Over the past decade-plus, a new wave of commentators have generated a following online by covering news, sports, politics and other beats with a fresh perspective. Often, they do so in direct opposition to mainstream media narratives. Comedians are interviewing world leaders; sports debate hosts are teasing presidential runs.
Underlying much of this content is an anti-establishment energy. Hosts intend to reveal what mainstream media is “hiding,” or where corporate-owned networks are biased.
Many stories need this type of balance. In sports, countering mainstream narratives with a healthy skepticism allows investigators like Pablo Torre on YouTube or Tyler Dunne on Substack to break stories that the national media would not.
But in a recent interview with YouTuber Brodie Brazil, famed sports host Bob Costas offered a warning of the downside of this style of commentary. Especially as audiences continue to seek out individuals and their perspectives over a company’s editorial perspective, Costas said, these types of commentators must be wary of relying too much on cynicism to motivate audiences.
“A lot of the time now, the person, whether it’s on the radio, talk show, or some podcast or whatever, the person who is the most vitriolic can claim to be the most honest,” Costas said. “The person who says that everybody’s a liar and everything’s bullsh*t. Cynicism is not the same thing as insight.”
The examples listed above were not directly offered by Costas. However, he did give Torre as an example of a rising journalist in the space. The longtime NBC Sports and Turner/Warner Bros. host simply expressed that drawing too sharp a contrast against mainstream coverage is a dangerous rabbit hole to go down.
“Healthy skepticism is a good thing,” Costas said. “(But) just looking at things with cynicism, or you’re somebody out there on the internet, but you want your audience to believe, ‘I’m the last honest man … everybody else is lying to you, but I, who have no credibility, no background and no accountability, I’m giving it to you straight.’ In its way, that’s worse than the person who’s a ‘see-no-evil person.’ Because at least they’re not telling you something that’s untrue.”
Outside the sports world, Joe Rogan sits as a very prominent example of what Costas describes. On his podcast, the Texas-based comedian and former reality TV host constantly rails against mainstream media, public health norms, and political narratives. The show is very popular, but reinforces its own significance by Rogan offering himself as a lone arbiter of truth on certain topics.
By espousing conspiratorial or critical takes on a variety of issues, Rogan and other hosts like him can appear more authentic.
When a host like Rogan does this and does not have an employer (or even a cohost) to check him, it drills that host’s unfettered perspective into the minds of the audience. Even if facts and reporting do not always support it.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.