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Chris Christie fills in as a co-host on WFAN.
Chris Christie's reign as the governor of New Jersey is expected to end a little over one year from now, and speculation has already started on what he will do next.
One scenario being presented by Steve Politi of NJ.com has Christie replacing the No. 1 name in sports radio, Mike Francesa, at WFAN in New York. While this is just speculation at this point, strangely enough, the move makes a lot of sense.
We already know that Christie is a huge sports fan, even spending time with Jerry Jones rooting for the Dallas Cowboys, much to the chagrin of many New York Giants fans in New Jersey. But the speculation goes beyond that.
Consider the following case presented by Politi:
- Mike Francesa, formerly one half of the long-running and uberpopular "Mike and the Mad Dog" show, has said that he will leave WFAN at the end of 2017 when his current contract expires. Francesa says this is not a negotiating ploy and does plan to leave. Christie's term as governor ends three weeks later.
- Christie is already a regular on WFAN, both as a caller and an occasional substitute host on "The Boomer and Carton Show," that airs in the morning. In fact, Christie was co-hosting on Monday when he discussed the Trump Tape, calling it "completely indefensible."
- Politi calls Christie "confrontational enough" and a "big enough name" to be a sports radio talking head and to replace the so-called "Sports Pope."
- That WFAN is willing to let, and even encourage, political talk when Christie is on air suggests that there is some demand for a show that can do both.
- Politi argues that Christie's ego "is too big to settle behind the scenes" and take a private sector job, something his wife would like him to do. Politi writes: "He loves the attention that comes from being a public figure."
Yes Network Mike Francesa (right) interviewing Alex Rodriguez in 2013.
It is an intriguing possibility. Once you get past the difficulty of picturing Christie as the No. 1 sports radio voice in New York City, Politi does make a strong case.
Of course, a lot came happen in the next 14 months. Maybe Christie can reverse his historically low approval rating and decide to make another run for public office or join a national news network as a political analyst.
Or maybe Christie can spend more time auditioning for a full-time gig as a sports radio host.
If anything, Christie does seem to have the sports-radio schtick down already, recently calling a New York Jets beat writer "a dope," a term used often by Francesa.
Chris Christie's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.