SportsRadio 94 WIP’s Spike Eskin didn’t hold back on LeBron James signing with the 76ers. 97.5 The Fanatic’s Sean Brace didn’t hold back on Eskin’s reaction going viral.
What We Know: Eskin, host on Sportsradio 94WIP, called LeBron’s signing one of the worst days of his fandom. Something he’s been dreading for weeks on 94WIP’s airwaves. Brace, of 97.5 The Fanatic, then criticized how quickly Eskin’s comments following James’ signing spread across Philadelphia sports media and social media. Brace specifically called out WIP for amplifying the negative reaction to James’ signing with the 76ers. Moreover, Eskin followed up, defending his original comments and denying any motive tied to clicks or likes.
What They Said: Spike Eskin (Friday – SportsRadio 94WIP following LeBron James signing with Philadelphia): “This is one of the worst days I’ve ever had as a Philadelphia 76ers fan. I hate this, every single little tiny bit of it, every bit of it. Now I said if he signed here, the first day would be the best day. We see the tweet every one. They chose us. That’s what we love in Philadelphia. Pick us, pick us, pick us. It’s like ‘Pick Me City, USA.’ He be picked us, but everything after this is going to be intolerable.”
Sean Brace (Friday – via social media and Eskin’s comments posted online): “I hate the fact that that gets amplified. I hate the fact that that is what’s going to be out there. You literally had my station doing somersaults. Not just my station, the whole cluster. WMMR, Matt Corn, everyone’s going absolutely berserk. Emails are firing. We’re the flagship station, but at the end of the day, we’re diehard Philadelphia sports fans. They are not. They suck. Screw them, dude. That is a negative vibe that they are putting out. It will be amplified, and it bothers the hell out of me.”
Spike Eskin (Saturday – via social media): “I just want to clear it up. I did say it. I did believe it. It’s not for clicks. Don’t give a s**t about clicks. The only people who are doing things for clicks, I want to be clear, are the people who are talking about what I said to get likes and clicks. Everybody’s now biggest fan in the whole world and da da da da. So, if you want to look at the people who are doing it for clicks, iy’ss the people talking about me, not me.”
What Remains Unclear: Whether or not this escalation between Brace and Eskin will turn into anything further. Neither talent or station have commented on the back and forth since Saturday.
What It Means: LeBron James signing with the Philadelphia 76ers was easily the biggest story in sports this past weekend. Eskin has been very vocal in his disdain for the concept of James signing with Philadelphia for weeks. However, he didn’t let the moment change his perspective, and that’s a credit to him for standing his ground. Social teams are designed to get reaction from clips, and Brace did exactly that. The engagement online will likely not lead to anything on air, however the dynamic of the conflict is exactly why social teams insist on talent leaning into social media like they do.
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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.