Sports Media with Richard Deitsch

Latest Episodes:

ESPN college football reporter Molly McGrath and New York Times writer and Roger Federer author Chris Clarey Aug 25, 2021

Show notes

Episode 157 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is Molly McGrath, an ESPN college football and college basketball host and reporter. She is followed by Christopher Clarey, a tennis writer for the New York Times and the author of “The Master: The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer”

In this podcast, McGrath discusses returning to college football this season after the birth of her son earlier this year; finding a work-life balance; the internal pressure she felt to return to ESPN; how much college football coaches tell ESPN on-air talent during production meetings; her approach with her bosses after Maria Taylor left for NBC; being assigned to the team of Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge, and Todd McShay; COVID protocols for covering college football this season; dealing with toxic social media; being public about her pregnancy; her interest in hosting long-term and more.

Clarey discusses what he hoped to produce by exploring Federer in longform; why he connected with Federer as a subject and writer over the years; what Federer’s top competitors said about him; Mirka Federer being non-existent on social media and not giving interviews for 15 years or so; how Federer’s upbringing with parents from Switzerland and South Africa impacted him; what he expects Federer to heading forward; the challenge of selling a tennis book in the United States;

You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more.

The WWE’s Seth Rollins — and The Athletic’s Scott Dochterman on MLB’s Field of Dreams game Aug 17, 2021

Show notes

Episode 156 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is longtime WWE performer Seth Rollins, who will wrestle Edge on Aug. 21 at the WWE’s annual SummerSlam event He is followed by The Athletic’s Scott Dochterman, an Iowa-based college football writer who covered TheField of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa.

In this podcast, Rollins discusses how he views promotion and navigates when some media outlets want him in character and storyline versus others who want to talk about the business of wrestling; how much Rollins can dictate which interviews he wants to do for press; talking to mainstream outlets versus traditional wrestling outlets; his philosophy of doing promos; how much his promo work is improvisation vs. scripted; bringing someone’s real life into a promo; how he and his wife Rebecca Quin, who wrestles under the name Becky Lynch, navigate joint press; how he and Becky would approach the possibility of their real-life becoming part of storyline; navigating a massive social media following and the real mental health strain of toxic comments making their way to you; whether he would be interested in working as a heel or babyface commentator down the road, and much more.

Dochterman describes what it was like covering the MLB Field of Dreams game in person; his expectations and the reality; how many media people were in attendance; how the event came together; what it meant to Iowans; whether he expects MLB to make this an annual event;

You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more.

ESPN’s David Purdum on the intersection of gambling and the sports media and Mirin Fader on her new biography on Giannis Antetokounmpo Aug 13, 2021

Show notes

Episode 155 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is ESPN staff writer David Purdum, the company’s premier gambling reporter. He is followed by Mirin Fader, a staff writer for The Ringer and the author of GIANNIS: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP.

In this podcast, Purdum discusses the opportunities for sports media staffers working in the sports gaming space; former ESPN-ers and others working in the space; the expectations on the handles on college football and pro football this season; the impact of Oklahoma and Texas moving to the SEC; preseason NFL betting; why sports betting is a long-term investment and a grind; why you should only risk 2-5% of your bankroll per wager; sign-up bonuses advantage; the ethics of using your reporting for betting; why futures are not a smart bet and a big house advantage; international soccer betting, and more.

Fader discusses why she wanted to write a book on Giannis; how the book came to be; the process of interviewing more than 220 people for the book; her experience reporting in Greece; what it was like to watch the playoffs; the publicity for the book; how much time she got with Giannis; what we don’t know about the racism Giannis and his family faced; her reporting on Jason Kidd as a Bucks coach; how ones promotes a book during COVID; and more.

You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more.

Rebecca Lowe of NBC Sports from Tokyo Aug 05, 2021

Show notes

Episode 154 of the Sports Media Podcast features guest Rebecca Lowe, the host of NBC Sports Group’s Premier League coverage as well as an Olympic host for NBCUnversial. In this podcast, Lowe discusses what working the Tokyo Games has been like; her broadcasting setup in Tokyo; what protocols exist regarding COVID; how she views the declines in Olympic viewership; NBC’s Olympic storytelling; the on-air highlight for her; her Premier League preparation; what she expects from the upcoming Premier League season; if her future at NBC is tied to soccer; England’s World Cup prospects and how they handled Euros, and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more.

Kavitha Davidson on declining Olympic viewership and how Simone Biles was covered Jul 30, 2021

Show notes

Episode 153 of the Sports Media Podcast features Kavitha Davidson, a sports and culture writer for The Athletic and the host of Culture Calculus podcast. In this podcast Davidson and Deitsch discuss how much Olympics we are each watching; why the primetime viewership of the Tokyo Games is way down; how we viewed coverage of Simone Biles in different mediums; why the coverage actually holds well for the future; the story around Suni Lee; whether it is time for sports outlets to have a mental health sports reporter; the intersection of COVID and the NFL; whether baseball should have a bigger Olympic presence and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more.

