LeBron James and Aaron Rodgers Image edited by Liam McGuire

Dan Patrick is just making sure ESPN is prepared for the future, because the time to discuss Aaron Rodgers and LeBron James is running out.

Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo joined Patrick’s Tuesday radio show. And during the interview, Patrick noted Rodgers was officially in Pittsburgh and back for his 21st NFL season, which is great news for sports networks.


“This obsession with Aaron Rodgers and now he’s back,” Patrick said. “The amount of programming that Aaron Rodgers and LeBron James have been responsible for at networks is remarkable. That, when they retire, there’s going to be some real soul searching at networks to go, ‘Who are we talking about now? What are we talking about?’”

Patrick didn’t name names, but he was undoubtedly citing this as a potential problem for ESPN, which often gets criticized for relying too much on the hits. First Take can’t go a day or hour without mentioning LeBron James, Aaron Rodgers, the Los Angeles Lakers or Dallas Cowboys in some way.

It is remarkable how much content James and Rodgers have been responsible for. And it seems like as they get older, the debates and conversations around them have only become more polarizing. Some of ESPN’s coverage is undoubtedly desperate and over the top. But for the most part, James and Rodgers have done a great job of keeping themselves relevant.

Patrick, however, was treating the issue of their looming retirements like it’s a problem for other sports shows and networks. And while Patrick might have a plan for life after LeBron James and Aaron Rodgers, he did devote nearly half of his interview with Russo to three questions about LeBron James and Aaron Rodgers.

Sure, ESPN has leaned on James and Rodgers for nearly a quarter-century, but moving on isn’t going to be as hard as people think. This isn’t going to require some Y2K-level preparation for ESPN. They talk about James and Rodgers because fans continue to care about them. When they’re no longer relevant, casual fans will turn their focus to other players and topics, and the national sports conversation will have no issue following them there.

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