The biggest news to come out of Syracuse last year was the retirement of longtime Syracuse men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim, but what happened next to radio host Brent Axe was a pretty close second.
Axe was fired by Galaxy Media Partners and ESPN Syracuse just a week after Boeheim’s announcement, with Galaxy Media Partners CEO Ed Levine admitting that the decision was because the radio host was being “overly negative” about Syracuse basketball, adding that he thought it was part of an “agenda” related to Axe’s other job with Syracuse.com. It was also worth noting that Boeheim, who was notoriously thin-skinned when it came to media criticism, owned a stake in Galaxy. Plus, Levine had recently promoted upcoming Galaxy content from Boeheim, with “much more is on tap,” including perhaps even a Boeheim-hosted talk show.
Axe broke his silence on the firing last month, saying that while he couldn’t prove Boeheim had him fired, he fully believes it was done to “appease him.”
“When Ed Levine talked on the record to Syracuse.com and the reasons for firing me, I mean, that is almost word-for-word what he said to me when it was an inquiry about Jim Boeheim that set him off with that,” Axe told Jon “JAG” Gay on the WJPZ at 50 podcast. “I can’t prove it. I can’t prove it was done as an order by Jim Boeheim. To use a mafia term, JAG, if he ordered the hit or not. I can’t prove that. But I will go to my grave believing it was done as a hat-tip to Boeheim.”
At the time the longtime Syracuse radio mainstay promised a new project. Last week, he officially unveiled that as a new podcast.
https://twitter.com/BrentAxeMedia/status/1689983511313195009
“We’re going to talk about the topics that you are most passionate about when it comes to Syracuse sports – Syracuse football; Syracuse basketball; the local sports topics that you want to hear about, we’re going to have them on Syracuse sports,” Axe said in his announcement. “We are going to have some fun. We’re going to do drafts; we’re going to have lists and conversations and topics unlike you’ve heard on the Syracuse sports scene.”
Awful Announcing reached out to Axe to find out why he felt like a podcast, and not a return to radio, was the right move for him.
“It’s a chance to stay in the audio space but still try something new,” said Axe. “ESPN Syracuse was my third go-around in radio here. I had been circling around doing a pod for a while.
“It was time.”
Axe said that he hasn’t spoken with Boeheim since his firing, but he doesn’t feel like his relationships with current Syracuse Athletics personnel have been affected by the situation.
“If anything, it’s been encouraging how many have reached out to say they get what my job is and to keep on keeping on,” he said.
While podcasting tends to remove radio’s immediate connection between the host and listeners, Axe plans on incorporating them into the mix to make sure they can still have their say.
“The beauty of podcasts is that you can do relevant topics but not be chained to the news of the day. I want to fuse those two things and have engaging conversations with my talented colleagues at Syracuse.com and national guests who have Syracuse ties,” said Axe. “You’ll also get some pointed commentary from me and we’re going to have a couple cool ways for the listeners to directly connect with me to be part of the show.”
https://twitter.com/BrentAxeMedia/status/1691132995267186689
Axe plans on talking all things Syracuse sports as well as the larger issues that impact college athletics, including, naturally, conference realignment (“Nothing is weird to me anymore… The ACC could add Mars to the league tomorrow and I wouldn’t even shrug”).
Most of all, he’s just looking forward to being back behind the microphone and connecting with his audience, whatever form that takes.
“There is not a day that has gone by that someone hasn’t reached out digitally or said hello in person at the grocery store, the gym, or elsewhere here in Syracuse to offer their encouragement,” said Axe. “I was brought to tears quite a few times hearing what my show meant to people. It means the world to me and I’m so excited for them to come on this new adventure.”
Syracuse Sports with Brent Axe is available wherever you get your podcasts.
[Brent Axe, Image Credit: Syracuse.com]
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.