"Far too many were eager to mock a staged wrestling angle, a promotional appearance, or a calculated branding move that they overlooked what was actually happening."
"We're excited because we feel this is a step forward in using technology to change the way people think about radio. This is really the big data moment for radio, at least as we see it."
"If this is the opinion business, there's no need for apologies. Being wrong comes with the territory. What matters is having the conviction to make the call in the first place and the credibility to own the outcome afterward."
"I thought it was just something funny. I didn't think people would take it so damn literally, but sarcasm goes over people's heads, literacy is at an all-time low."
"The Knicks got the glow. To be that close to it, for me, I’ve never covered anything close to that before. Game to game, you just expected them to win. That’s a feeling I’ve never had."
"There’s a culmination here of something that has been going on for a long time, so it’s super exciting. And it’s great to have had all this access to your team, and we’re gonna probably be shooting a little bit more during next season."
"When millions of people are tuning in to the biggest sporting event on the planet, hosted in your own backyard, sports radio doesn't have the luxury of pretending it isn't happening."
"The 2026 NBA Finals averaged 20.6 million viewers across five games, setting an ABC and ESPN audience record. ABC and ESPN also scored the most-watched NBA Finals since 1998 (average 29 million)."
"ESPN has spent years building around star power, and no two stars shine brighter than McAfee and Smith. With New York celebrating its first NBA title in more than five decades, the timing couldn't be better."
"For years, ESPN has been criticized for what it wasn't doing. Not enough promotion. Not enough storytelling. Not enough attention paid to certain properties. Fair or unfair, those critiques have followed the network through multiple eras. But right now, those conversations feel very distant."
"Far too many were eager to mock a staged wrestling angle, a promotional appearance, or a calculated branding move that they overlooked what was actually happening."
"We're excited because we feel this is a step forward in using technology to change the way people think about radio. This is really the big data moment for radio, at least as we see it."
"A.I. does not live in local markets, play games at your remotes, connect with listeners, or comprehend what culture you have built inside your cluster."