When everyone got a podcast, Mike Francesa made a podcast, now that everyone’s getting alternate game broadcasts, will Mike Francesa launch one of his own?
During his Friday episode of The Mike Francesa Podcast for BetRivers, the Radio Hall-of-Famer read a listener question about alternate game broadcasts and whether they represent the future of television. Francesa called it a “double-edged sword,” noting the concept is an about-face from what he was taught.
“I always tried to dominate a time period,” Francesa said. “That’s what I believed in, that’s what I grew up with in television, that’s what I grew up with in radio. It’s changed. Now, it’s ‘Hey, we’re gonna give everybody everything and we’re gonna see where they go’. Drawing eyes away from the game itself is almost hard to understand.”
Although he questions the tendency of networks to offer alternate game broadcasts, adding “I don’t know if this is the way to go,” the Sports Pope wouldn’t be opposed to hosting one himself alongside his former radio partner Chris “Mad Dog” Russo.
“I think I’d be great doing that,” the ever-confident Francesa admitted. “I think if you put Dog and I in a room and did that it would be a home run show. Home run. I don’t know if they’re gonna do it, or anyone’s ever gonna think of it, but I think if you took a big event like that and put Dog and I in a room and put the cameras on, it would be hilarious.”
“If you ask me who I’d do it with, I’d rather do it with him than someone else,” Francesa continued. “My point is, you need a couple people to bounce stuff off. I could do it with anybody, but I’d rather do it with him. I think I’d be very good at it, but I don’t know if it’s ever gonna happen. I really haven’t given it much thought.”
I’m not sure how much national appeal something like this would have, even with Russo’s career resurgence through ESPN’s First Take, but locally in New York, there definitely remains a loyal audience who would be eager to consume anything Mike and the Mad Dog join forces on.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com