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The Athletic Might Be Brash But That’s OK

Jason Barrett

Published

5 years ago

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How many times in the sports media business have we taken the best :10 seconds of a commentary and featured it while looking past the remainder of an individual’s points? If that’s a foreign concept to you then you probably don’t work in the sports media industry.

On Monday morning I was catching up on my daily reading when that very situation presented itself. My Twitter timeline was flooded with negative remarks towards Alex Mather, co-founder of The Athletic, after he offered a couple of comments to the New York Times that came across as cocky, arrogant, and aggressive. When asked about The Athletic’s business approach Mather said, “We will wait every local paper out and let them continuously bleed until we are the last ones standing. We will suck them dry of their best talent at every moment. We will make business extremely difficult for them.”

In the same article, Mather called out newspapers for doing nothing to serve sports fans and labeled Bleacher Report and SB Nation as empty calories. He was also criticized by Dejan Kovacevic of DK Pittsburgh Sports for breaking a promise to not compete in the Pittsburgh market. Mather acknowledged that The Athletic initially had no plans to launch in Pittsburgh but the platform only makes promises to its customers, employees, investors and partners.

Upon seeing his comments take like a moth to a flame, Mather took to Twitter to provide additional context (read from the bottom up).

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Most people who read the Times’ story or Mather’s tweets will probably take offense because the remarks are brash and portray the company as being out for blood. For an upstart digital brand which has played the underdog card and presented itself as the last bastion for sports journalism, a smug appearance from the head of the operation doesn’t provide good PR for a company which is trying to convince people to become future subscribers.

As I processed Mather’s comments, I found myself buying some of what he was selling and rejecting other portions of it. I don’t believe for a second that the company is rooting for newspapers to get the message. If they did, that would cause The Athletic competitive challenges. I also don’t buy the notion that the company is going to remain small when in the same article they preach about their plans to expand into every American and Canadian sports city where professional sports teams exist within two years.

However, I will defend Mather on the most important part of this story.

He’s absolutely correct that surviving in media is very difficult. It’s especially hard when you factor in the aggregation of content, navigating algorithms and building a brand thru word of mouth and social media marketing. For The Athletic to present the type of quality content it wants to deliver, they have to lure away established media people from legacy brands and count on those people to have enough of a connection in local communities to draw subscribers. The company didn’t arrive on the scene with millions invested in marketing and it is up against formidable competition. To complicate matters, The Athletic’s future is predicated on being able to convince sports fans to spend their money on ad-free premium content from highly trusted journalists even though those same fans can access information and opinion for free from other talented writers on most local and national sports media outlets.

If you read the full article it paints a full picture of why The Athletic believes in its approach. Some of that gets lost if you just read Mather’s quotes or the article’s headline.

In a nutshell, these guys believe the newspaper business has made many costly errors, overworked their best people, and failed to present a sound business model. They’re proponents of in-depth reporting and objective analysis and when unexpected opportunities present themselves, they’re quick to react to try to improve their company. Most of those things should be applauded not frowned upon.

Which leads me back to the real issue why this article created noise. People have an issue with arrogance. The turnoff factor towards Mather was high because of his use of words. However, being cocky and overconfident isn’t a crime. Do you think competing against and beating an entire newspaper industry is going to happen by being reserved and cordial? As Kid Rock once sang, “They say I’m cocky, and I say what? It ain’t bragging motherf**ker if you back it up.”

Have you ever watched the show Shark Tank? Do you think Kevin O’Leary cares if you like him? The reason he’s filthy rich and successful is because he shows no remorse and fights to win. If you get stepped on in the process, that’s his cost of doing business. It might make him harder to root for and a dose of humility would likely suit him well but if the formula is working, O’Leary isn’t going to change a thing.

Did you see the movie The Social Network which was based on the story of Facebook? What happened to Mark Zuckerberg’s friend and co-founder Eduardo Savrin? It may have been unethical and the cause of the relationship between the two Facebook co-founders becoming irreparable, but in the end, Zuckerberg was ruthless and willing to sacrifice his best friend for the betterment of his professional success. Some will say that makes Zuckerberg a dirtbag, but based on the way Facebook has blossomed, I’m sure Mark is sleeping just fine with that label hanging over his head.

