation, developing ideas to generate ratings and revenue, working in a team environment, and improving and growing digital content thru the use of social media, audio/video, and station websites. His primary goal is to host a daily sports talk program for a company/station that is dedicated to serving sports fans. You can find him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady and reach him by email at bradyfarkas@gmail.com.
