Ok, I have to take it all back. I now think what Doug Gottlieb is doing with the whole coaching a college team while still doing sports media is absolutely the way to go. It is great for the school with the publicity they get, and Gottlieb gets to coach. Everyone is happy and it is one of the great decisions ever made. I am completely doing a 180 on the subject only because…and I cannot believe I am saying this…I don’t want to lose Bill Belichick the football analyst, the media guy. I like him, way more than I liked Bill Belichick the coach (it’s the whole being from St. Louis thing).
This new Bill Belichick had much more personality than I ever imagined, but what he has that grabbed my attention more than anything is the ability to explain the game to me in a way that makes me a smarter football fan without feeling like I am being talked down to. He points things out and puts them in perspective but is able to simplify the game.
What I have realized is that is part of what made Belichick so great as a coach apparently, he didn’t overly complicate things. I heard Tom Brady discuss how other coaches have such complicated strategies and think they have to overwhelm the players with information. Belichick said his defensive philosophy was to take away the opponent’s best weapon(s) and make the others beat you. Novel concept, but just one example of where he didn’t overthink it, and explaining what he would do in certain situations, it always reverts back to the same principles.
Now, it is going to be great theater to watch as he goes into college coaching. As Coach Belichick said, the college game has never been more like the professional game so now is a good time to give it a shot, at least he has a pretty good idea of what he is getting into versus the coaches who were forced into this new NIL world and had to immediately adjust after doing it one way for 20, 30, 40 or more years.
I hope whoever needs to work out the behind-the-scenes documentary on North Carolina football already has the cameras rolling. Whether this is a success or failure, that footage will be gold. So, I am already looking forward to the ancillary coverage that comes out of this.
I just hope Belichick is able to have some time to keep doing some media appearances and breaking down the game. I am sure Pat McAfee will at least try and keep his weekly segment with Belichick and things like that could also give Belichick an advantage over a lot of other coaches on the college level – the free national publicity will be insane if he thinks he has time to do it and won’t revert back to “We’re on to Clemson…”
This should be good for college football and for North Carolina. It will most likely be really good for the players who want to learn how to be able to play at the next level. Two groups, however, that this will not be good for are the rest of the football programs in the ACC and the viewers like me, who have already come to seek out whatever content Belichick puts out there.
I did also think about this. Imagine if Belichick doesn’t continue any media, immediately goes back to 24/7 living and breathing UNC football and the job. Then, at some point, he will stop coaching again, turn the program over to his son and have the ability to go back to doing sports media. Imagine the financial upside he would have then, now that everyone knows that he is not only capable of doing a lot of different things, but that he is also really good at it.
I am all in on the fascination of Bill Belichick. I think this year off from coaching has made him millions and millions of dollars and ‘upped his game’ in a lot of ways.
I will be pulling for him to continue just giving us even a small taste of some of the content he has been doing this year. I am also hoping he disrupts college football a bit and will be glued to the coverage. But more than anything, I am now counting the days until we can get ‘Media Bill Belichick’ back.
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The Best/Worst Thing I’ve Heard/Watched/Read Recently
If you are into the business of sports media, I recommend you take a listen to an episode of The Bear Roars podcast where the guest is the founder of All City Networks, Brandon Spano. The podcast is hosted by Dan Caruso, who you learn is an investor in All City. The show focuses on innovators in Colorado.
Spano talks about building the business, how much money has been raised and from whom, and what the future looks like as far as a next round of fundraising and how many markets, both domestically and internationally, Spano and the company hopes to eventually be in.
I have followed the brand for a few years and appreciate how much work and effort Spano and his team have put into their digital network in Denver, Phoenix, Chicago, Philadelphia and Dallas. They are doing game-changing things, and it will be fun to watch as they continue to build.
You can view the full interview by clicking here or get the audio version by clicking here.
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In Case You Missed It
I always enjoy Andy Masur’s ‘Anatomy Of…’ features where he looks at the background of a broadcaster, analyst or insider and gives the story of how they became who they are and what makes them special. Recently, he featured ESPN’s John Buccigross who has become known not just for his skill as an anchor on SportsCenter, but for his incredible passion for hockey.
Masur noted what Buccigross said in an article when ESPN got NHL play-by-play rights back after a long hiatus:
“I was surprised after the announcement how emotional I got,” Buccigross told Boston.com in 2021. “I was driving around and actually started to tear up. It was kind of weird, I don’t know why. I don’t know if it was those 16 or 17 years that we were kind of carrying the torch for the NHL, and to have the hope that it would return to ESPN finally fulfilled.”
Sometimes you forget that those working in the sports media at a high level are regular people, too, and sports fans just like us. This was a good reminder of that.
You can read the full feature by clicking here.
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Dave Greene is the Chief Media Officer for Barrett Media. His background includes over 25 years in media and content creation. A former sports talk host and play-by-play broadcaster, Dave transitioned to station and sales management, co-founded and created a monthly sports publication and led an ownership group as the operating partner. He has managed stations and sales teams for Townsquare Media, Cumulus Media and Audacy. Upon leaving broadcast media he co-founded Podcast Heat, a sports and entertainment podcasting network specializing in pro wrestling nostalgia. To interact, find him on Twitter @mr_podcasting. You can also reach him by email at Dave@BarrettMedia.com.
I appreciate the excitement for a new era of coaching while doing media but a 2-9 start for Doug that is showing no signs of improvement doesn’t seem to yet qualify for “one of the great decisions ever made.” Doing two high pressure full-time jobs is an insult to both employers, and to people who need to work two full-time jobs as a means of survival rather than an ego thirsty vanity project, in my humblest of opinions