It’s been a while since I’ve used a wrestling reference but this time the shoe fits. In the old days of wrestling, promotions ran shows in different regions. There was an understood rule among promoters that each was to steer clear of each other’s area and focus on their own pockets of the country. Vince McMahon Sr. operated under that agreement but after ceasing control to his son, Vince McMahon chose a different approach when an opportunity to compete on a national level presented itself for the WWF. Vince Jr. could’ve followed in his father’s footsteps and played nice, but he saw an opportunity to elevate the WWF and in doing so, turned it into the most dominant wrestling promotion on the planet. Did the move cost McMahon some friends? Yes. Did he present himself as a ruthless SOB with a willingness to steamroll anyone who got in his way? Absolutely. But to become the global entity that the WWE has become, something had to change, and McMahon chose to become the reaper before someone else did.

The point in all of this is that sometimes in business, things get vicious. Big money is at stake, competition is fierce, and one false move can do tremendous damage. You can’t be afraid or timid when swimming in shark infested waters and if a company delivers results, investors will welcome and encourage the swagger. If not, they’ll change their direction and tone, and in some cases, the people involved.

Alex Mather may not come across as warm and inviting in the New York Times’ article, but following the playbook of O’Leary, Zuckerberg and McMahon doesn’t make him a monster. It simply makes him a businessman. If his company has a sliver of the success those other operators have had over the past few decades, I’m sure he’ll welcome the negative ink and the tweets he’s been sorting thru today.

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Rachel Nichols and Baron Davis Headline Final Speaker Announcements For the 2023 BSM Summit

“I’m sure Baron and Rachel will have all eyes and ears focused on them when they take the stage together next Tuesday at 2:45pm PT.”
Jason Barrett

Published

2 days ago

on

March 16, 2023

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The 2023 BSM Summit schedule is set. After months of planning and talking to everyone across the industry, I’m ecstatic to roll out next week’s agenda including making one final announcement involving seven great additions to our conference.

For starters, it is a pleasure to welcome Showtime’s Rachel Nichols to the BSM Summit. I’ve admired her work on television for years, and am thrilled to have her guiding a session which I think many in the room are going to really enjoy.

Rachel’s guest will be former NBA star Baron Davis. Baron runs his own company, Baron Davis Enterprises, and he has been active in investing in media brands, and exploring ways to evolve the industry. Among his areas of passion, athletes taking more control of their brands, and the media industry needing to improve its track record with diversity. I’m sure Baron and Rachel will have all eyes and ears focused on them when they take the stage together next Tuesday at 2:45pm PT.

Also joining the Summit are a few longtime industry friends. For starters, VSiN’s program director Jon Goulet is someone who I’ve known and worked with, and he understands the sports betting audio space extremely well. Jon and BetQL VP of Programming Mitch Rosen will spend time with another industry friend, Bryan Curtis of The Ringer. Collectively they’ll examine the state of sports betting audio on Tuesday March 21st from 3:35p-4:10p, and what they look for when it comes to sports betting talent, and how they determine what is and isn’t success in the sports gambling content world.

With Mitch taking part in the sports betting panel, Jeff Rickard of WFNZ in Charlotte steps into The Programmer’s Panel alongside Jimmy Powers, John Mamola and Raj Sharan. The session is scheduled for Wednesday March 22nd from 9:10a-9:45a PT. Ironically, all four of these programmers work for different companies, so it’ll be interesting to hear how they differ and where they align while navigating through a few sports radio programming topics.

Next, I’m excited to introduce a social media session with Karlo Sy Su of ESPN Los Angeles and Matthew Demeke of AM 570 LA Sports. If you look at the performance of their brands on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook, they’ve each delivered strong audiences and engagement. I’m looking forward to hosting this one and learning about their processes, how they decide which platforms to focus on most, what they consider a social media win when analyzing social statistics, and how they develop their content process. Given our location, we’re calling the session ‘Social Media Goes Hollywood‘. It’s scheduled for Wednesday March 22nd from 3:35-4:10 PT.

