To No One's Surprise, Belichick is the Hottest Free Agent in Football Media
We live in an age where media of all types are in turmoil. Radical change is happening all across the landscape. Revenue is shrinking. Expenses are being cut. News outlets both old and new are reducing staff or shutting down operations all together. Even giants like the major Hollywood studios, TV networks and streaming services are in major upheaval due to massive losses. And no one is sure where the paradigm shift is going to affect how and where we get our news, information and entertainment.
But we can be sure of one thing. There is always a market for true talent. Give the people a fresh perspective, honest analysis, and an engaging personality, and they will come. People will most definitely come. And so when a struggling industry discovers that the best in the business is suddenly available, they'll pounce. And that's exactly what is happening with Emmy Award winning broadcaster Bill Belichick:
Which is precisely what they're doing:
Source - Peyton Manning is pursuing Bill Belichick in an effort to sign the longtime New England Patriots head coach with Omaha Productions, Manning’s entertainment company, officials briefed on the plans told The Athletic. …
If Manning were to sign Belichick, the idea of teaming with ESPN to create a Belichick and Nick Saban “Manningcast” is expected to be broached, according to officials briefed on the plans. …
Belichick has yet to meet with ESPN, but ESPN is interested in Belichick. Omaha Productions and ESPN work closely together on “Monday Night Football” alt-casts, the Manning-hosted documentary “Peyton’s Places,” and satellite shows.
Belichick has met with CBS and NBC executives, according to sources with direct knowledge of the get-togethers. CBS and NBC are both considering adding new analysts to their studio shows. …
In meetings, Belichick has made it known he is uninterested in being part of a weekly Sunday studio show, according to officials with knowledge of his thinking. …
Belichick has made it clear he only wishes to talk about aspects of football that interest him. … Pat McAfee, who has signed the likes of Aaron Rodgers and Saban for seven-figure appearance fees, has said publicly that he will make a run at signing Belichick for his show, which is broadcast on ESPN and streamed on YouTube.
Well isn't this interesting.
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It's funny how these outlets all spent the better part of 30 years, going all the way to his Cleveland days, dismissing all of Belichick's accomplishments and chalking them all up to luck, or cheating, or Tom Brady, or his being lucky to cheat with Tom Brady. But now they're crawling all over each other to bid for his services like he's a new brand of Air Jordans. Hell, in the 2000s, Peyton Manning's Colts literally got the rules changed to outlaw his coaching methods. In the 2010s, Pat McAfee's team accused him of a plot to destroy the integrity of the league with nothing but an air pump needle. ESPN spread lies about him whenever it suited the NFL's agenda. CBS and NBC tried to make him a laughingstock across all their late night shows.
But when it all comes down to it, they all jump into a bidding war for his services. Dying to pay whatever it takes to get him to share just a few syllables of his football knowledge. To get him to cast just some of his pearls of wisdom before the swine.
But it's not like you can blame them. Desperate times call for desperate measures. And without a doubt, this charming, insightful genius is going to put eyeballs on screens. By way of example, his brilliant breakdown of Ed Reed, who vexed him as much as any opposing player ever has:
And the conviviality with which he effortlessly talked with the best player he ever coached:
Goodness gracious. I'm going to need a moment to compose myself. Watching these clips again, if these networks want Belichick's services, and Saban's, assuming they come as a package deal:
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… you'd better probably double your offer. Free agents like these come available once in a lifetime. And they don't come cheap.