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Pat McAfee and the Rise of Modern Sports Commentary
There comes a time when the mold needs to be reshaped. When the old way of doing things no longer seems to be working, and a fresh new approach needs to be instilled as the new standard. Oftentimes these moments are met with resistance and a fondness for the old ways. We saw this over the last decade as it became clear that social media influencer marketing was effective and has now brought about countless influencers and a focus on utilizing social media tools by brands.
In the world of sports journalism and reporting it seems that the path has been the same for decades. Go to college to get a journalism degree, then get a job at a local affiliate station, and work hard until maybe a national opportunity with the bigger outlets presents itself. But in the age of the internet and instant reaction, this method has seemed to have gone stale. We have seen this in the coverage of tech, fashion, and food that utilizing social platforms and being entertaining as opposed to the perceived arrogance of being a journalist. No one seems to be challenging this notion more than Pat McAfee, a former NFL kicker turned sports analyst that is changing the way that we view sports journalism and content creation