I realize you’re not going to remember all of these session speakers and times off the top of your head, so to make it easier, log on to BSMSummit.com and scroll down past our speakers. That’s where you’ll find our detailed list of sessions/times and activities planned each day. We have eighteen sessions, two awards ceremonies, and two parties. Our kickoff party is presented by the WWE and takes place Monday March 20th from 7p-9p at the 1880 Founders Room. The ESPN Radio After Party takes place Tuesday March 21st from 6p-8p at the Lab Gastropub. Both party locations are in walking distance of the USC Hotel and our conference venue.

As an added bonus, thanks to the generosity of our friends at WWE, we will be giving away a pair of tickets to the first night of WrestleMania, and a WWE title at our kickoff party. WrestleMania takes place this year in Los Angeles at Sofi Stadium on March 25-26. You must be present at the kickoff party to win either prize.

We’ll have more to share next week including providing an ongoing blog with session news and notes for our readers. We’ll also have a ton of content available on our social media channels so if you’re not following @BSMStaff on Twitter, @BarrettSportsMedia on Facebook or @BarrettMedia on LinkedIn, what are you waiting for?

The focus now shifts to finishing our creative for next week’s show, sending information to our speakers for their sessions, and finalizing our attendees list. For those who are attending, we’ll be sending out an email on Friday or Saturday with a complete list of names of who’s coming so you can plan meetings in advance.

If you forgot to buy your ticket after seeing months of promotion about the event and meant to do so, you can still do that, but it costs more. Students on the other hand can take advantage of a low rate established for college kids at https://bsmsummit.com/registration.

Putting this event together isn’t easy, but I’m extremely pleased with how it’s come together. We have a lot of smart, talented, and accomplished people making time to be part of this, and I appreciate each and every one of them for doing so. Now, it’s all about the execution. Hope to see you next week in LA.

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Sports Broadcasting Icon Al Michaels To Be Honored at the 2023 BSM Summit

“This is a man who has spent more than five decades on your television screen calling the biggest games, and producing some of the most iconic moments sports has to offer.”
Jason Barrett

Published

1 week ago

on

March 10, 2023

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If you work in the sports media industry you’ve likely heard someone along the way utter the phrase “don’t bury the lead“. I’m usually good about following that advice but I didn’t do that at our 2022 BSM Summit.

We introduced the greatest tandem in sports radio history, Mike Francesa and Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo and it was a special half hour. Mike and the Mad Dog were reunited after seven years apart and every individual at the event knew they were witnessing something magical on stage. I created a Mike and the Mad Dog Award for the event, which went to Felger and Mazz, who were the absolute right choice to win it. Even Chris remarked ‘that’s the right call‘.

But I learned quickly that although the intention was right in honoring the industry’s current top performing show, when you have legends in the room and they’re in their element, the last thing you want to do is overcrowd them. The connection Mike and Chris had on the air became the gold standard by which we measure successful sports talk shows, and they didn’t need an award created to deliver a special moment, just two mics and 20-30 minutes of stage time.

As I began thinking about the 2023 BSM Summit, I knew there was an opportunity to build on what we started last year with Mike and Chris, and after talking to a few people who I trust and respect, the decision of who we would recognize became crystal clear. I believe it’s important to honor the greats in our business because those who leave a permanent mark on our industry deserve it. The man we’ve selected has spent more than five decades on your television screen calling the biggest games, and producing some of the most iconic moments sports has to offer. He’s worked with the best of the best inside the booth, has helped elevate the presentation and execution of in-game content for ABC, NBC and Amazon, and his call of the Miracle on Ice, the US Olympic hockey team’s 1980 gold medal win over Russia remains one of the best calls in the history of sports.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honored and privileged to share that Al Michaels will join us on Wednesday March 22nd at the 2023 BSM Summit for our awards presentation, where we will present him with BSM’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Michaels is one of America’s most respected sports broadcasting voices, known for his exceptional work on Monday Night Football (1986-2005), Sunday Night Football (2006-2022) and Thursday Night Football (2022-Present). He’s called the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Finals, Hagler-Hearns, the Olympics, the Indy 500, Horse Racing’s Triple Crown races, College Football and Basketball games, Golf, and more. He’s even held roles as the voice of the University of Hawaii, the Cincinnati Reds, and the San Francisco Giants, and was in the booth in 1989 when an earthquake rocked the Bay Area during Game 3 of the A’s-Giants world series.

