So Paul Finebaum might run for the U.S. Senate. Let that sink in.
The same Paul Finebaum who, just a few weeks ago, was calling Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer "clueless" and the team "soft." Then, after a single win against Georgia, he pivots on a dime and calls DeBoer "phenomenal." Todd McShay gets on his podcast and calls Finebaum an "all-time coward" for it, and honestly, can you blame him?
This isn't just some random sports beef. This is the entire resume. This is the whole pitch.
The ability to feel the direction of the wind and immediately declare it's the only direction the wind has ever blown. That’s not a bug in the system for a future politician; it's the main feature. It’s what they sell you at the dealership.
So, We're Pretending This Is About Public Service?
The "Compelling" Push
Finebaum says he was encouraged to run by a "compelling and compassionate" but—get this—unnamed political operative.
Let me translate that for you. "Compelling and compassionate" is PR-speak for "a guy with a polling spreadsheet who showed me a path to victory." It means someone whispered the magic words in his ear: you can win. It has nothing to do with compassion for the people of Alabama and everything to do with a 70-year-old media personality staring down the barrel of irrelevance and looking for his next act.
He says he needs to decide in the next 30 to 45 days. Why the rush? A January filing deadline. It’s all logistics. All mechanics. No mention of a grand vision for the state, no burning policy issue he needs to solve. Just a deadline on a form. It’s like deciding whether to renew your driver’s license, not run a state.
And then there's the real kicker. He says if Donald Trump asked him to run, he'd "tell him yes."
There it is. That's the ballgame. It’s not about conviction. It’s not about public service. It’s about getting the nod from the head of the tribe. It’s a public audition for a role he thinks he was born to play: professional opinion-haver, but with better office furniture. This ain't about serving the public; it's about serving an audience of one.
He was even hesitant to jump in because former Auburn coach Bruce Pearl was sniffing around the seat. He waited until the coast was clear. This is a bad look. No, "bad" doesn't cover it—this is a five-alarm dumpster fire of political calculation. A true believer, someone actually driven by a cause, doesn't check to see who else is in the race. They just run. But Paul’s not a believer. He’s a broadcaster. He checks the ratings.
The Perfect Training Ground for Our Political Circus
The Theater of Outrage
I've been watching this media-to-politics pipeline for years, and it's exhausting. It’s like every person with a microphone and an established brand of yelling suddenly thinks they’re qualified to write legislation. I spend half my day trying to get my damn Wi-Fi to stay connected, and these guys are failing upwards into positions of actual power. It’s infuriating.
The thing is, The Paul Finebaum Show was the perfect training ground for modern politics. For years, he hasn't been a journalist so much as a ringmaster for a circus of collegiate tribalism. He perfected the art of monetizing grievance. Remember Harvey Updyke? The guy who called into the paul finebaum show to confess, live on air, to poisoning the historic oak trees at Auburn's Toomer's Corner?
That moment wasn't an accident. It was the logical conclusion of the environment Finebaum cultivated. An environment where your team identity is your entire identity, and the other side isn't just a rival; they're the enemy. He didn't just report on the culture war of `alabama football` vs. the world; he threw gasoline on it and sold tickets to the bonfire.
Now he wants to take that show to Washington.
He follows in the footsteps of Tommy Tuberville, the very man whose seat he wants. A football coach who leveraged his celebrity into a Senate seat. Before him, Tom Osborne in Nebraska. It’s a proven playbook: be famous for something unrelated to governance, say the right things to the right people, and ride the wave of pure name recognition. Competence is optional. Policy knowledge is a burden. You just have to be a guy they feel like they know.
And people in Alabama know Paul Finebaum. He’s been the voice in their ear on the drive home for decades, the face on their TV every Saturday. He moved back to Birmingham from Charlotte. He’s one of them again. He’s a registered Republican who voted for Trump but calls himself "fairly middle-of-the-road." Another perfect political straddle. He’s whatever you need him to be, as long as you’re calling into the show, or, in this case, the voting booth.
He says the death of Charlie Kirk influenced his decision, and maybe it did, but it all feels so... convenient. Everything about this rollout feels focus-grouped and pre-packaged. The reluctant hero, called to serve by a mysterious, compassionate force, willing to answer the call from the top. It’s a story, not a platform.
But are we really supposed to believe this is some noble calling? A man who changes his opinion on a coach based on one game's score is now going to have the nuanced, steady hand required for geopolitics and federal budgets? The man whose entire brand is reacting, loudly and immediately, is supposed to now play the long game of legislation? It’s a joke.
Then again, maybe I'm the crazy one here. This is definitly what the electorate seems to want. Not a statesman, but a personality. Not a legislator, but a performer. In that sense, he’s the most qualified man for the job. He’s been performing his whole life. This is just a bigger stage.
The whole thing is just so transparent, and maybe that’s the point. The grift is right there in the open now, and nobody even cares enough to be insulted by it anymore. They just cheer for their guy, whether he's on the field, on the screen, or on the Senate floor. It's all the same to them. And Paul knows it. He's counting on it.
It's All Just Content Now
This isn't a career change. It's a brand extension. Politics is no longer about governance; it's the ultimate content farm, and Paul Finebaum has been farming this exact kind of content for 40 years. He's not running for Senate to pass laws. He's running because it's the biggest show of them all, and he can't stand the thought of someone else being the host.
Reference article source：
- Paul Finebaum considering departure from ESPN to run for U.S. Senate seat in Alabama
- 'China Ain't Played Bama, Pawl!': Paul Finebaum considering Alabama Senate run in 2026
- Todd McShay calls Paul Finebaum an 'all-time coward'
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