Shannon Sharpe’s $100M Power Play and the Rise of Athlete-Owned Media
How Shannon Sharpe, Cristiano Ronaldo, and other elite athletes are building media networks that threaten to eclipse the sports networks that once made them stars.
When Shannon Sharpe left FS1’s Undisputed, many assumed he was taking a step back. In reality, he was stepping into something much bigger.
Less than a year later, Sharpe's Club Shay Shay podcast exploded on YouTube. His interview with Katt Williams hit 89 million views. His show gained nearly four million subscribers. And now, reports suggest he’s about to sign a new media deal, rumoured to exceed $100 million, that would give him full control over a growing network of shows under his Shay Shay Media umbrella.
In other words, Shannon Sharpe has gone from analyst to media mogul. And he’s not alone.
What we’re witnessing isn’t just the success of one show; it’s the rise of a new model. One where elite athletes no longer rely on TV networks to remain relevant after retirement. They’re building their own content platforms. And in many cases, they’re beating the networks at their own game.
Sharpe’s move is reminiscent of Pat McAfee’s rise. A former NFL punter, McAfee launched his own podcast and built such a loyal following that ESPN paid a reported $85 million over five years to bring him in-house, without touching the grassroots style that made his show popular to begin with.
But while McAfee cashed out to a traditional network, Sharpe is taking a different route: ownership. His deal reportedly covers not just Club Shay Shay, but a slate of shows—Nightcap, Club 520, The Bubba Dub Show, and Humble Baddies. This is no longer just a podcast. It’s a fully fledged media network.
The blueprint is clear: start with a loyal audience, build a high-performing show, then scale it into a brand.
Sharpe’s strategy is simple but powerful. First, he uses content to draw people in and create cultural moments. Then, he creates consistency with co-hosted shows like Nightcap with Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, making it feel like a community, not a broadcast. Add to that his occasional First Take appearances on ESPN, and Sharpe’s mastered both reach and frequency.
It’s working. And it’s not limited to the U.S.
Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the most-followed individuals on Earth, has recently made a similar leap. In August 2024, he launched UR Cristiano, a behind-the-scenes YouTube channel offering fans intimate access to his world. The result? One million subscribers in 90 minutes. Over 74 million subscribers today.
To put that in perspective: that’s more YouTube followers than ESPN, NBC Sports, BBC Sport, CBS, TNT, Sky Sports, and Fox Sports combined.
Ronaldo isn’t just an athlete. He’s a content studio. And he’s bypassing traditional gatekeepers by going straight to the consumer.
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ESPN, FS1, and other legacy networks built empires on the backs of athletes, but nothing ever belonged to the talent. That’s changed.
Today’s sports stars understand their value. They have built-in distribution (millions of followers), demand (fans want unfiltered access), and leverage (brands are desperate to tap into Gen Z and millennial audiences).
Sharpe’s $100 million deal isn’t just about content creation. It’s about monetising community, cultural currency, and control. It’s what the traditional networks can no longer offer without strings.
And when you factor in advertisers? The shift becomes even more stark. Brands are increasingly pulling budget away from traditional TV and moving it into influencer content, creator shows, and digital activations. Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay and Ronaldo’s UR Cristiano offer something ESPN can’t: native, personal, unfiltered storytelling that lives in the audience’s world, not a broadcast schedule.
Athletes like Sharpe are no longer waiting to be given a seat at the table. They’re building their own.
And with platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Substack offering direct monetisation, they no longer need networks to reach millions. They are the networks.
This opens up massive potential for young athletes coming up now. The lesson? Don’t just sign endorsement deals. Build platforms. Own IP. Hire a producer, not just a publicist. Think beyond post-career punditry, think enterprise.
Sharpe’s next deal will likely formalise that strategy. He’ll have the funding, infrastructure, and creative freedom to develop shows around other athletes, comedians, creators, and maybe even the next Shannon Sharpe.
What’s happening here isn’t a trend. It’s a takeover.
Athletes are flipping the media model on its head, transforming from talent into media owners. They’re attracting nine-figure deals not because they’re good talkers, but because they’ve built loyal audiences, scalable content formats, and undeniable cultural influence.
Shannon Sharpe’s $100 million deal is a milestone. But more importantly, it’s a message.
The era of athlete-owned media is not slowing down!
Thank you for reading, David Skilling.
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