The ESPN executive sits down with Boardroom to discuss overseeing all its studio content, managing talent like Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee, and the upcoming DTC launch.
At ESPN‘s new Manhattan headquarters at Hudson Square in late June, Mike Foss pulled up to his office for the day at a temporary meeting room at 7 a.m. He was in town as Get Up and First Take debuted their new sets in the building’s basement, completing the network’s exit from its studio space at the South Street Seaport.
Not unlike the old British Empire, the sun does not set on an ESPN program Foss oversees.
Last August, Foss was promoted to Senior Vice President, Sport Studio & Entertainment, overseeing all studio programming, including Get Up, First Take, The Pat McAfee Show, Pardon The Interruption, all editions of SportsCenter, ESPN’s betting and fantasy studio shows, and ESPN radio and podcasts. That includes both the editorial and business sides. Recently named to SBJ’s 40 Under 40 class, Foss exudes a calm, understated air for someone with such a high role at a company valued at more than $20 billion.
“Because of the nature of the business, you can’t really predict what’s going to come next. So, you just make sure that you’re open when the moment calls,” Foss told Boardroom. “And because I oversee things literally 24 hours, you just make sure that when there’s a need, you’re able to drop in and be useful.”
When you’re in charge of shows hosted by big egos and personalities like Stephen A. Smith, Pat McAfee, Mike Greenberg, Scott Van Pelt, and others, that can be a lot to juggle on a day-to-day basis. But rather than treat top talent like their manager and, technically, their boss, Foss likes to approach ESPN’s franchise players as a collaborator. He tries to begin and end every conversation with “how can I help” and work from there.
“The reality is whether I was in the role I’m currently in or not, all those guys were great before I got here,” he said. “They’ll be great after I’m gone. In between those two bookends, how am I facilitating for them? How am I elevating them? How am I making their shows and experiences better?”
There will be times when he goes a week or two without talking to some of the top talent at the company, while sometimes his job necessitates interacting with them daily, depending on the situation, the time of year, and the news cycle. On this sweltering summer morning, ESPN was preparing for wall-to-wall coverage around that night’s NBA Draft, and Foss was gearing up for SportsCenter’s 50 States in 50 Days initiative, both of which he and his team had ample time to prepare for. That’s not always the case in the ever-evolving news cycle, but Foss remains ready for anything and open to whatever comes as he’s quickly risen through the ranks.
While in college at George Mason, Foss interned at USA Today with the mindset of always being open to opportunity. When asked to put together small blurbs for all 32 teams competing in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Foss said, “Yeah, I’m going to write this shit out of that.” While he thought it would get buried in the next day’s paper, it landed on the front page. He worked full-time at USA Today after college, helping launch the social-forward sports site For The Win. He moved over to Fox Sports in 2015, helping develop content strategy for the website, mobile, and social channels. Foss joined ESPN two years later, helping develop the company’s digital portfolio across YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, and the ESPN app.
In addition to seizing every opportunity in front of him, Foss said he was lucky to have managers who were invested in his success.
“You have to have people that are willing to ride with you and elevate you,” he said. “When people come to me for advice, there’s the hard work and initiative piece of it, but equally important is the people you’re surrounding yourself with who elevate you.”
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As Foss helped launch ESPN’s YouTube network in 2019, First Take quickly became one of the main shows that helped build up the subscriber count. This familiarity with the show strengthened his relationship with Smith once he began managing the program. Smith mentored Foss, helping him understand what his role should or shouldn’t be and how to build strong relationships with talent.
While managing talent, Foss has to ensure that ratings and engagement remain strong around the clock. And in making sure young demographics are watching ESPN across all platforms when competition from YouTube, TikTok, and so many different forms of media constantly compete for their attention, he makes sure that every facet of the network he oversees puts celebrating sports at the forefront.
“As we’re trying to win people over, all of this is built on the premise that we love this thing,” Foss said.
The foundational reason why McAfee has been so successful, Foss said, is that his fandom spills into everything he does, and how he presents that skill is a significant aspect of his talent. It’s why he believes McAfee is so popular among kids, who can see through people who aren’t honest with themselves or their audience. McAfee runs a smart show with big-time guests, Foss said, and he’s doing it with his friends, which is every kid’s dream.
“It’s impossible to say Pat McAfee is successful because of X, Y, and Z, because if we could do that, then everyone would be Pat McAfee,” Foss continued. “But if you look at some of the four quadrants he has with passion, expertise, and chemistry, and you build it all on a platform he controls and owns, and it’s just very difficult for that to be repeated.”
While Foss has to be dialed into the criticism McAfee faces, the ratings and revenue he’s generating and his ability to make headlines and storylines through his guests that can repeat as segments across other ESPN shows, you can understand why he’s become one of the network’s and sports media’s brightest stars.
The departments Foss oversees will play a major role in ESPN’s direct-to-consumer product launch on Aug. 21, which aims to package and program content in a unique way that differs from what you’ll typically see on linear channels. It’s about building affinity for and familiarity with a wide variety of offerings that will increasingly feature betting and fantasy content. He views that content like research or stats for fans that need to be digestible and accessible for them to help drive conversation.
Those conversation drivers start with those studio shows and SportsCenter, which will be highlight-heavy during mornings and nights, bridging those debate and conversation shows in the middle of the day, and acting as a national pregame show at 6 p.m. There’s also currently a 5 p.m. version after ESPN canceled Around The Horn, which Foss said had an incredible 23-year run, but the network is now looking for a replacement that’s more reflective of modern times. There’s no current timetable for when that show will debut.
“We want to make sure that whatever we choose is there for the long haul, for as long as Around The Horn was,” Foss said, “and that’s going to take time.”
As SportsCenter wraps up its 50 states in 50 days series, Foss’s focus over the coming months will be on making sure this DTC launch is a success. He likened it to ESPN’s approach of introducing a generational innovation every 20-25 years. At first, it was the network and SportsCenter launching, and then PTI ushered in a new talk and debate show format around the turn of the millennium. Now, it’s DTC’s turn, as Stephen A., McAfee, and all the other programming under Foss’ purview lead the way as ESPN ushers in its next era.
“We’re probably on the precipice of something really, really special here in this moment,” he said.
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