Beneath the surface of the silly argument over players and non-players in sports media that broke out after the argument between Ryan Clark and Peter Schrager on Get Up last Friday, a more rudimentary breach of etiquette by Clark as a panelist on live television was revealed.
As a veteran TV and podcast host, media executive, and friend of Schrager’s, Bill Simmons understands the dynamics better than most.
In the latest episode of his podcast, Simmons, who was a panelist on ESPN’s NBA Countdown and other shows in his decade-plus at the network, broke down what it’s like to be in a disagreement like the one between Clark and Schrager on live TV.
Simmons highlighted why it is such a significant issue for ESPN and Clark’s colleagues when he goes off-script to undermine someone else on air.
“What I didn’t like about what Ryan did … when you’re on live TV with people, there’s a nakedness to that,” Simmons explained.
“You really have to trust people that you’re with. And I’ve been in situations where you really trust the people that you’re with and it’s great, and I’ve been in situations where I did not trust at least one of the people I was with, and it sucks. Because if somebody tries to flip something on you or make you look bad in some way or screw you up on live TV … it’s just f*cked up.
“And I felt like that moment, whether Ryan intended to do that or not, he was doing it in a way to put Peter on his heels on live TV. And live TV is a ‘we’ thing, it’s not a zero-sum game. You’re on a show, everybody’s gotta win if you’re doing the show. Once you bring that element into it, it’s really hard to put the genie back in the bottle.”
Later, Simmons said he believed Clark’s point —that a losing player in an NFL game would always feel worse than a winning player, regardless of how they individually performed in the game —was “interesting.” Simmons also acknowledged that Clark apologized to Schrager and clearly regretted the incident.
“He apologized for it, and he obviously knows, ‘Hey man, that’s not where I want to be when I’m doing television,'” Simmons added.
However, he used the situation to highlight how these dynamics play out and what goes into producing the live content that sports fans love. He described why he believes the chemistry and team play in media is getting worse as platforms prioritize “louder” takes.
“It’s so easy to undermine somebody when you’re doing any kind of show with them. You can undermine somebody’s point in all these subtle ways, with how you’re sitting, with what your demeanor is, no-selling,” Simmons said. “Some people on TV, especially now, as the louder and louder you get on TV, the more people notice you, the professional wrestling, selling part seems to be going out the window a little bit.”
Schrager has been a recurring guest on The Bill Simmons Podcast for years and once co-hosted a show for The Ringer. In this case, Simmons was not merely defending his friend but also illustrating why the Clark callout became such big news in media circles.
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.