This week, we’re celebrating the highs, the lows, the best, and the worst of the year with The Awfulies. We introduced our end-of-year awards last year, and we’ve expanded the categories even further this time, with the entire Awful Announcing staff voting for who they think should take home the coveted golden microphone. Keep an eye on category and winner reveals all week long. And be sure to let us know who your pick would have been for the winners.
At the end of the day, there can be only one “biggest sports media story of the year.” And conversely, only one story can garner the honor of becoming the “most overblown sports media story of 2023.” Let’s find out which ones took home the titles.
Biggest Sports Media Story of 2023
When it came to picking the biggest sports media story of the year, there were plenty of contenders. The drama surrounding Kevin Brown’s suspension by the Orioles and its fallout certainly galvanized the MLB community. The Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy saga continues to play out with more twists and turns than any of us could have expected. The state of ESPN, from the layoffs to the potential “strategic partnership,” was an ongoing story throughout the year. The LIV Golf-PGA Tour battle-turned-merger completed the Saudi sportswashing cycle. Charissa Thompson’s stunning admission of made-up reports rocked the sideline reporting world.
But ultimately, there was one story that seemed to represent sports media in 2023 better than anything else.
Winner: Pat McAfee joins ESPN
https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1658562713621250049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1658562713621250049%7Ctwgr%5Eb4979722edc518fcabed89517367e6ea83916394%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fawfulannouncing.com%2Fespn%2Fpat-mcafee-show-espn.html
While your mileage on McAfee might vary, there is no denying that he boasts an impressive audience and caught the attention of some very powerful people in the sports media world in 2023. The former Indianapolis Colts punter completed his transformation into a bonafide sports entertainment force this year when he signed a five-year deal with ESPN worth a reported $85 million. All due respect to Stephen A. Smith but it didn’t take long for McAfee to become the de facto face of the Worldwide Leader. With a daily show during the week, College GameDay appearances on the weekends, and alt-casts during the biggest college football games of the season, he became inescapable during the fall and winter.
For some, McAfee represents a refreshing change of pace. An aw-shucks goofball who never forgets his path to such a cushy gig and brings an entertaining everyman quality to each interview with some of the biggest names in sports and media. For others, he’s a Barstool-lite buffoon who lets Aaron Rodgers walk all over him (while getting paid to do it) and has skin thinner than a Steak-umm.
Regardless of where you stand on McAfee and his “progrum,” he’s here to stay and the suits at ESPN are clearly happy with the attention he garners, discussions he creates, and eyeballs he commands. – Sean Keeley
Most Overblown Sports Media Story of 2023
Winner: Disney potentially selling ABC
In a July live TV interview, Disney CEO Bob Iger dropped what sounded like an absolute bomb, telling CNBC’s David Faber ABC and other linear networks “might not be core” to the company and could be sold off. That kind of sale would have incredible sports implications, especially considering how many top ESPN properties Disney currently airs on ABC (including even Monday Night Football simulcasts this year). And Iger’s comments here even led to a $10 billion offer from Byron Allen, and to reported interest from Nexstar.
But Iger eventually walked this all back, saying in November he floated the idea just to see what interest it would generate and he was surprised by the media reaction. That reaction wasn’t really unexpected or unjustified, though. If Disney had been serious about selling ABC, which Iger’s comments initially made it sound like they were, that could been a mammoth change in the sports landscape. (And that might have happened if they had gotten a really good offer, although selling ABC would have posed a ton of further problems for the company.) Common sense prevailed here in the end, though, with Disney hanging on to ABC and nothing coming from this particular Iger idea floatation. – Andrew Bucholtz
Check out all of the 2023 Awfulies winners here.
