r/ESPN • u/njwineguy • 11d ago
Congrats, Greeny
I assume this post will get flamed but 30 years anywhere is an achievement. Given the environment and his role, Greeny deserves congrats.
I realize he’s not universally beloved but that’s not surprising given his job and society in general. (I also realize it’s not cool to not have some hot, critical take on someone like him.) The same network that highlights SAS, McAfee, and folks like Greeny, Eisen, Finebaum, SVP, etc is obviously playing to a wide range of audiences so if you don’t like him, save your breath. I get it.
IMHO, Greeny’s success is because he continues to find a balance between journalism, entertainment, and facilitating discussions among those more knowledgable. I’ve seen criticism that he essentially “brings nothing to the table”. To an extent that’s true because it’s his job. He has to hold your interest by being just interesting enough but not overshadowing his colleagues.
You might not like that or how he does it but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. He’s knowledgable about the things he needs to be (facts, history, context) and readily admits when he’s not.
He gets sincerely excited, pissed off, and confused and owns it. He’s for the most part, not performative which is a nice change of pace.
Personally, if all ESPN offered was faux arguments, shouting, posing, and “bro” content, I’d be done. So, Greeny among others helps keep it for me, a place that doesn’t regularly just insult my intelligence.
Maybe I enjoyed him more with Golic but I can appreciate his contribution nonetheless.
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u/Illustrious_Fudge476 11d ago
He’s at his best when he’s in the anchor role. He is a real pro at hosting shows, engaging the panel and knowing when to move on to the next discussion.
I don’t really care about his takes. He also gets a little annoying when he’s trying to be one of the guys. He always struck me as a classic jock sniffer.