"We try our best to respect the game and showcase and display it in a fashion that might be a little bit more appetizing for a different group of people that are watching alongside the best play commentators on Earth."
"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."
"The story is that ESPN has completely changed its philosophy. For decades, ESPN sold the network. It sold SportsCenter. It sold highlights. Now it sells personalities."
"That is not an indictment of Pat [McAfee]. It's not an indictment of Disney. It's the reality of the relationship that exists between the people who pay and the people who get paid."
"The program, titled State of Sports, aired May 27 and featured McAfee conducting commissioner-level interviews. On ESPN alone, the two-hour special drew just 278,000 viewers."
"If Netflix's live arrangement with The Breakfast Club succeeds the way its podcast partnership has, the streaming giant will almost certainly pursue additional opportunities in the space."
"I just want to be the guy you want to sit next to on a plane and talk sports with. My goal is you see my face on ESPN and you say, ‘Oh s**t. Schrager’s on today, what’s he got. This is going to be fun."
"We look forward to honoring the content that moved audiences in 2026 and continuing the Gracies’ long-standing investment in the people who will shape what comes next.”