Colin Cowherd felt he was ‘edgy’ at ESPN

Colin Cowherd doesn’t feel like Pat McAfee or Barstool Sports owes him residuals.

Once upon a time, he was considered “edgy” during his ESPN days, but the sports media machine has moved so far to the right that hosts like Cowherd now seem tame by comparison. The Colin Cowherds of the world are no longer considered controversial, but mainstream.

In fact, as Chuck Todd half-jokingly asked Cowherd — who insists he hasn’t changed while everyone else has — does he feel like he’s owed a residual from today’s shock jocks?

“No. I think McAfee’s a very unique talent,” Cowherd said during a recent appearance on the Chuck Todd Podcast. “I think [Dave] Portnoy knows exactly what he’s doing, Big Cat [too]. I never considered myself edgy. At ESPN, I felt edgy, but when I went to Fox — compared to Fox News — I’m not edgy at all. I’ve never really changed. It’s like what Bill Maher always says, ‘I never changed, my party did.’ You can argue with that, but there’s a lot of truth in that. I feel like I’ve been doing the same stuff forever.”

Cowherd’s right that he hasn’t fundamentally changed his approach, but his claim that “everyone else” moved while he stayed put might as well be revisionist history. The reality is that what passed for edgy at ESPN in the 2000s — hot takes about athletes, occasional controversial opinions — looks quaint compared to McAfee dropping f-bombs on live television or Portnoy’s Barstool brand. Cowherd didn’t get less controversial; the bar for what qualifies as shocking just got moved so high that his current provocations don’t register like they once did..

“I always say podcasting is essentially radio with a cocktail and not governed by the FCC — you can drop f-bombs,” Cowherd continued. “This (his conversation with Todd) is talk radio, but I can drink a Diet Coke on the air or a cocktail, and we can swear and it’s OK… What I like about podcasting is that it’s a little looser. My mom, years ago, my late mother, she said, ‘My friend Norma says you’re very controversial.’ And I said, ‘You know, Mom, if you tell the truth in your sports, you’re deemed controversial.’ And I said, ‘So, I don’t look at it as controversial, I think the more honest you are, the more hate you get. And honest is uncomfortable.”

Cowherd’s never sought credit for pushing boundaries, only for being honest in his coverage. While he likes to cast himself as the truth-telling elder statesman, the game has changed around him. He’s stuck to his guns — and his shticks — which is why he’s a Radio Hall of Famer. But standing still in an industry built on reinvention doesn’t make you timeless; it just makes you yesterday’s version of a controversial figure.