Often times, sports and politics intermingle. Some would say too much, especially with today’s heightened focus on political tribalism. We all wish for a meeting in the middle of our discourse, yet we often see the opposite. Therefore, it’s no secret that political commentary filters into the sports talk radio hemisphere from time to time.
There’s no manual on how to avoid it, and also no book on how to manage it. When you’re a local broadcaster, you talk about local events. The teams, the headlines, and the games that provide outcomes and storylines. However, when there is no defining local sports event dominating the market, conversation still has to happen.
The events of the last few weeks in Minnesota have captured the attention of the entire country, especially within the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes. It’s a difficult time for sports radio to serve as a distraction when real-world events pull at the heartstrings of the listeners searching for an escape. It’s a challenge, and mistakes will happen.
A mistake happened on Friday. It wasn’t necessarily a slip of the tongue, nor did it carry harmful intent. It was simply a bad attempt at a joke. If you listen to the audio, it’s easy to understand the context.
Paul Allen is KFAN royalty. He’s the late-morning voice of one of the most successful sports radio stations in the country. He also serves as the hometown play-by-play voice of the Minnesota Vikings. Allen has been part of the KFAN listening community since 1998.
On Friday, while discussing various headlines surrounding the brutal cold weather the Minneapolis–St. Paul area, Allen attempted to inject humor during a difficult time for the local community. While referencing how different people deal with the cold, he questioned whether paid protesters receive hazard pay while braving the elements.
It wasn’t a rant and wasn’t a segment. There wasn’t even a corny sound effect to match the attempt. It didn’t come close to leaning toward a political ideology in either direction. The moment was three seconds of a bad joke. An attempt at humor tied to a current local event, something audiences see regularly from comedians like Bill Maher, Dave Chappelle, Stephen Colbert among others.
Was it funny? Some listeners likely laughed. Was it controversial? When is comedy not controversial to someone?
The real question is whether it warranted a taped apology and a couple of days off that followed.
I’ve served as a brand manager during moments when major events unfolded in the local community. Naturally, when you run a sports radio brand, you avoid political discussion whenever possible. Remember the words of Michael Jordan? Republicans buy sneakers too.
For years, sports radio tried to maintain a clear line of demarcation. Leave politics to political talk show hosts. Today, that line is nearly impossible to maintain. It’s permanently blurred. Kaepernick, Rapinoe, LeBron, and Aaron Rodgers are just a few examples of athletes whose accomplishments are often overshadowed by political statements or perceived leanings.
When the tragic death of George Floyd occurred, riots and looting happened in my backyard of Tampa, Florida. For the first time, we had to navigate a story that sat at the forefront of every listener’s mind. We didn’t shy away from it and welcomed participation from all sides, because there’s plenty of other opportunities to escape.
We were better for it. The conversations connected us with the full audience and allowed for honest discussion without steering the dialogue in one direction. Truth be told, there were moments of humor as well, and no one was given a “couple days off” because our mentions blew up over a ill-timed liner.
It was people connecting with people during a painful time for the community.
What happened in Tampa wasn’t remotely comparable to what happened with Paul Allen at KFAN. We spent hours on a sensitive topic and had some laughs along the way. Yet Allen is sidelined for days over a three-second line. All because of a bad joke that led to a taped apology aired during a commercial break.
Did Allen’s joke warrant that level of discipline?
Would it have been acceptable if the line had been a quip about the President skipping the Super Bowl because it was too far to fly? Or a witty remark about Kristi Noem saying one thing while reality showed another? You know, like a bad referee in a football game.
What message does “a couple of days off” send about the slightest sense of political humor on a sports radio brand? Which does more harm: the bad joke itself, or the precedent set by the apology and the mini-vacation? Especially the day after the Super Bowl matchup was finalized.
I believe Allen’s apology. He stated he never intended ill will or political offense, and the audio supports that claim. In sports media, consumers hear what they want to hear and read what they want to read. You can’t control a million interpretations from a million people over a single phrase delivered during a tense political moment.
Sports radio doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Pretending otherwise creates more problems than it solves. The job isn’t to eliminate every misstep or sanitize every moment. It’s to understand intent, context, and impact.
Paul Allen made a bad joke, owned it, and moved on. That should have been the end of it.
When accountability turns into overcorrection, the industry risks teaching its voices to say less, not better. In a medium built on personality, honesty, and connection, that may be the biggest mistake of all.
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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.
