A month after a dispute between a local newspaper reporter and national media as to the nature of St. Bonaventure men’s basketball coach Mark Schmidt’s departure, the tension between former ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski and local fans and alumni is seemingly stronger than ever.
Wojnarowski retired from newsbreaking in 2024 and moved to Olean, New York, to run the program at his alma mater, but the returns have been unimpressive. The university parted ways with Schmidt at the conclusion of the season after nearly two decades in an attempt to refresh the program. A local newspaper publisher reported the move as a firing in a scathing column, blaming Wojnarowski, while the school (and, in turn, national media outlets) called it a resignation.
The Athletic sent reporter Austin Meek to track down the truth of the matter, and his findings paint a picture of a somewhat remorseful Wojnarowski who is struggling to build the program as he had hoped. One of the big issues, according to The Athletic, is a lack of local support, exemplified by the sense among local power brokers that Wojnarowski looks down on them for their political views.
“All the locals get the sense that he doesn’t want to be associated with them if he doesn’t have the same political bent as them,” said Eric Firkel, the Olean Star publisher who reported on Schmidt’s supposed retirement. “Fair or not, that is a general feeling through the community, that maybe you look down on people for being a bunch of MAGA Republicans.”
As The Athletic notes, Olean went for Donald Trump in 2024 by a fairly substantial margin. But the story states that the Bartlett Country Club, a power center in the small town of Olean where Wojnarowski’s politics have become a source of tension, “is politically mixed but leans to the center-right.”
Apparently, the locals see Wojnarowski’s high-profile 2020 clash with Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, a vocal Trump supporter, as evidence of his negative views toward them. Wojnarowski was suspended by ESPN for emailing the Senator “f*ck you” over a press release in which Hawley criticized the NBA for its business in China.
The Athletic asked Wojnarowski about a potential political rift with the community, and he deflected.
“Wojnarowski didn’t answer directly when asked about the political tensions, but he said he believes a successful basketball team will unite the community,” wrote Meek.
As part of an interview for the story, Wojnarowski commented that “at some point,” he may “go sit on a beach chair.” Two years into the experiment at St. Bonaventure, the insider’s connections and resources clearly are not working as he had hoped, as he encounters the complex social and political dynamics of the small town that houses his alma mater.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.