This past week, the Chicago Fire announced that they have renewed their relationship with ESPN Chicago and ESPN Radio for another two seasons. Chicago Fire Weekly airs Saturday mornings at 7 am CT on 1000 AM in Chicago and can be streamed, subscribed to, and downloaded anywhere ESPN podcasts can be found, including the ESPN Radio app.
At present, the Fire are the only MLS team with a radio partnership with the World Wide Leader, and have one of only three ESPN soccer podcasts. ESPN FC covers mostly European domestic football and international play. Caught Offside is an ESPN New York affiliate and cover similar content similar to ESPN FC. Men In Blazers moved from ESPN to NBC last year and Big Head Red Head is on hiatus for the moment due to Alexi Lalas leaving ESPN for Fox Soccer.
I am a millennial, I like technology. I’ve had a smartphone for awhile now and have a collection of podcasts and shows I subscribe to through my phone. When I found out about Chicago Fire Weekly, I immediately thought “an MLS team has their own show on ESPN? And it’s the Fire? How did they pull this off?” Upon mentioning this to friends who are big MLS supporters, their reactions were equally surprised and joyous. One of the themes I noticed was wondering how this happened, what the potential benefits were, and how their clubs could go about doing the same. It’s clear by a two year partnership renewal that the Chicago Fire have impressed the heads at ESPN Chicago.
Last Word Soccer Club got to sit down with Kevin Egan, the color commentator for the Chicago Fire and co-host of Chicago Fire Weekly. “It’s a great chance for the Chicago Fire to reach out to its fans,” Egan said, adding that “it’s wonderful match day listening.”
Fred Huebner is a former TV play-by-play broadcaster for the Fire and has more than 35 years of sports broadcasting experience. He contributes to several programs on ESPN 1000. Egan stated that Huebner “was instrumental in starting out with ESPN. He’s very familiar with the station and I think the decision to go to ESPN had to do with not only Fred Huebner, but also because ESPN is the World Wide Leader, and by far the leader in sports radio in Chicago. The Front Office wanted to put the podcast on the best platform.”
Radio and social media are a great way to grow the sport, and in having the show on ESPN, the Fire have benefited. “It’s a wonderful chance for callers.” They can “call in and give their opinions.” The show also has trivia questions each week that give fans a chance to win match tickets. “It’s a great chance for us to have a chat with fans and for them to have a voice on a huge sporting platform,” something Egan emphasized. That impact cannot be overstates.
When asked about how other MLS clubs could go about following the Fire’s path, Egan suggested “the local affiliates are certainly the way to go. I see it as a relationship between a sports franchise and the top sports broadcaster in the city.” ESPN benefits from expanding their viewership by expanding soccer coverage, giving them an incentive to bringing in an MLS team’s show.
ESPN currently has hubs in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York City. The path is already laid out for New England, FC Dallas, LA Galaxy, and the two New York teams. If they have a quality program and a connection into their local ESPN station like Huebner, they can get on ESPN Radio. Other clubs may not have the same opportunities, but as American Soccer continues to grow, so should the radio/podcast possibilities. If a Seattle Sounders Front Office member is reading this, call up the Seahawks organization and put together a joint bid to establish ESPN Seattle. As big as the Seahawks are, I’m sure ESPN would give Rave Green an hour or more of airtime weekly (if not daily).
Most MLS clubs already have an official radio show or podcast of quality. Use networking to develop a good relationship with the local ESPN station or equivalent. Take initiative and get the show on ESPN. Get it on the ESPN Radio Podcenter. Give the club and its fans a voice on a major platform. Grow the fan base for the team, the league, and the sport.
Your move, other MLS clubs. The Chicago Fire got on ESPN Radio and they are there to stay. If they can do it, so can you.
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Main Image courtesy of www.chicago-fire.com
