On Thursday, the network will debut "Big Day with Peter Schrager." The program will air weekdays at 2 p.m., as OutKick first reported in July.Schrager joins a short list of individuals with ESPN television shows in 2026 built specifically around their personality.Pat McAfee, Stephen A.
Smith, Mike Greenberg and Scott Van Pelt are the others.That group should tell you all you need to know about how the network views Schrager.Peter Schrager of ESPN looks on before an NFL game between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Sept.
29, 2025.(Logan Bowles/Getty Images)HERE IS HOW PAT MCAFEE HAS SURPASSED STEPHEN A SMITH AS THE FACE OF ESPN | BOBBY BURACKSchrager will also be the first personality under Burke Magnus’ regime to receive a push toward potential stardom.
Remember, ESPN did not make McAfee a star.He was already a star before signing with the network.
In fact, ESPN licensed McAfee’s show to a then-record-setting deal because it had so mightily struggled to create new stars in-house.McAfee had leverage because none of the personalities ESPN previously tried to establish had any.That list includes Bomani Jones, Sarah Spain, Katie Nolan, Monica McNutt, Jemele Hill, Michael Smith and Mina Kimes.Schrager represents a change of pace from that group.
He fits ESPN’s preferred direction of leaning into the positivity and excitement surrounding sports, rather than the negative and polarizing coverage that had become standard.Last month, ESPN executive Mike Foss emphasized during a town hall the company’s desire to move away from "hot takes."Schrager also provides more expertise than other personalities ESPN hoped to brand around.He has a background in NFL reporting.
He is more knowledgeable than those who cover the league primarily through the lens of the culture war.On the surface, Schrager’s prospects are promising.But concerns remain.
One involves the executive who hired and elevated him.Burke Magnus, ESPN P...