Chad Finn on whether the Olympics will be a viewership hit or miss and ESPN’s Manning Megacast and Melanie Newman on her journey calling MLB games Jul 23, 2021

Show notes

Episode 152 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is Chad Finn, the sports media writer and columnist for the Boston Globe. He is followed by Melanie Newman, a broadcaster for the Baltimore Orioles and MASN and the play by play voice for the first game in Major League Baseball history featuring an all-female announcing crew (She called the game alongside analyst Sarah Langs, reporter Alanna Rizzo and pre- and postgame hosts Lauren Gardner and Heidi Watney.) In this podcast, Finn discusses the interest in the Olympics as a television experience; whether NBC will get the viewership it has received in previous Olympics; how NBC will navigate the news elements of the Olympics with the competition; ESPN’s hiring of Peyton and Eli Manning for a Monday Night Football Megacast; the NHL’s television schedule on ESPN and Turner Sports; Cleveland changing its MLB name to the Guardians and more. Newman discusses her journey to do doing MLB play by play and the minor league stops along the way; the women who are following her currently calling minor league baseball; representation in sports broadcasting; whether her all-female group will call another game; the prospects of the O’s heading forward in the A.L. East and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more.

Jemele Hill on what’s next for ESPN and Fabian Ardaya on covering Shohei Ohtani Jul 15, 2021

Show notes

Episode 151 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is Jemele Hill, a contributing writer for The Atlantic, the host of the “Jemele Hill is Unbothered” podcast for Spotify, and a creative adviser for Meadowlark Media. She is followed by Fabian Ardaya who covers the Dodgers for The Athletic but up until May covered the Angels and Shohei Ohtani.

In this podcast, Hill discusses the impact of the New York Times story that focused on Rachel Nichols saying Maria Taylor earned the job to host 2020 NBA finals coverage because ESPN was “feeling pressure” on diversity; what she expects Taylor do when her ESPN contract expires before the end of this month; whether you can work for management you don’t trust; how this chapter impacts people of color working at ESPN and particular black women in front of and behind the cameras; the ESPN future for Nichols; Hill’s podcast network to elevate the voices and stories of Black women, and more.

Ardaya discusses his experience covering Ohtani; how the Angels handle media access for him; his first time interacting with him; what; his desire to market himself; interacting with Japanese media on the beat; misconceptions about Mike Trout as a front-facing person in baseball; what he thought about Stephen A. Smith’s comments on Ohtani and the conversation afterward, and more.

You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more.

Kavitha Davidson and Jane McManus on the New York Times story on Rachel Nichols and Maria Taylor Jul 07, 2021

Show notes

Episode 150 of the Sports Media Podcast features a conversation with two guests: Kavitha Davidson is a sports and culture writer for The Athletic and the host of Culture Calculus podcast. Jane McManus is the Director of the Marist's Center for Sports Communication and a Deadspin sports columnist. Both Davidson and McManus previously worked at ESPN. In this podcast Davidson and McManus discuss the New York Times piece on the storm at ESPN over Rachel Nichols’ comments about Maria Taylor; their experiences working as women at ESPN; how they view ESPN on issues of promoting women of color, women overall, and people of color; what they would do if they were Taylor, whose contract is coming up; how big a failure this is of senior management; whether ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro should speak publicly; Kayla Johnson, a digital video producer, being the only person known to be punished and how absurd that is; whether the NBA production situation is salvageable and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more.

Mike Golic Jun 23, 2021

Show notes

Episode 149 of the Sports Media Podcast features Mike Golic, who spent 26 years at ESPN as a radio host, NFL studio analyst and NFL and college football game analyst. In this podcast Golic discusses leaving ESPN and why it happened; how management informed him they were no longer interested in his services; what he’s been doing the last six months; what he’s likely to do next professionally; how his salary impacted ESPN decision-making; his desire to work on radio again calling games; his non-existent relationship today with Mike Greenberg; how he felt about Greenberg wanting his own show; the other interesting candidates for his last ESPN show other than Trey Wingo; whether formal ESPN-ers who have found success in their post-ESPN life motivates him; living outside of Notre Dame; why people liked him on the radio, and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more.

Michael Kay and Jon Wertheim Jun 15, 2021

Show notes

Episode 148 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is Michael Kay, the television play by play voice of the New York Yankees and the host of The Michael Kay Show, heard on ESPN Radio in New York City from 2:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Kay has a new book out — Centerstage: My Most Fascinating Interviews—from A-Rod to Jay-Z , which is a collection of the interviews Kay has conducted with some of the biggest names in sports, film, and television. Kay is followed by Jon Wertheim, a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, a correspondent for “60 Minutes,” and an analyst for the Tennis Channel. Wertheim is the author of “Glory Days: The Summer of 1984 and the 90 Days That Changed Sports and Culture.”

In this podcast, Kay discusses what he thinks makes a good longform interviewer; a memorable interview with Sylvester Stallone; how his show has been able to book major names and the importance of the Yankee brand; how long he can reasonable call the Yankees; whether baseball broadcasters will continue to call road games; how he navigates being critical and working on behalf of a team; the challenges of doing sports-talk radio in New York City; why he thinks sports-talk radio still has significant meaning in his city; his obsession to beat Mike Francesa in the ratings; competing against Craig Carton and Evan Roberts; being thin-skinned about criticism; the cost and rewards of responding to media criticism about his work, and much more. Wertheim discusses the genesis for his new book, spending time with a young Michael Jordan in the summer of 1984; the cultural milestones in 1984; the challenges of weaving his story into a narrative; his thoughts on Naomi Osaka; what Osaka’s immediate future will be and much more.

You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more.

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