When it comes to the talent whose shows were canceled this past week by FS1, many of them may be wondering if they’ll be able to find a new gig with Fox Sports or another network.
Cam Newton’s advice? Don’t wait around for ESPN, NBC, Amazon, or Netflix to come calling; start your own thing.
“Start your own. We were before our time. Now it’s time for everybody to get in line, because at this at this point, it’s just like,’Yo bro,’ we’ve been trying to tell y’all,” Newton said his 4th And 1 podcast, via Barrett Media. “I’m not going to be the one that’s going to kick you while you’re down. What I am going to do is, come one, come all. Hear ye, hear ye.”
Newton eschewed the traditional media path and carved out a successful brand and platform through his podcast, videos, and various other partnerships and media roles. He certainly took some hits along the way from those who didn’t think there would be a market for something like that, but he’s proven that wrong. He believes many of the former FS1 folks should consider doing the same rather than basing their careers on the whims of a network.
“Emmanuel Acho, Joy Taylor. Good, beautiful people. LeSean McCoy, Paul Pierce, Michael Irvin, Keyshawn [Johnson]. The Truth, all y’all. Start your own, and some of you are already doing it. But now lean in,” said Newton. “They did it on someone else’s platform, so now you’re disposable to them.”
Newton added that even one of FS1’s faces, Colin Cowherd, has made himself “bulletproof” thanks to his sports media company, The Volume, and other business arrangements outside of the network.
“Everybody, athlete, non-athlete. Understand this. Use what you have and leverage it for your own,” explained Newton. “When I got done playing in the NFL, and I knew it was over, I had to ask myself this question. How can I monetize my life? This is no slight to nobody that I just mentioned. It’s just get on the wave, because content ain’t going nowhere.”
It sounds like Joy Taylor is already ahead of the game in this regard. We’ll see if any of the other former FS1 hosts travel down this path as well.
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.