After NFL games on Sunday nights, former tight end Shannon Sharpe takes the air with former wide receiver Chad Johnson and/or former NBA guard Gilbert Arenas to react to all of the action. The Nightcap podcast, which is produced through iHeartPodcasts and The Volume in coordination with Shay Shay Media, releases new episodes several times per week and has quickly built itself into a destination for football fans after the games.
In addition to the podcast, Sharpe appears two times per week on ESPN as a contributor on First Take, the network’s No. 1 morning show that has achieved year-over-year gains for 16 consecutive months.
Sharpe previously worked at FS1 alongside Skip Bayless on Undisputed, but he reached a buyout agreement with the network earlier in the year. During his media free agency, he reportedly spoke to various networks and outlets that were interested in utilizing him. In the end, he ultimately chose to sign with ESPN and The Volume, continuing to appear on a debate-formatted television show while also podcasting on shows including Nightcap and Club Shay Shay.
“I told you that Shannon Sharpe didn’t need Skip Bayless, and he doesn’t need Skip Bayless, and Shannon Sharpe has climbed into a rarified air here with just a handful of podcasts that we’re lucky enough to be among because he’s occupying the space immediately after football games,” Dan Le Batard said on his eponymous digital show. “He’s doing something out west after football games with Ochocinco, and you’re competing against that, Tony, and he buried you on Sunday.”
Le Batard was referring to Tony Calatayud, a producer with Meadowlark Media who is competing against Sharpe with the God Bless Football podcast. Every week, hosts Stugotz and Billy Gil welcome a variety of guests to discuss matters pertaining to the sport and release episodes quickly after games. Sharpe was previously a member of The NFL Today from CBS Sports, serving as a studio analyst for nine years before joining Undisputed.
“They put him on that stiff, starched old-person set on CBS a long time ago that he couldn’t fit into,” Le Batard said of Sharpe. “That pregame show hasn’t changed any; it’s old-people television. Shannon Sharpe was doing what Nate Burleson was doing trying to fit in.”
While traditional broadcast networks such as CBS follow a linear programming schedule, Sharpe has the flexibility to go on the air whenever he wants. Free of the limitations that come with a preset lineup, he is able to reach the audience at any time and react to breaking news as it happens.
“It’s an old-person show,” Le Batard added, addressing Calatayud. “CBS goes for that demo, but Shannon Sharpe’s career at that point was pretty dead and now he has resurrected it because people like Tony can’t keep up with their fiber optics. All they need to do is get on the air and you couldn’t get on the air.”
