It’s that time of the week, Sports Media consumers: your favourite column is back for another round of what’s happening in the world of Sports Media from Australia and abroad.
Grab a beverage of your choice, sit back, relax, and enjoy.
They’ve Got the Power!
Last week, Complex released its Sports Media Power Rankings, which list 25 of the most powerful people in American Sports Media. It makes for some interesting reading. There are a few names, however, that jumped out at me – some because I think they’re too low, and others because I wasn’t expecting to see them at all.
The first person who caught my attention was Elle Duncan, who comes in at 23. Duncan is an amazing sports anchor who left ESPN for Netflix and USA Sports (part of the USA Network). Duncan has definitely earned her spot on a list like this, but I would have ranked her higher than 23.
The other surprise for me was that Nina Drama, real name Nina Marie Daniele, has made the list at 21. This shows how far UFC and MMA media have come. A few years ago, a list like this might have been dominated by traditional reporters, anchors and commentators. Now a content creator like Daniele can rank alongside established journalists like Ariel Helwani. Who knows? Maybe Chuck Mindenhall or even Ben Fowlkes could join them.
The only other person I thought would be higher is Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy. Sitting at number 12, I would have thought Portnoy would have cracked the top 10 easily. Fellow Bostonite and the man who got me into American Sports Media, Bill Simmons, sits at number four.
The man at number one is no surprise: Stephen A. Smith. Smith is the current face of ESPN, and his influence now stretches well beyond sports. Complex also points to his increasingly political commentary and serious consideration of a possible 2028 presidential run. Smith said on the Sean Hannity podcast in March that he was not willing to give up his media career to run for president.
Read the full list here.
Where’s the Beef?
Dave Portnoy is updating the world on his ‘beef’ with fellow sports media mogul Bill Simmons through his new book, ‘Cancel Me, If You Can.’
For those who don’t know, the feud came about because Simmons turned down numerous requests from Portnoy in the early days of Barstool – so early, in fact, that Barstool was still a newspaper. In an article on one of my favourite websites, Awful Announcing, Senior Editor Sam Neumann wrote that Portnoy said the feud was well documented because he was the one who documented it.
Simmons turned down the Barstool owner 10 times, but one instance would have hurt more than the others. Portnoy said The Ringer owner would answer some questions, but Simmons said no because he didn’t want any more media attention. It’s hard not to wonder whether this spurred Portnoy on to build Barstool Sports into what it is today. There’s something about being rejected by someone you admire that can make you want to prove them wrong.
Both men can be proud of what they have accomplished in Sports Media, especially since they have motivated this Aussie sports nut to try and build something himself. I’ve failed once at starting my own sports and pop culture website, but I’m having another crack at it.
The Life of an NRL WAG
I came across an interesting article on the Canberra news site Region Canberra written by Holly Winchester about being a former NRL WAG.
I have read some of Holly’s stories before, and they were very well written. Her sister, Briony Winchester, was a journalist with the Canberra Times before she founded the media company Q News Media, a news outlet for the city of Queanbeyan. Holly also wrote some stories for that outlet. It looks as though the sisters are both at Region Canberra now.
This one, though, is my favourite. Holly’s ex-husband (she doesn’t name him, and I won’t name him either) played for the Canberra Raiders and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. The article describes what it was like to go from watching rugby league from the hill at a suburban footy ground (Seiffert Oval in Queanbeyan) to watching it in the players’ lounge.
At the time, the Raiders had a couple of controversial players: Josh Dugan, Blake Ferguson and Todd Carney. Ferguson and Dugan are best remembered for drinking Vodka Cruisers on a Canberra rooftop. All three men would have to resurrect their careers elsewhere after indiscretions cut their time at the Raiders short.
For me, this article is like jumping in a time machine; shopping at Parliament while Dizzee Rascal plays was a staple of Canberra in the 2000s and early 2010s. Then there were the festivals; you had Spilt Milk and Foreshore, which every man and his dog went to.
In the 2000s, all I wanted to do was be a rugby league player, so this takes me back to a time I love, and I wonder what I could have been if I had tried a little harder. But I love my life now, and writing has become a big part of it; I wouldn’t be writing this column right now, and trying to build something in the sports media space.
That brings the Wednesday Briefing to an end. I hope you have a great rest of the week, and I will be back with Better Late Than Never over the weekend.
Until next time, take care!
Merce
