When the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns face off on September 8, new Fox Sports commentator Tom Brady will be on the call for his full-time broadcast debut.
Much has been made this offseason about Brady jumping the line and getting Fox’s top spot over previous top color commentator Greg Olsen, who has remained humble about the change and has been helping Brady.
The reason behind a top player getting a top commentary spot regardless of experience is fairly simple. Bigger-name players are more likely to draw in more eyeballs.
This week, former NFL lineman and current SiriusXM and podcast host Geoff Schwartz joined Jess Kleinschmidt on the Short and to the Point podcast to delve further into the media hierarchy for retired athletes.
Schwartz started by sharing something he was told when he was first looking to get into media.
“I had a buddy who was at NBC Sports, I met him in New York when I was with the Giants,” Schwartz said. “He was one of the people who hired for NBC Sports. And he said, ‘Look man, here’s the honest truth. I can’t put you on a major program at the Super Bowl, because you didn’t play in the Super Bowl.’ And I get the logic of that. I would do well on that telecast, but I get it.”
While Schwartz had a successful NFL career, playing for four different teams across six seasons, he doesn’t have the accolades of someone like Brady, and that’s where the hierarchy comes into play.
“Tom Brady, I think he’s gonna be good by the way, he can talk about things I can’t talk about,” said Schwartz. “I didn’t win the Super Bowl, I don’t know what that feels like. I don’t know what preparing for the Super Bowl feels like. It doesn’t mean you can’t broadcast, but I understand the point of hiring someone who can talk about those specific instances.”
Schwartz didn’t let that discourage him, however. It just made him reshift his focus.
“Every time someone retired that was a little bit ahead of me as a player, it meant more work for me. I’ve come to understand that,” he said. “Everyone wants to move up in every business. One thing that’s difficult that I’ve come to grips with is, and I’m sure you’re the same way, you see people hired for jobs and it’s like, I don’t really get that. But then I realize I’m not up for that job. I don’t understand why that person got hired but I’m not up for that job though. It’s not a job I’m applying for or a job my agent called about.”
Short and to the Point with Jessica Kleinschmidt is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.