The Brooklyn native turned Los Angeles resident has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and owns a ton of hardware including five sports Emmy’s, three NSMA Sportscaster of the Year honors, the 2013 Pete Rozelle Radio & Television Award distributed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the 2021 Ford C. Frick Award given out by the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Though his trophy case may be full, we’re excited to add another to his collection to show our appreciation and respect for the impact he’s made on the sports media business.

A quick reminder, the BSM Summit takes place on Tuesday March 21st and Wednesday March 22nd at the Founders Club at the University of Southern California. Tickets are on-sale at BSMSummit.com.

Be advised, we have started adding sessions and times on the website. As always, the schedule is subject to change. Our final agenda will be posted by the end of next week. In addition, attendees will receive an email by next Friday with details of who will be in attendance. We hope to see you there.

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Rob Parker, Brian Long, Sean Thompson and Matt Fishman Join The BSM Summit Speaker Lineup

“I’m excited to welcome a few folks who have enjoyed success in different parts of the country, and in different areas of the business.”
Jason Barrett

Published

2 weeks ago

on

March 3, 2023

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As we gear up for our 5th annual BSM Summit on March 21-22, 2023, I’m starting to get a better feel for how the final puzzle may look. When this process starts I have no idea how it’s going to turn out because so much depends on who says yes and no. Many who’ve attended over the years have complimented our lineups, and I appreciate it because I put a lot of time and effort into featuring a strong mix of professionals from different areas of the industry. Though I’m proud of the work we do and the schedule we deliver, there are so many things pursued leading up to the event that I can’t help but wonder ‘what if this or that had worked out?’

One thing that some folks don’t understand if they haven’t been to the show before is that this is not a talent conference. It’s a sports media business conference. That means we feature radio, TV and digital executives, programmers, researchers, sales professionals, and yes, talent. I believe on-air performers are vital to the industry’s success and I want the best of the best sharing their wisdom with everyone in the room, but we’re also not going to do two full days of on-air conversations. Being successful in sports media requires understanding the on-air side and the business side, and we do our best to offer a blend of both.

For today’s announcement, I’m excited to welcome a few sports media pros who have enjoyed success in different parts of the country, and in different areas of the business.

First, Rob Parker is someone who has made a name for himself as a radio host, writer, TV commentator, and teacher. He’s currently heard weeknights on FOX Sports Radio, teaches students at USC Annenberg, writes for Deadspin, and is helping MLBBro gain awareness and a bigger mainstream media presence covering Major League Baseball. He’s experienced, smart, and never short on opinion. I’m looking forward to having him join Mitch Rosen of 670 The Score/BetQL, and Scott Shapiro of FOX Sports Radio for a session titled “Aircheck On Campus“. They’ll take the stage together on Wednesday March 22nd from 2:10-2:45.

My next three speakers, all come from the sports radio programming department.

Matt Fishman is the Director of Content for ESPN 850 Cleveland. Fishman has been with the brand since January 2020 following stints at SiriusXM, 610 Sports in Kansas City, and 670 The Score in Chicago. He even wrote for BSM for a few years.

Sean Thompson is responsible for programming decisions at Arizona Sports and ESPN 620 AM. He joined the well respected Phoenix brand after more than a decade in Atlanta at 92.9 The Game. Sean has also worked in affiliate relations for Westwood One, and on the air and as a programmer in music radio for Good Karma Brands in Madison, WI.

Brian Long is the program director of both San Diego Sports 760 and KOGO 600 in San Diego. In addition to guiding two of the top talk brands in his market, he has also managed Seattle Sports 710, and served as the Assistant Program Director for ESPN LA 710.

Matt, Sean, and Brian will be part of one of our final sessions on day two of the Summit. The Last Call which yours truly is hosting, will explore unique revenue opportunities created by local brands, and examine a few new ideas and missed opportunities that brands and managers may want to take advantage of in the future.

As of today, the Summit has more than forty accomplished professionals taking the stage at the Founders Club at USC’s Galen Center on March 21-22, 2023. I’ve got a few others still to announce as well, including a few cool giveaways planned for the WWE’s Kickoff party.

If you haven’t bought a ticket and wish to be in the room, visit BSMSummit.com. The last day for ticket sales will be Monday March 13th. I’m hoping to release our final schedule of sessions on Tuesday March 14th. Hopefully I’ll see you in the city of angels.

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