Keyshawn Johnson is Betting on Himself With VSiN’s Thursday Night Betcast
· Yahoo Sports
There are few former athletes who have done as much in their second act as Keyshawn Johnson. The top overall selection in the 1996 NFL Draft spent 11 seasons playing at the highest level. Since his playing days, the Super Bowl champion wide receiver has worked in nearly every sector of sports media, from local and national radio to network television and several successful podcasts.
Now, Johnson is entering a new chapter, one that very few former athletes choose to pursue. Earlier this month, Johnson joined VSiN, the sports betting network, as the co-host of Thursday Night BetCast, a live, interactive co-viewing experience surrounding Thursday Night Football games.
Visit forestarrow.rest for more information.
“Steve Cohen and I have a great relationship. One day I called and was asking what he was up to, and he explained his vision, seeing if I would be interested,” said Johnson. “Of course, I’m always interested in working with Steve on projects of this nature.”
Alongside co-host Patrick Meagher, the program centers on the evening’s NFL matchup. Every show begins airing just minutes before kickoff, providing initial thoughts heading into the contest. The remainder of the program gives Johnson an opportunity to lend his expertise on what he’s seeing on the field.
A Different Approach To The Game
For Johnson, the opportunity was one he couldn’t pass up. His day consists of a short flight to Las Vegas before meeting two hours prior to air at the VSiN studios inside the Circa Resort & Casino sportsbook. By accepting the role with VSiN, Johnson hopes to provide something different from the typical commentator.
“I’m bringing a different style and philosophy to the gaming world, because I’m not a sharp. I’m an ex-NFL player who knows a lot about sports in a major way. It lends itself to the audience totally different than a sharp,” explained Johnson. “I’m not an analytics freak. I base things on what I know and see. That’s a different angle that I can provide to the program.”
While his preparation has been reinforced through years of work in radio, podcasting and television, providing live analysis represents a new challenge.
“I need to always hit on all cylinders because the game is moving fast. I’ve never had to talk in the middle of a game about what I see and react to it. Then what and who to place a bet on in real time. I’ve never done that before,” said Johnson. “The lines are moving, and the clock is ticking. There’s all sorts of elements you need to be on top of.”
The goal of the program is to welcome every level of bettor, from hardcore sharps looking for an added player perspective to the casual small-dollar wager who connects with Johnson’s personality. It’s a similar approach to every project Johnson participates in, welcoming everyone to enjoy his insight.
Continued Expansion
This football season, Thursday Night BetCast is the latest project to feature Johnson’s expertise. The core of his work remains rooted in the podcast space, with a growing relationship with All The Smoke Productions.
Currently, Johnson is a frequent guest on the podcast and says there’s more in store from that relationship.
“I’m doing All The Smoke. The White House with Michael Irvin. I’m doing the Schultz Report with Jordan Schultz as well. Those are my core things I’m doing right now,” said Johnson. “My podcast All Facts No Brakes will be coming out around the NFL playoffs for a relaunch. That’s the plan with All The Smoke [Productions] producing it.”
Johnson says he enjoys the opportunity to work with different people on a variety of projects, which is what led him to sign up for Thursday Night BetCast. While the medium may be different, he views the work as an extension of what he has always enjoyed: talking sports without a filter.
View this post on Instagram
“I like it this way, because I’m my own boss. I don’t have to listen to the corporate bulls**t all the time,” noted Johnson. “We know they [corporate] have favorites and they want to muzzle certain people from saying certain things. I don’t need that now.”
FS1 Fallout
The ramp-up to this NFL season has been much different for Johnson. At this time last year, he was caught up in a wave of cuts at FS1 as the network canceled his show Speak, along with Breakfast Ball and The Facility. Although his time with FOX Sports was short, he says he enjoyed the experience and the treatment he received from the network.
Even though Speak came to an end when it did, Johnson says he wasn’t caught off guard by the cancellation.
“I loved my time at FOX, but I’m never stunned by anything that these people do. Because all they do is sit up and lie. You already know they’re lying based on how they move around in the building,” noted Johnson. “You could tell something was going on. Whatever it was, you just didn’t know exactly what it was, but you knew something was going on.”
Although the network decided to go in another direction with Speak, Johnson says he would be very open to another opportunity with FOX Sports if the network were interested.
“If FOX called me back and asked to come work for them, I got no problem with that. None at all. They didn’t do anything to me at all. They made a decision, and they live with the decision they made,” said Johnson. “We can’t control anything with a decision on what they want to do… Why they made the decision? I don’t know. Was it the Charlie Dixon Joy [Taylor] stuff? I don’t know. It wasn’t my business; I wasn’t there. I got caught in the wash.”
A Radio Return?
Another opportunity Johnson hopes to return to is radio, a format he says he still has a passion for. Previously, Johnson hosted radio programs at the local level with ESPN Los Angeles and in national syndication with ESPN Radio.
“Radio is cool, and I enjoy doing it. I hope to be back doing it soon,” said Johnson. “I enjoy doing radio because it also allows me to get ready for television.”
From a potential return to sports radio to several high-profile podcasts and now Thursday Night BetCast on VSiN, Keyshawn Johnson continues to find ways to evolve without straying too far from what has always driven him: talking sports.
Twenty-five years removed from entering the NFL as the No. 1 overall pick, Johnson has built a second act that has taken him across nearly every corner of the sports media landscape. Now, with more control over the projects he takes on and the people he works with, he appears less interested in following a traditional media path and more focused on creating his own.
View this post on Instagram
“My hope is with Thursday Night BetCast is it grows to a point where I can have my newsletter and build a larger platform in the end. I’m in the gaming space. There’s not a lot of high-level ex-professional athletes in the gaming space at this level,” explained Johnson. “I don’t know any, to be honest. There’s a lot of gamers that can identify with me, and that’s what I hope to bring to VSiN.”
For Johnson, the next chapter isn’t about finding another platform. It’s about finding the right one.
And as his latest venture with VSiN demonstrates, there doesn’t appear to be any shortage of ways for Keyshawn Johnson to keep talking.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
The post Keyshawn Johnson is Betting on Himself With VSiN’s Thursday Night Betcast appeared first on Barrett Media.