Nobody loves Alex Rodriguez more than ESPN and Fox. Too bad the general baseball audience couldn’t agree less. To call the former juiced superstar divisive would be a lie. From his calculated persona to questionable comments and a history of lying and PED use, A-Rod has made a ton of enemies.
So, naturally, the next step forward is to give A-Rod another show, right? Specifically, ESPN plans to give him a ‘Manningcast’ style show on the network complete with Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay to bounce his nonsense off of. The premise isn’t so bad if you discount A-Rod and how he’s implemented. The idea of recently-retired baseball players with big, popular personalities calling games and bantering about their time on the field sounds like a breath of fresh air for the sport. Personally, I’m partial to Trevor Plouffe’s suggestion that Adam Wainwright and Andrew McCutchen should do it when they retire.
⚾️ESPN Sunday Night Baseball update cont…
— Ben Cafardo (@Ben_ESPN) January 7, 2022
ESPN's newest, unique alternate presentation: "Sunday Night Baseball with Kay-Rod" to air 8 Sundays on ESPN2
World Series Champ & 3x MVP @AROD joins @RealMichaelKay
Telecasts to integrate fantasy baseball, analytics, special guests https://t.co/EdOAj74lD3
To be fair, it’s not A-Rod’s fault that this terrible idea for a show is going forward. The onus falls on ESPN and their foolish assumption that they have their finger on the pulse of the baseball zeitgeist. Retreading an idea from the football side of things with one of the most hated men in baseball isn’t forward-thinking. It’s not even utilizing said player in a way that fits their strengths. It’s a wasted effort on a complete misunderstanding of the modern MLB fan.
Why an A-Rod ‘Manningcast’ is Doomed to Fail
All bias upfront, I am not an A-Rod fan. I find his on-air personality remarkably phony and he comes off rather full of himself. Regarding his broadcast style, it’s full of some major insert-foot-into-mouth moments that are honestly laughable. “The Dodgers are the New York Yankees of baseball,” sticks out as an all-time classic quote. There was also the time he blasted Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish in 2018 for sitting amongst his teammates while dealing with serious injuries that kept him out for most of the season. The point is A-Rod is not the smartest or most tactful of announcers. Still, while my personal criticisms and misgivings with Rodriguez are many, again, ESPN is more at fault for this.
This is clearly a tactic to appeal to the casual fan. They believe A-Rod has the name recognition to drive viewership in this new casual baseball broadcast. While that might be true, it also reeks of trying to shove one of their own down our throats. It mirrors Rob Manfred’s myriad pace of play proposals: wildly unpopular and touted to get more people interested in the sport. Nobody is asking for more of Rodriguez as a broadcaster. He thrives more in the analytical round-table setting with David Ortiz and Frank Thomas where his baseball knowledge can actually breathe.
Beyond misunderstanding what fans are actually interested in, “Kay-Rod” misses the fundamental dynamics that make the Manningcast interesting. Peyton and Eli Manning are siblings and former players. They have that built-in sibling rivalry and brotherly love as well as many years of playing experience. A-Rod and Kay do not. Kay is a longtime broadcaster and Rodriguez is a recently-retired player. The backgrounds don’t exactly match. There isn’t a shared experience.
ESPN’s Infatuation With the Former Superstar Spoils a Good Concept
Whether or not you like A-Rod, ‘Kay-Rod’ feels questionable. You aren’t satisfying current fans that don’t have that same love for Rodriguez. You’re also failing to even bring out the best in Rodriguez. If ESPN gave any amount of thought to this, they’d at least find a fellow player for him to run with. Maybe pair him up with Ortiz, a guy he’s demonstrated chemistry with over on Fox and someone that A-Rod’s previously faced and beefed with over the years. Give him someone that knows him on the field and can banter with him about their playing days.
This feels like a rushed idea thrown together to satisfy ESPN’s desire to keep the former superstar around while trying to draw casual fans in. There’s a version of this show that doesn’t suck. I’d kill to hear Rodriguez and Ortiz or some other combo yuk it up over a game with a guest. Modern ESPN doesn’t know how to have fun. Sports are supposed to be fun. You have a fun concept, so stop trying to execute it in the most stuffed-shirt, misunderstood, lazy way possible.
If ‘Kay-Rod’ turns out great, I’ll eat my hat. As of right now, I’m not optimistic.
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