“No cheering in the press box” is an old phrase many sports media veterans have probably heard once or twice over their careers. It’s an implication that as a member of the press, especially in sports media, you’re not supposed to show favoritism or bias towards one team or another. But that doesn’t really apply in today’s sports media landscape, and ESPN’s Mike Greenberg is glad for that.
Because there was a point and time in his tenure at The Worldwide Leader that he had to keep his allegiance to the New York Jets under wraps.
In a recent interview with The New York Post, Greeny said he eventually stopped hiding the fact he rooted for the Jets. He felt like it helped him form a better connection with the audience he was building at the time with former Mike & Mike co-host Mike Golic.
“I didn’t get here like Mike did — Mike played nine years in the NFL,” Greenberg said. “I’m not here because I went to journalism school. I’m here because I’m a sports fan, like everyone else listening, and so I started going in that direction.”
Greeny added that it wasn’t easy at first because people definitely had something to say about his Jets fandom, but eventually the audience started connecting with his passion for his team.
“I got a ton of criticism for it, for just acknowledging I was rooting for the Jets, but for every person who didn’t like it, there were 10 who did,” he said. “They related to it.”
That’s why even today Mike Greenberg continues to openly support the Jets. Because that love for team translates well to listeners.
“Why the hell are you listening to my show if you’re not a fan of your team?” he said. “I think that made me more relatable, and so I never stopped.”
