Ryan McGee appeared as a guest speaker at this week’s Little Rock Touchdown Club meeting Monday at the DoubleTree in downtown Little Rock. McGee, currently a senior writer for ESPN.com, co-hosts a show on the SEC Network with Marty Smith called “Marty and McGee.”
With a comedic performance, McGee brought laughter to an Arkansas fan base that watched the Razorbacks get throttled by the Auburn Tigers 48-10 Saturday afternoon in Fayetteville.
McGee discussed the Razorbacks’ situation and what the future might hold for coach Sam Pittman. McGee, true to form, provided a brutally honest answer to the question.
“I think everyone knows where it’s going and I think Sam knows where it’s going,” McGee said. “I want him to get the outing he deserves. I think everyone who supports (Arkansas) needs to appreciate what he’s done.”
After a few minutes of chatting with Razorback, the conversation moved to lighter topics, including his journey as a sports journalist and what it means to co-host such a unique Southern college football show.
Like McGee, Smith is also known for entertaining fans with his unique southern style and energetic attitude that makes people laugh. McGee discussed his relationship with Smith.
“All I ask of another human being is to be yourself and be authentic,” McGee said. “(Smith) is the genuine article. We’re friends. We’ve been friends for 20 years. We just can’t believe they’re paying us to do this.”
McGee, a native of Rockingham, North Carolina, has deep ties to the sport of NASCAR. He has written several books on NASCAR as well as other sports which have sold well.
One of these books is called “Sidelines and Bloodlines: A Father, His Sons, and Our Life in College Football” and is based in part on McGee’s father, Dr. Jerry McGee, who served as a college football referee for decades while raising her sons.
“Well, you learn to swear when your dad is a referee,” McGee said. “Because when you’re sitting in the stands, that’s what everyone does the whole game. But it gave me a window into the world that I love so much. I love college football so much. “
He also co-wrote Dale Earnhardt’s book “Racing to the Finish: My Story,” which became a New York Times bestseller.
“Growing up in the Carolinas, there’s no way you couldn’t be a NASCAR fan,” McGee said. “When I went to ESPN in the mid-’90s, the number of people at the world’s leading sports company who looked like me was one. No one else had a southern accent.”
His knowledge of NASCAR helped him rise through the ranks at ESPN in the ’90s, when the sport was quickly gaining popularity. McGee would eventually become a senior writer at ESPN, a position he still holds to this day.
McGee became motivated to pursue sports journalism as a child by attending football games that his father officiated. He saw members of the media on the sidelines and imagined that one day he would be one of those members of the media.
“When I was 12, my goal was to figure out how to get paid to go to football games,” McGee said while reflecting on his journey. “Don’t tell anyone, but they send checks home and I can go to football games.”
