What is connection without credibility? To be persuasive, you must be believable. To be believable, you must be credible. It’s a simple equation that sports radio has attempted to solve, even though most of the industry never laced up skates or put on pads. It’s also what former athletes inherently deliver: depth of knowledge backing their analysis, leading the brands that employ them to earn instant credibility.
It’s no secret that the evolution of sports radio is becoming more of a digital and on-demand product, as opposed to the traditional ones we all grew to love. The cost of entry into media for a former athlete is now at an all-time low, with no experience or coaching required. They lend their experience and knowledge to build their own audience, monetizing their time on their own dime and growing their own social platforms to drive engagement.
It leads me to wonder if sports radio is beginning to have a credibility issue.
The Value of Having an Athlete’s Perspective Is Paramount
Over the holiday weekend, I caught a clip of Jerry Recco and Al Dukes hosting an episode of Al and Jerry’s Postgame Podcast on YouTube. The title of the clip was “What’s Boomer’s Radio Future?” which led me to believe this would be a discussion about Boomer Esiason’s role with WFAN.
Instead, the discussion turned into how current and former athletes no longer have the desire to enter the world of traditional sports radio. The list of reasons shared by Recco and Dukes didn’t always surround money. It was about something with more value than money itself.
Time.
It’s a fair discussion to be had, and unfortunately not the first time I’ve heard it.
When I interviewed FS1 and current Denver Sports 104.3 The Fan host Mark Schlereth earlier this year, the former All-Pro said he sees a day when networks like ESPN will find it hard to sign former athletes as analysts. His reasoning was the same as Recco and Dukes. It wasn’t about money; it was about time.
Having a former athlete on your on-air roster does more than just provide credibility because of the perspective he or she brings to the table. It instantly provides your brand attention in the market because the star power is already earned, and the branding is already complete. The hard work to build trust with the audience is already done ahead of time, making your outlet more credible in the sports radio ecosystem.
However, following Recco, Dukes, and Schlereth’s lead—if current and former athletes are shying away from sports radio and sports networks—this serves as a massive issue for credibility’s sake.
The Rise of the Athlete Podcaster
Sports radio isn’t alone in this battle. The podcast space is now experiencing what sports radio dealt with for many years. Current and former athletes beginning their own platforms are cutting into podcasting real estate for everyone else. These former athletes who once took job opportunities away from broadcasters are now providing their voice to the sports media landscape in the podcast space. This is leading to instant appeal from the podcast consumer and full credibility as former athletes of the sports they played.
For every Bill Simmons, there’s a Shannon Sharpe, Draymond Green, or Richard Sherman.
For every Big Cat, there’s a Pat McAfee, Cam Newton, or Chris Long.
Student-athletes from colleges and high schools, in the age of NIL, are also tossing their talents into the podcasting space to secure their share of the pie as well—building their own brands to an audience of the future.
What took years for The Ringer and Barstool Sports to carve out can take weeks to months for an ex-athlete. Why? Instant credibility and name value, which leads to sponsorship dollars and making money on your own time.
Who would turn down that kind of opportunity? Why would any ex-athlete even consider working more hours in traditional sports media for less money?
If listeners are fans, and fans follow athletes, where does that leave sports radio if no athletes are to be had?
Can Sports Radio Still Attract the Former Athlete Talent
Less than 70% of sports radio stations in the top 25 markets have a full-time on-air talent that is a current or former athlete. That percentage pre-COVID was much higher. It’s also a number that continues to dwindle more every year as local radio budgets continue to cut costs and lean on doing more with less—or simply leaning on syndication.
That affects credibility with the listener. Anyone and everyone has an opinion on the happenings in sports, but a perspective from the locker room have unlimited value to provide credibility.
Can some sports radio stations thrive without an ex-athlete on the on-air roster? Sure. There are quite a few examples of sports radio stations doing particularly well without an ex-athlete on the roster.
However, the single biggest challenge for every sports radio station in today’s attention economy is how to gain attention. For every new current or former athlete that starts a podcast, there is instant attention.
Can you say that about the latest hire at your local sports radio station?
The more athletes that join the party, the less attention everyone else gets. The more athletes that leave traditional sports radio, the less credible it becomes as a format.
Sports radio has a number of hurdles it continues to battle day in and day out, but the discussion sparked by Recco and Dukes should challenge station managers to think differently.
While being unique is irreplaceable, having an athlete’s perspective is powerful. For sports radio to be persuasive, it needs to be believable. For sports radio to be believable, it must remain credible.
Your listener’s trust is built on it.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
