Often times, the greatest stories to tell in sports are the ones no one expected to happen. Obafemi (‘Femi’) Ayanbadejo was an undrafted free agent after playing two seasons at San Diego State University. With no guarantees, Ayanbadejo navigated his own path to a successful eight-year career in the NFL, earning a Super Bowl championship with the 2001 Baltimore Ravens.
His second act following the NFL also provided no guarantees. After earning his MBA from Johns Hopkins University’s Carey Business School, he co-founded several companies focused on health and fitness, with an eye toward analytics. However, his foundation in sports remained rooted in a calling to serve the industry after his playing career. That’s when Ayanbadejo began to hear another calling: sports radio.
“Radio chose me. I don’t think I chose radio,” says Ayanbadejo.
Thirteen years into answering that calling, with plenty of different experiences along the way, Ayanbadejo earned his first full-time weekday hosting role at Baltimore’s 105.7 The Fan.
Embracing The Role
Following Jason La Canfora’s departure from the radio station earlier this year, the long-running Inside Access program was in search of its newest contributor. Ayanbadejo, a longtime station contributor who co-hosted a Saturday program with Bruce Cunningham, immediately expressed interest in the opening.
“I felt the lines between journalistic news and content creators is very blurred. People are more interested in getting it first instead of right. That doesn’t sit well with me. No one should assume to know how an athlete, coach or someone in the front office is thinking,” explained Ayanbadejo. “I wanted to bring open-forum debate because I’m at the crossroads of athlete, access and accountability. I have a ton of experience to bring to the table.”
Five months after La Canfora’s exit, 105.7 The Fan elevated Ayanbadejo from weekends to afternoon drive alongside Tim Barbalace and Ken Weinman, two longstanding members of The Fan’s lineup.
“These incremental touchpoints I’ve experienced led to this point, which I couldn’t predict,” says Ayanbadejo. “These roles are hard to get. I know what a privilege and an honor it is to get this role. I’m planning to have a great time doing it.”
The territory of sports radio is nothing new for the former Ravens Super Bowl champion. Since 2013, he’s built a radio and media resume many hope to achieve over a career. Weekly guest appearances on radio and podcasts, along with valuable time with the Baltimore Ravens radio network, have given Ayanbadejo a foundation for his next journey.
He felt the natural transition was to join Barbalace and Weinman, both of whom he has personal and professional relationships with.
“Although they’ve been gracious with my addition, I’m in their house. I’m the new guy in town, not them. That’s how I feel,” notes Ayanbadejo. “I just need to get my reps, getting comfortable earning my third of the responsibilities. They’ve made it really easy on me.”
While the show is just a few months old, Ayanbadejo understands he still must introduce himself to the audience, even in a new daypart. That doesn’t just happen on the air. It happens in person and at every turn.
“Sometimes I’m the first professional athlete that people have met. I take that very seriously because I’m representing everyone who came before me and also those playing now,” said Ayanbadejo. “Most people that are deep into Baltimore sports have been hearing and seeing me for a long time. I’m supported in this community and always looking for ways to be a bigger part of it.”
Ahead Of The AI Curve
From his on-field experience to participating in a coaching internship, Ayanbadejo hopes to bring fans behind the curtain with his analysis. Experience matters. Calling out false narratives does, too. An authentic approach rooted in the foundation of his professional perspective is the goal for every segment and every show.
While he doesn’t feel the difficulties of playing in the NFL are on par with a role in sports radio, Ayanbadejo approaches the job with the same mindset. At first, he admits there was some fear of the unknown when shifting from weekends to a weekday afternoon timeslot.
However, over the first few months, he’s found his systems and processes to ensure his time management is at its peak for top-level performance. That includes the daily use of artificial intelligence to assist with his preparation.
“AI is like the railroad. The light bulb. It’s going from nomadic farming to living on a plot of land and growing corn. That’s what AI is, and it’s not going away,” explained Ayanbadejo.
Following his playing career, Ayanbadejo began experimenting with AI in 2014. He went on to co-found Sports Analytics AI, using analytics to create performance content and predictions around NFL players and game outcomes.
While much of the radio industry is still tackling the proper uses of AI in its day-to-day operations, Ayanbadejo feels he is well ahead of the curve.
“I have an AI agent that I use every day producing reports for me on the markets, MLB, NFL and more. I look at it, curate it, correct it and make it bite-sized so people can consume it,” said Ayanbadejo. “There’s a sense of pride I enjoy on projections and being able to predict what’s coming before it comes. That’s a risk I take. I love it when people take risks. What’s fun about sports is the risk you take when making projections.”
Every day, Ayanbadejo leans on this approach and posts data and analysis produced by his AI agents to his social media accounts. Years of trial and error have produced the data that backs the player analysis, outcome predictions and more.
Once he presents, fact-checks and prepares the data, Ayanbadejo considers how it fits into the daily sports news cycle while balancing the expectations of listeners on their commute home.
“We don’t want to overwhelm the listening audience with a lot of deep thinking either. We’re hoping to make their lives easier by presenting the data, earning their trust with accurate data and having that data move them one direction or another,” said Ayanbadejo. “I love data for the grounding effect. People can disagree with me all day, but I’m not going to fight the data. There’s certain fights I’m willing to have and not.”
A Player’s Perspective
Picking his battles in his analysis is another common thread in Ayanbadejo’s approach. With his on-field background, he empathizes with the human being behind the face mask. His story in the NFL was filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.
Those experiences have shaped his approach to criticism, which he puts into practice daily during afternoon drive.
“I know how hard it is to play in the NFL. It’s a get-your-ass-kicked sport. I don’t ever want to dismiss the difficulties or the rarity of becoming a professional athlete by desecrating a person on a personal level because they weren’t good enough,” said Ayanbadejo. “It’s very easy to make a player an object, forgetting they’re a dad or a son.”
Instead, what Ayanbadejo hopes to bring every afternoon is warranted criticism that is respected by the subject without making them feel personally offended.
“I’ll be critical of what I see on the field, but never will it be personal. Personal attacks are just non-starters. It’s completely unacceptable,” explained Ayanbadejo. “I’m never going to forget how hard it is to be a one-in-a-million type of athlete. It’s difficult. I want to recognize that, but that also doesn’t mean you get a pass.”
For Ayanbadejo, the journey to afternoon drive at 105.7 The Fan was never part of a master plan. From an undrafted free agent fighting for an opportunity in the NFL to a Super Bowl champion, entrepreneur, analyst and now full-time sports radio host, each chapter has seemingly prepared him for the next one.
That may be why he doesn’t view his arrival on weekdays as the destination. It’s simply the next opportunity to earn.
The same player who once had to fight for a roster spot now has to earn the trust of listeners. The same entrepreneur who embraced analytics years before they became central to the sports conversation is using them to shape his preparation. And the same athlete who understands the human cost behind criticism is bringing that perspective to a microphone every afternoon.
“The hope is our listeners will enjoy what they hear with Three Deep,” says Ayanbadejo. “We hope to engage not just with the listeners, but also clients and partners on a whole other level than before. I’m truly excited about the opportunity, and can’t wait to see how high we can go.”
There are no guarantees in sports, and Ayanbadejo’s career has never been built on them. His path to 105.7 The Fan is another example.
This time, though, he isn’t waiting for someone to give him an opportunity. He’s ready to make the most of the one radio chose to give him.
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