ESPN Cleaning House

[BunnyHardaway]

Re: ESPN Cleaning House

I don't know how any of y'all can stomach LeBatard. He's probably my least favorite sports personality ever, even more than SAS. Once in a blue moon I'll turn on his radio show in my car and I can't listen for more than a minute. His voice, his takes, the format of his show.... ugh it is so terrible.

For me personally, it's the antithesis of everything I hate about modern sports coverage. And they don't shove NFL content down people's throats every day.

[Bigg Cee]

Re: ESPN Cleaning House

Here is a complete list of people who got laid off by ESPN

College Football Analyst Charles Arbuckle
NFL Contributor Jarrett Bell
Big Ten Reporter Brian Bennett
ESPN 710 Host Jeff Biggs
MLB Analyst Jim Bowden
MLB Analysts Dallas Braden
College Basketball Writer Eamonn Brennan
College Basketball Reporter C.L. Brown
NHL Columnist Scott Burnside
Columnist Jim Caple
Premier Boxing Champions Host Marysol Castro
SEC Football Reporter David Ching
Legal Analyst Roger Cossack
College Football Recruiting Reporter Jeremy Crabtree
SportsCenter Anchor Jay Crawford
“Outside the Lines” Reporter Steve Delsohn
NFL Analyst Trent Dilfer
College Basketball Analyst Len Elmore
Enterprise Reporter Tom Farrey
ESPNU Anchor Brendan Fitzgerald
NFL Analyst Ashley Fox
MLB Analyst Doug Glanville
Soccer Writer Mike Goodman
SportsCenter Anchor Chris Hassel
Soccer Writer David Hirshey
Columnist Johnette Howard
SportsCenter Anchor Darren Haynes
MLB Analyst Raul Ibanez
ESPNW and ESPN Chicago Columnist Melissa Isaacson
College Sports Reporter Chantel Jennings
Radio Host Danny Kanell
College Basketball Reporter Andy Katz
NFL Reporter Paul Kuharsky
NHL Columnist Pierre LeBrun
College Football Reporter David Lombardi
Radio Host Robin Lundberg
SportsCenter Anchor Jade McCarthy
Hockey Writer Joe McDonald
Soccer Writer Doug McIntyre
ESPNW Reporter Jane McManus
College Football Reporter Brett McMurphy
Reporter Britt McHenry
Pac 12 Reporter Ted Miller
Big 12 Reporter Max Olson
College Basketball Reporter Dana O’Neil
SEC Reporter Greg Ostendorf
Dodgers Reporter Doug Padilla
ESPNU Producer Josh Parcell
Predictive Analytics Expert Rufus Peabody
Golf Commentator Dottie Pepper
Auto Racing and College Football Commentator Jerry Punch
Baseball Reporter Mark Saxon
SportsCenter Anchor Jaymee Sire
MLB Writer Jayson Stark
NBA Reporter Ethan Sherwood Strauss
ESPN Dallas Columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor
Big Ten Football Reporter Jesse Temple
Sports Gambling Writer Dave Tuley
SEC Recruiting Analyst Derek Tyson
New Orleans Pelicans Reporter Justin Verrier
Big Ten Football Reporter Austin Ward
Correspondent Reese Waters
Houston Rockets Reporter Calvin Watkins
NFL Reporter Ed Werder

[dubcity]

Re: ESPN Cleaning House

Odd mix of longtime employees and people they hired in the past 4-10 years (or so) when they expanded across the board.

Firing the more veteran employees is nothing new, as they've proven over and over again that they would rather pay younger talent pennies than pay the most talented people what they deserve. Goes back to ego, and thinking that the ESPN brand can elevate and make anyone into a huge star.

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: ESPN Cleaning House

Is Adrian Wojnarowski still headed there?

[dickey1331]

Re: ESPN Cleaning House

Starting May 1 ESPN 2 is going to start airing MLB Networks show Intentional Talk.

http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2017/04/espn-adds-mlb-networks-intentional-talk-afternoon-lineup-new-content-collaboration/

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[ehh]

Re: ESPN Cleaning House

For me personally, it's the antithesis of everything I hate about modern sports coverage. And they don't shove NFL content down people's throats every day.

There's a vibe to the show that doesn't jive with me but it's hard to explain. It's a mocking yet smug vibe I suppose.

[SPTO]

Re: ESPN Cleaning House

Not surprised about Jim Caple he's strictly a writer but his content was always very good.

I'm a little shocked at them letting Dallas Braden go. I thought he was doing pretty good in his job but I guess they had to do it since they pretty much replaced him in a lot of ways with Mark Texeira. I wouldn't be surprised if Tex ends up in the booth in a year or two.

Starting May 1 ESPN 2 is going to start airing MLB Networks show Intentional Talk.

http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2017/04/espn-adds-mlb-networks-intentional-talk-afternoon-lineup-new-content-collaboration/

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That's......odd.

[JayhawkerStL]

Re: ESPN Cleaning House

Used to listen to Lebatard's Saturday radio show, long before Highly Questionable was a thing, and I freaking loved him. Highly Questionable mostly annoys me.

