ESPN and Amazon Prime football analyst Kirk Herbstreit is one of the more respected voices in college football, but don’t expect him to take part in the heated, “clickbait-driven” debates that dominate much of sports media today.
The former Ohio State quarterback made it clear this week that he has no interest in such shows.
He won’t participate in programs built around arguing for the sake of arguing. Herbstreit shared his thoughts on The Inner Circle Podcast, where he criticized the modern sports media landscape. Especially programs fueled by viral controversy and “loud” commentary.
“I think it started with Skip Bayless and Stephen A. because they kind of had a thing with them way back at ESPN. They would just kind of ‘let’s argue to argue,’” Herbstreit said. “It works for them. But I think other shows copied it and it just has become — I have to turn it off because it makes me get really frustrated as a sports fan and as somebody in the industry.”
Herbstreit, who has spent decades covering college football, went so far as to say he would leave television entirely before embracing that approach.
“I watch some of these shows on various networks, especially the NFL shows, and it drives me crazy where our industry has gone,” he said. “Politics are obviously this way, too, but it’s a lot of clickbait. It’s a lot of like really loud comments that will maybe go viral. ‘I might not believe in it, but it’s gonna go viral, and people are going to know who I am.’ Man, I will quit before I ever do that. Like, if that’s what it takes to make it, I would never do this.”
Despite his criticism of the broader sports media, Herbstreit praised the environment on College GameDay, ESPN’s flagship Saturday morning show. He said the program’s focus remains on the game itself, rather than personal drama or viral moments.
“On GameDay, we don’t do that,” he said. “Pat [McAfee’s] crazy and fun, but we make it about the players, we make it about the coaches, and we make it about the storylines. We really don’t make it about us. And the reason I’ll tell y’all that is if it ever changed, I would be so fast gone out of studio television. But I’m lucky. I kind of live on an island where we’re allowed to still talk ball and still just have fun talking about ball.”
Herbstreit’s comments reflect growing tension within sports media. Some analysts thrive on viral arguments and contentious debates. Others, like Herbstreit, remain committed to coverage grounded in expertise and the love of the game. For him, the choice is clear. If ESPN ever demands hot-take theatrics over substance, he said he won’t stick around to play along.
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