Sports Illustrated Ranks Top 10 Personalities In Sports Media, Puts Charles Barkley #1, Stephen A. Smith #2, & Omits Pat McAfee

It's list season in sports media! As I mentioned in a recent article, outlets are struggling to find sports content. As a former sports radio producer, July meant one thing: time to make some lists. Sports Illustrated decided to list its Top 10 most influential sports media personalities. They ranked Charles Barkley and Stephen A. Smith at the top. Pat McAfee is not on the list at all.

Here's their complete list:

Charles Barkley, Stephen A. Smith rightfully earn top billing in Sports Illustrated list but no Pat McAfee

I'm not going to argue about either Barkley or Smith at the top. Love them or hate them, everyone knows who they are. Just like Pat McAfee. But I'll get to him in a minute.

And, I do think Barkley belongs at #1 over Stephen A. Smith. He's one of the rare personalities with a corporate media job who speaks his mind. And, he crosses political lines.

Stephen A. Smith does some of that with his new podcast, but he plays the race card too frequently.

Putting the Barstool pair at #3 is an interesting choice, but not egregious. Their podcast is among the most-listened to in sports. And their unique style sets them apart from their counterparts.

I don't know that I consider Peyton Manning to be a full-fledged sports media personality. He does some Monday Night Football broadcasts, but aside from that he's not especially visible.

His company produces documentaries, which are great, but Peyton himself isn't that influential within the industry. He could be, one day, but right now that ranking is too high. I'd have him on the list, but lower.

Jeff Passan? Really?

Three of the next five are news-breakers. Schefter, Wojnarowski and Passan simply break news within their sport. That makes them influential. However, I'd argue that Schefter is the only one who truly belongs.

First, the NFL is king. Schefter carries a great deal of weight in the league. Wojnarowski is an NBA news-breaker, but there's debate about whether or not he's even the best one in the game. Shams Charania has an argument. Plus, he's more known and visible among the younger audiences.

Jeff Passan? That's ridiculous. I sometimes forget that he even exists. Top 10 most influential personality in sports media? Not a chance.

Jeff Passan in the guy on the right. We don't blame you if you didn't know what he looked like. (Photo by Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images)

No qualms about Kirk Herbstreit. He calls the biggest college football games, including the College Football Playoff, and now joined the NFL to do Thursday Night Football. He's a big name and when he talks, people listen.

Bill Simmons? Maybe 10 years ago. I honestly don't know what he does anymore. A podcast, sure. But when's the last time Bill Simmons did or said something that really got people talking? And, if showed up on TV with no graphics, would most people even know who he was? I vote no.

I actually don't hate the Tom Brady inclusion. Sure, he hasn't done much in the space yet, but he's already one of the most influential people in sports. Hell, even a simple rumor that he and Kim Kardashian flirted at a party set tabloids and sports talkers ablaze.

Pat McAfee not being included feels personal

But the exclusion of Pat McAfee is indefensible. There's a reason he's one of the highest-paid personalities in the entire business. His show is excellent, he constantly makes news, and he has connections throughout the NFL.

There must be some personal beef between McAfee and the writer of the article, Jimmy Traina. That's the only rational reason to not include McAfee.

Sports Illustrated omitting Pat McAfee in a list of most influential sports media personalities is a ridiculous error. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)

In fact, the only argument is where McAfee belongs relative to Charles Barkley and Stephen A. Smith. There's a reasonable discussion to be had that McAfee could be #1.

Organize them how you will, but those are the Top 3.

I think Skip Bayless belongs on this list, too. Again, you might hate him, but the fact is that his opinions matter. How do we know that? Because athletes respond to his criticisms. If he didn't matter, they would ignore him.

And, it's not a list of the "best" sports media personalities. It's a list of the most "influential."

That's an important distinction.

Perhaps Sports Illustrated just wanted to drum up some content on a weekday in July. And, it worked. I'm writing about it.

But there are a lot of issues with this list.

Though, none is bigger than the McAfee exclusion.