The ESPN Cuts and Radio

I mostly write about music. And that's why you read this blog. But today I'm going to write about something only tangentially related to music.

As a sports fan, I'm well aware of the cuts that were made by ESPN last week. A lot of good people were let go. All people in sports media were touched in some way or another by the cuts. I'm not going to get into any of the reasons or perceived reasons behind the cuts. There are more than enough articles out there that can explain it better than I. What I want to talk about is the radio aspect of the cuts.

I listen to a lot of ESPN's radio programming (mostly through podcasts). When you spend an hour and 45 minutes (pod time, three hours real time) with someone everyday, they become familiar, almost like you know them.

Ryen Russillo was on vacation when the cuts happened. One of the cuts was his radio partner, Danny Kanell. Russillo addressed this on his radio show today (5/1/17). One of the things that hit me was when he said that radio is more intimate. Now, he was speaking specifically to his work relationship in which he would spend four to five hours a day, five days a week with his co-host. But this also extends to the listeners.

I had a brief Twitter exchange with Sarah Spain after one of her co-hosts on The Trifecta, Jane McManus, was a victim of the cuts, about the intimacy that radio provides. She agreed that it doesn't happen with TV or print. Radio is different. It's more personal.

Scott Van Pelt is great. I catch his late night SportsCenter from time to time. I miss him on the radio when it was the SVP and Russillo show. That show coincidentally, really got me hooked on the intimacy of radio. It became familiar and if one listened long enough, the inside jokes became inside jokes that you get.

The best radio not only lets you get a piece of the hosts' lives, but also introduces a cast of characters that make the show seem even more intimate. When the producers and board ops are given an occasional voice, or become a part of the show, it makes it feel almost familial.

I first got in tune with the ensemble dynamic listening to SVP and Russillo with Stanford Steve, Quinnipiac Steve and Outsider Mike (now best known as Mikey C). Then I found the Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz and the shipping container. Music snob/producer Mike Ryan is doing his own show with music rejoins. Each member has their own role.

i don't have the same connection with the reporters and SportsCenter hit people. I don't wish for anyone to lose their job, but the radio people hit me more than others.

Everybody Is From Somewhere

I stole the title of this post from Scott Van Pelt, SportsCenter anchor on ESPN, co-host of the SVP & Russillo Show on ESPN Radio.

That's what Van Pelt says: "Everybody is from somewhere." What does that mean? To make it personal, it means that I'm from Texas, closer to Dallas than Houston. So my teams are the Cowboys and Rangers and to a lesser extent the Mavericks, Spurs and Stars. I didn't go to an FBS college (Division II for me), so I gravitate towards Big 12 schools. I have a rooting interest.

You know what? People in sports media are also from somewhere. They all have teams they grew up rooting for, colleges they attended. Pretty much all are fans first. That's why they got into the business.

That's why it amuses me when they are called out for supporting their teams. Especially when they are not involved in the broadcast of the game. And just throw out something on social media. I think we should all be amazed that they are able to keep their rooting interests in check when it matters.

I actually enjoy knowing who these sports media personalities root for. It makes them more human/approachable. I know that Mike Greenberg is a Jets fan. I know that Linda Cohn is a NYRangers fan. I know that Brad Gilbert is a Raiders fan. I know that Charissa Thompson is a Seahawks fan. And you know what? That's alright.

And you don't think Kirk Herbstreit is a Buckeyes fan? Or Danny Ka
nell a Seminoles fan? Or Jesse Palmer and Tim Tebow Florida fans? Laughable.

We are all from somewhere. Embrace it.

Soccer/Futbol: I'm All In on the World Cup

For me the World Cup is an Olympic-like experience. It happens once every four years and I'm all-in behind the Americans.

Hey, it's a big-time event. The entire world is watching, with passion.

Big-time events are fun. The Super Bowl. The World Series. The Stanley Cup. Wimbledon. The Masters.

Big-time events that happen once every four years? That is something every sports fan can get behind.

This whole soccer thing, in the last eight years, has become more than a once-every-four-years event. It seems to have become, in the words of Scott Van Pelt, a "movement".

There are passionate fans here in the United States. The twentysomethings who grew up playing the game and understanding the game. It's taken a while for this to come to fruition. But I believe it has arrived.

I know more about soccer than most of my fortysomething peers in West Texas. And that's just because I helped coach my daughter's team when she was eight. You know how it goes, the head coach that actually knows what he's doing needs someone to assist. The parents all check out their shoes at this point. I actually spoke up and said "I know nothing about soccer, but I can be here." Boom. Assistant coach.

I learned a lot in those three years. I can appreciate the game. I actually know things to look for. I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. But I'm kind of invested in the American outcome in this World Cup. And I will also be watching intently when the women play next year.

Just don't ask me to care that much the rest of the time. Hey, it's a start.