Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg’s 18-year run as ESPN’s national radio morning show hosts is coming to an end. Regardless of how you feel about ‘Mike & Mike’, at some point, you have to appreciate its longevity. Shows like this don’t typically last 18 years, and as we’re seeing with the plethora of unfortunate layoffs in the sports media business, every job is precious, let alone one you’ve held for this long. That’s remarkable.
Mike Golic is moving on to host a new morning show with ESPN mainstay, Trey Wingo. Mike Greenberg is getting his own morning show on ESPN as well, with Michelle Beadle and Jalen Rose.
The story behind Golic and Greenberg’s split is different depending on who you talk to. Golic reiterated his main point in an interview in The New York Post where he said, despite the rumors, that “the bottom line is we still need to put on a good show no matter how either one of us felt about it at the time or the decision that was made… and Greeny and I are fine.”
Golic is reluctant to draw any attention to whatever beef he and Greenberg may have had at the time, because why should he? It appears as though everything is ok now, and with both hosts starting new projects soon, it does seem counterproductive to bring up any unnecessary drama. They’ve clearly moved on.
What is interesting, and somewhat contradictory, is Golic’s admission that he almost retired when the ‘Mike & Mike’ drama was at its worst.
“Until I found out it was Trey and Mike, [I thought] maybe at the end of the deal, I just move on, head out to Arizona and retire,” Golic told the Post. “But they presented me the thought of Trey doing it and then my son, and … I still love doing it, I still love talking sports. So like I said, I changed teams a few times in the NFL, so it’s the same game I’m playing, just with different teammates.”
You can probably question why Golic would consider retirement if his relationship with Greenberg was fine, but it could also suggest an extreme level of dissatisfaction with how ESPN handled the entire thing. This wouldn’t be the first time ESPN handled an uncomfortable situation poorly. They’ve got a bit of a track record there, but Golic mulling retirement is a testament to how uncomfortable those few weeks were, and how much they’ve improved since.