I like his sense of humor, but with too many people, he just always shoots for the bizarre. I'd love to hear him alone again.

[Blzer]

Re: ESPN Cleaning House

Glanville gone!

I wish no ill-will on anybody... I just couldn't stand him is all.

[l3ulvl]

Re: ESPN Cleaning House

LOL and I'm a Lebatard fan.



He's either vanilla or shallow as hell like someone else said or sounds like a brainwashed football player (obvious reason why). Never felt he really brought anything to the show.

I actually liked Kanell haha, he had a running troll theme going on, and a retired jock who still thinks he's a jock running joke too, and he'd get under Russillo's skin which brings out the best in him haha

I just about die when Russillo gets mad about something and starts yelling, and then you can tell he realizes it and starts to do the sheepish laughter thing to make it sound like he's just playing

Weirdly, the thing I didn't like about Kanell was him bragging about being a maniac driver

[jorge380]

Re: ESPN Cleaning House

First Take used to be a good show. Why even have a debate show when the two guys debating are not even in the studio. SAS looks upset whenever he has to be in the actual studio working. That 6 pm Sportscenter is straight trash.

[dsallupinyaarea]

Re: ESPN Cleaning House

Here is a complete list of people who got laid off by ESPN

College Football Analyst Charles Arbuckle
NFL Contributor Jarrett Bell
Big Ten Reporter Brian Bennett
ESPN 710 Host Jeff Biggs
MLB Analyst Jim Bowden
MLB Analysts Dallas Braden
College Basketball Writer Eamonn Brennan
College Basketball Reporter C.L. Brown
NHL Columnist Scott Burnside
Columnist Jim Caple
Premier Boxing Champions Host Marysol Castro
SEC Football Reporter David Ching
Legal Analyst Roger Cossack
College Football Recruiting Reporter Jeremy Crabtree
SportsCenter Anchor Jay Crawford
“Outside the Lines” Reporter Steve Delsohn
NFL Analyst Trent Dilfer
College Basketball Analyst Len Elmore
Enterprise Reporter Tom Farrey
ESPNU Anchor Brendan Fitzgerald
NFL Analyst Ashley Fox
MLB Analyst Doug Glanville
Soccer Writer Mike Goodman
SportsCenter Anchor Chris Hassel
Soccer Writer David Hirshey
Columnist Johnette Howard
SportsCenter Anchor Darren Haynes
MLB Analyst Raul Ibanez
ESPNW and ESPN Chicago Columnist Melissa Isaacson
College Sports Reporter Chantel Jennings
Radio Host Danny Kanell
College Basketball Reporter Andy Katz
NFL Reporter Paul Kuharsky
NHL Columnist Pierre LeBrun
College Football Reporter David Lombardi
Radio Host Robin Lundberg
SportsCenter Anchor Jade McCarthy
Hockey Writer Joe McDonald
Soccer Writer Doug McIntyre
ESPNW Reporter Jane McManus
College Football Reporter Brett McMurphy
Reporter Britt McHenry
Pac 12 Reporter Ted Miller
Big 12 Reporter Max Olson
College Basketball Reporter Dana O’Neil
SEC Reporter Greg Ostendorf
Dodgers Reporter Doug Padilla
ESPNU Producer Josh Parcell
Predictive Analytics Expert Rufus Peabody
Golf Commentator Dottie Pepper
Auto Racing and College Football Commentator Jerry Punch
Baseball Reporter Mark Saxon
SportsCenter Anchor Jaymee Sire
MLB Writer Jayson Stark
NBA Reporter Ethan Sherwood Strauss
ESPN Dallas Columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor
Big Ten Football Reporter Jesse Temple
Sports Gambling Writer Dave Tuley
SEC Recruiting Analyst Derek Tyson
New Orleans Pelicans Reporter Justin Verrier
Big Ten Football Reporter Austin Ward
Correspondent Reese Waters
Houston Rockets Reporter Calvin Watkins
NFL Reporter Ed Werder

I'm starting to think the people celebrating and claiming this is about hot takes or politics haven't actually looked at the list of people let go. There are no "hot take" artists here. Hell, there isn't even a lot of TV talent. I see one Sportscenter anchor.

What is on this list? Beat reporters, national CFB guys, the entire NHL, several prominent ESPNW people, writers in general.

What this is about? Exploding TV rights fees and the difficulty of monetizing content in the internet era and cord cutting.

FOX pays the NFL 1.1B for TV rights. For that, they get a 1pm game, a 4pm game every Sunday and most Sundays the 4pm game is national, 2 out of the next 4 SBs and, I believe, a Pro Bowl here and there.

ESPN pays the NFL 1.9b for TV rights. They get 1 terrible MNF game a week and some highlight packages in the age where highlights don't draw viewers.

Last year ESPNs NBA package went from 400 million to 1.4 billion. TRIPLING expenses.

I read somewhere that a huge publication like the NYT gets $10 per 1,000 unique hits on a story (paraphrasing numbers). So you could spend however much on salary plus 5k in expenses flying a reporter around chasing this amazing story to only get back a grand in advertising revenue and that's if it EXPLODES. