Ryan Clark is back on air—on his own terms—with ‘Pivot Sports’

“I’m not lamenting what was lost,” Ryan Clark is rewriting the sports media playbook following his ESPN exit with “The Pivot Sports.”

Ryan Clark has mastered the art of pivoting. Just weeks after unexpectedly losing his job at ESPN, Clark is back in the sports caster chair through his latest venture, “The Pivot Sports with Ryan Clark.” The new live show is an expansion of “The Pivot Podcast,” featuring co-hosts and former NFL players Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor, and is produced in collaboration with NFL Films. 

Clark’s independent sports show comes seven weeks after being laid off from ESPN during an “NFL Live” commercial break. The former NFL player was one of many to be laid off by the sports network in July. Sparking what he described as his “biggest pivot yet,” Clark admitted having to work through feelings of shame, anger, and pain in an interview with The Athletic. 

“People always say, ‘Hey, go start your own thing.’ But without that layoff at ESPN, I don’t believe, to be honest with you, that I ever take this step,” he told the outlet. “I don’t think people realize the intimidating factor of that. There are a lot of unknowns, and so there was a level of fear. Being laid off unlocked all of that. I think the important thing is it paralleled my playing career.”

From “Pivot Sports” to his new deal with Netflix, Clark joins a wave of media personalities and journalists leaving traditional media and building their own platforms from substacks to podcasts to digital shows. And it’s an industry shift both creatives and viewers are embracing, especially when it involves their favorite on-air personalities like Joy Reid, Jemele Hill, Speedy Morman, etc. 

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“Ryan Clark is a testimony to what happens when you understand the value of building and owning your own. Media empires today are being created by those who know and consume the most,” Kelsey Nicole Nelson, an award-winning sports reporter, told theGrio. “During one of the darkest moments of [Ryan Clark’s] life he rose from darkness under his own intellectual property and brand. What he’s transformed The Pivot into is the future of media. No more static contemporary shows but personality-driven narratives with sports highlights where talent can bring their whole selves to their work. He can now wear his RC initial pin proudly, realizing he can do this his own way, and there are many who love him for it.” 

And it’s an industry shift both creatives and viewers are embracing, especially when it involves their favorite on-air personalities like Joy Reid, Jemele Hill, Speedy Morman, etc. 

“I think it says more about the state of media than it does just sports media,” Andscape senior sports & culture writer, Justin Tinsley, shared with theGrio, reflecting on the work Clark, Taylor, and Crowder have done with the “Pivot Podcast” and the power of creating conversation. “So when I look at what they’re doing, I think it’s a testament to, you know, the people that you keep around you, the honesty that you keep around you, and the transparency that you keep around you.” 

“Whether you agree with what he said about the Steelers, or the Cowboys, or Joe Burrow, or Lamar Jackson, or Patrick Mahomes, it created a substantial amount of value that people can see, regardless of where he goes. And I think that’s what you want to be able to do within this scope of what we see in media,” Tinsley continued. 

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Now, leading his own path, Clark says his focus is on creating high-quality content. “The Pivot Sports” will feature a mix of interviews with players, coaches, touchscreen play breakdowns and game analysis. 

“I think the tone, for me, is definitely a triumphant one. And it’s not even in the sense that I’ve won, but more that I’m not lamenting what was lost,” Clark shared, reflecting on this new chapter.

“The Pivot Sports” airs live every Monday at 2 pm.