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🎤 QUICK START ✍️

 🌅 Noon reign. Ohio State AD Ross Bjork is bracing for another Big Noon showdown with Penn State, saying Fox loves the Buckeyes and has invested heavily in that early‑afternoon slot. Expect it to remain a noon kickoff, despite fans and legislators continuing to push for a later start.

🧐 Patrick clap‑back. Don Van Natta Jr. fired back at Dan  Patrick’s skepticism over ESPN’s journalistic independence in light of the new NFL equity stake. He threw serious shade with a “Journalism 101” jab and reminded everyone he and his colleagues broke major NFLPA stories.

🔄 ESPN → Barstool? Barstool producer Hank Lockwood says ESPN’s hiring of social content star Katie Feeney signals a cultural shift. ESPN is increasingly adopting Barstool’s casual, digitally native approach, not the other way around.

🛡 Sanders shield. Dan Orlovsky urged everyone to drop the “set‑up‑to‑fail” narrative about Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, arguing Cleveland’s QB depth issues made him the logical preseason starter, not a scapegoat.

😅 World Cup whoops. LA councilwoman Heather Hutt awkwardly told new LAFC signing Heung‑Min Son that she hoped he’d help the USA win the World Cup, forgetting he’s South Korean.

🏀 White  Chocolate joins up. Barstool hired ex‑NBA great Jason “White Chocolate” Williams as full‑time staff, saying his humor and style made him a natural fit for their upcoming FS1 show.

🚨LEADING OFF 🚨

RedZone déjà vu

The NFL-ESPN equity deal might end up giving fans more than just another awkward conflict-of-interest headline. It could actually deliver something genuinely valuable for Saturdays: a College Football RedZone. Or, instead, a rebranded, reimagined version of something ESPN already tried, and quietly buried.

The concept isn’t exactly new. From 2010-19, ESPN Goal Line served up a whiparound channel every Saturday in the fall, complete with live look-ins, highlights, no commercials, and an off-the-grid cult following. Most people never watched it. Some of us lived on it. But like a lot of great ESPN side projects (Bases Loaded for college baseball says hi), it quietly disappeared during the pandemic and never came back.

Fast forward to now. Roger Goodell made it clear the NFL RedZone fans' love isn’t going anywhere, despite ESPN acquiring the brand. “It’ll continue to be the NFL RedZone. I don’t think fans will see any difference in that,” he said. The core RedZone show remains with NFL Media, produced “in the building,” meaning ESPN won’t interfere with what makes RedZone so special.

That said, Goodell did hint ESPN could use the RedZone concept for other sports. College football fans have wanted a whip-around show for years, and ESPN gave it a shot in 2023 with Pat McAfee’s fast, chaotic CFB Primetime. The RedZone brand itself could open the door to something bigger and more official for college football, something that actually sticks.

So here we are again.

It’s not a new idea, but this time feels different. ESPN and the NFL are joined at the hip, and Goodell’s pushing RedZone expansion. It might not happen this fall or next, and it might not be perfect right away, but it’s back on the table.

📈 INDUSTRY INSIGHTS 💰

ESPN’s DTC platform launches with limited authentication. ESPN’s direct-to-consumer streaming service will debut on Aug. 21 without universal authentication. Agreements have been established with Charter, DirecTV, and Verizon Fios; however, Comcast, YouTube TV, Dish, and Sling won’t have access initially, which limits availability.

TBT championship sets new viewership record. The Basketball Tournament (TBT) drew 444,000 viewers on FOX for the 2025 final, a 67% increase from last year. The championship, held at Wichita State’s Charles Koch Arena, also saw an attendance of 9,029, the second-largest in TBT history. YouTube streaming numbers jumped 129% compared to 2024.

Disney to stop reporting streaming subscriber numbers. Disney will cease reporting subscriber counts for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ starting fiscal Q1 2026. The shift reflects a focus on profitability and operational efficiency amid changing streaming dynamics.

Jimmy Pitaro affirms commitment to NFL journalism at ESPN. ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro emphasized the network’s commitment to credible NFL coverage, acknowledging the need for a balance between journalistic integrity and commercial pressures.

ESPN to air Lee Corso tribute show ahead of 2024 college football season. Before his last show, ESPN will honor legendary analyst Lee Corso with a one-hour special, Not So Fast, My Friend: A Lee Corso Special, airing August 22 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN (with re‑airs on ESPN2 and ESPN+). Corso will make his final headgear pick on Week 1’s College GameDay — live from Columbus on August 30 — capping a nearly four-decade run.

📣 NOTABLE QUOTABLES 🗣️

“I happen to know a few people … ‘do not be surprised if President Trump speaks on eventually.’” – Stephen A. Smith on First Take, warning the WNBA to tread carefully because Trump might politicize Caitlin Clark's physical treatment into a national controversy.

“We’re not competing with the NBA or MLB. Our competitors are Apple and Google.” – Roger Goodell, saying the NFL sees itself as a media‑tech behemoth, not just a sports league.

“I think it did not do anything good for our sport. I think it turned our sport into like a joke, unfortunately.” – Kyle Larson on Talladega Nights, admitting the cult comedy may have hurt NASCAR’s image more than helped.

“Boone looked very confused in that dugout.” – Chris “Mad Dog” Russo on First Take, moments after the Yankees bullpen unraveled, lambasting Aaron Boone’s managerial response.

“You can jinx a no‑hitter from a thousand miles away.” – Jim Deshaies, joking that Cubs broadcaster Boog Sciambi single-handedly doomed Gavin Williams’ no-hit bid while watching it unfold from another game.

🔥 THE CLOSER 🔥 

Does Hard Knocks have anything left to give?

Maybe it’s because it’s the Buffalo Bills. Perhaps it depends on which corner of the internet you inhabit, or the fact that X has completely disrupted the concept of a chronological timeline. But for whatever reason, there was a noticeable lack of buzz around the premiere of Hard Knocks this week.

It seemed to come and go without the typical conversation in the digital town square, without the instant reactions, without the feeling that this was something worth gathering around.

Part of that is timing. Part of it is over-saturation. We’ve reached a point where nearly every NFL team has its own YouTube channel, pumping out behind-the-scenes content that often offers more access and personality than what HBO or NFL Films are allowed to show.

What used to be a singular viewing experience has been split into a hundred different directions. And when Hard Knocks transitioned from a single preseason edition to a format that included offseason, in-season, and training camp installments, it started to lose the very thing that made it special in the first place. It used to be a rare glimpse into football’s inner world. Now it’s just another option on the content buffet.

For Awful Announcing, I took a look at whether Hard Knocks still has the juice to captivate an audience, or if it’s become just another NFL media afterthought.