Chris Long has never thought about it as athletes versus media.
While his father, Howie Long, has been a fixture on Fox NFL Sunday since its debut in 1994, the 11-year NFL veteran and Green Light Podcast host’s media journey hasn’t been an instant inheritance. It’s taken time and experience to develop his insightful approach.
Unlike Cam Newton, who recently stated that he preferred hearing basketball analysis from Shaquille O’Neal over Stephen A. Smith, Long doesn’t believe his athletic background grants him sole authority on his podcast. He sees the media as fallible and strives to offer a different viewpoint that presumably incorporates his playing experience.
Although not directly mentioning Newton, the host of The Stephen A. Smith Show recently addressed the idea that only athletes can comment on sports. Smith, a veteran media member with over 30 years of experience, said he never speaks without knowledge, his confidence stemming from researching those involved. Smith argues that media personalities can offer a different kind of authenticity compared to athletes. Athletes, he suggests, might be hesitant to reveal too much for fear of upsetting their peers.
He then challenged Long on a recent episode, questioning the type of validity the former St. Louis Rams and Philadelphia Eagles pass rusher gave to that level of thinking.
“So, I’ve never thought about it like athletes versus the media,” began Long, “especially because the media, you can’t paint with a broad brush. Some people like to say, ‘Hey, the media at large is like this, the media at large is like that.’
“The media is just like a pool of NFL players; everybody’s different. And there are beat writers; there are people who are a little bit more sensationalist; there are people you can depend on; there are people like you (Smith), who do their homework, they talk to people, and they’ve been pounding the pavement for 30 years.
“I mean, I have a tremendous amount of respect for people that work at their craft. And that’s the same attitude that I’ve tried to take. I know I joke about the podcast being lazy, but I’m putting in my 40-60 hours during the football season. It’s a serious business for me.
“And I do that because I don’t want to look like a fool. My name that I’ve made for myself in sports, and now in the media, that can go away in one bad rant — one misinformed take. I’ve had bad takes; I’ve had bad rants. But, as long as I’m always approaching it like I owe the opportunity something, I think that’s gonna come through in the work I do.
“I’ve never thought I’m better than media members because I played. Now, there might be blind spots that Capitol M media folks have because they weren’t in locker rooms, and they don’t know the status quo in certain situations.”
Long acknowledges the challenge of staying informed about the NFL as a former player. His network of contacts shrinks as players retire — like Jason Kelce recently — making it that much harder to obtain inside information.
Long also emphasizes the importance of building genuine connections with younger players to understand the current game. However, he avoids appearing predatory and focuses on a genuine interest in learning from them to improve his analysis.
“And I think that comes with a lot of hard work,” Long said. “And it also comes with an attitude where you don’t think that you’re better than everybody because you played. There’s some things I’m going to know that you’re not going to, but there’s a lot that you’re going to know that I don’t because you’ve been doing it for 30 years. And so, I think it’s that level of mutual respect and putting in the work because I think people recognize that.”
