Graham Bensinger Reveals What Jon Hamm, Jack Nicklaus And Other Successful TV Guests Possess

You could say Graham Bensinger has one of the best gigs out there. The 36-year-old celebrity interviewer has sat down with a Who’s Who of the world’s top athletes and sports legends, ranging from Olympians to NFL and NBA champions; from the most popular and beloved athletes to ones sometimes reviled by pundits and the public at large.

Despite the journalist pedigree gained from his years with ESPN and NBC Sports, and at Syracuse University, the St. Louis native says that his career interviewing the top names in sports really started when he was just thinking about college and careers.

“Joe Buck, like me, also grew up in St. Louis and has always been great to me. I first got to interview him in high school for my radio show,” Bensinger said in a Zoom interview on September 20.

Bensinger adds that in his “first big interview,” the famous NFL broadcaster was easy to talk to and willing to discuss not only broadcasting but also his own love for sports. Thereafter, the young Bensinger decided he wanted to do more interviews because he was fascinated with athletes as people.

“After that, I sent out letters to a bunch of baseball players, both in the game and retired. I heard back from Ernie Banks and Bob Feller, both Hall of Famers, as well as Tim McCarver and Will Clark,” Bensinger said. “When it first started, I was in grade school. This was nearly 30 years ago, so there was no cell phone, and they called my parents’ house.”

By age 19, Bensinger secured an exclusive November 2005 interview with football star Terrell Owens, who Bensinger points out was at the time the premier wide receiver in the NFL. It was Owens’ comments in that interview that eventually led to a suspension from his team, the Philadelphia Eagles. Bensinger also booked a rare set of interviews with O.J. Simpson in February 2004 and July 2005.

Bensinger went on to leave Syracuse and do stints with major networks. But the entrepreneurial mindset he had in grade school stayed with him and eventually led to launching his own show In Depth With Graham Bensinger, in 2009. The show later became globally syndicated and won Bensinger an Emmy for his sit-down with Mike Tyson.

Over the last decade-plus, Bensinger has interviewed highly sought-after personalities such as Richard Branson, Bob Costas, and Dick Vitale as well as sports legends Tony Hawk, Richard Petty, Mario Andretti, Danica Patrick, Steph Curry, and Billie Jean King.

Now in its 13th season, In Depth continues to deliver exclusive, long-form interviews and unprecedented access to many of the biggest names in sports, Hollywood, and business. In one of his latest interviews, Bensinger sat down with rising golf superstar Will Zalatoris.

Last week, I spoke with Bensinger via Zoom to get a closer look at his long career as an interviewer of elite sportspeople.

Andy Frye: First thing out of the gate, you’re from St. Louis, and so is Jon Hamm. What was it like to meet him? And did he talk about Cardinals baseball?

Graham Bensinger: To help with the booking, Joe Buck teed up a breakfast meeting for me with Jon. I flew to New York to talk about the possibility of doing a taping. And fast forward to the next year, and we ended up getting it.

Jon is an interesting guy, who’s been through a lot. Certainly a big sports fan; massive Cardinals and Blues fan. But here’s somebody who has achieved the heights of acting despite the untimely deaths of both of his parents, severe depression, and other issues he’s grappled with over the years.

AF: On camera, it’s clear you’re down to earth, conversational and relatable. Talk about that aspect of your show and how it sets the tone.

Bensinger: That’s kind of you to say. I wish I was more conversational and less awkward at times. I think the one benefit we have is we put a hundred hours or so into each episode preceding the sit-down. If you do that, it separates you from 99% of other people interviewing these folks. So, even if the guest doesn’t know who you are or has not seen the other interviews you’ve done, there is a level of engagement and respect that is developed early on. And that makes conversations, for me, better than it otherwise would be.

AF: You’ve interviewed a lot of elite athletes like the late Kobe Bryant, Shaq, Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus, and so many others.

What things—besides immense success—do you find they have in common when you have your conversations?

Bensinger: I’d say it’s less specific to athletes and more specific to über-successful folks. But there is an unrelenting work ethic that all of them have. It’s a constant among those—whatever it is that they do—for those at the top of their field.

There’s also a difference they have, which is this immense level of self-belief and confidence that might defy all common sense and objectivity. But it’s clear that at stages of their lies when people might have doubted them, or told them they can’t or should try something else, it’s that inner confidence that got them through it and ultimately propelled them to do great things.

It’s something that is continually emphasized in the conversations.

AF: On “In Depth With Graham Bensinger” you have interviewed people with troubled pasts such as Mike Tyson and O.J. Simpson. Is the approach any different?

Bensinger: To me, it doesn’t matter who we are interviewing, because it is the same overall process. With everyone out there, there is at least some sensitive subject matter that can be covered. As part of a broader profile interview (that) is key to telling the story.

I will spend a lot of time, with a sensitive topic, about how you lead into that. Especially on-camera, there is a heightened consciousness of facial expressions, tonality, etc. More often than not, I find that people are willing to cover tough subjects if they are approached in a non-threatening way.

AF: You have also interviewed top women in sports such as Lindsey Vonn, Annika Sörenstam, and others.

What’s it like to talk with women who have conquered their sport and who are going on, into business and other pursuits, conquering the world?

Bensinger: We had totally unique experiences with women we’ve interviewed, namely those two. With Annika, we tagged along with her as she was getting the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which happened to be the very day after the January 6, 2021 insurrection, so we were with her at the White House with all that was going on. I give her a lot of credit for allowing us to still come and be part of this because it would have been so easy to cancel and pull the plug. We also spent time at her place in Orlando.

Lindsey’s episode is kind of interesting in that we talked to her at the height of Covid in July of 2020. She’d just bought a place in Utah after moving from Vail. She was transitioning from the only career she’d ever known, and one that is very much a solo endeavor, to a media business that she is developing that is way more collaborative as a process.

Without question, the work ethic of any of these individuals carries over (from sports) to the business world. They enjoy working and want to have success in another field. That’s inspiring too.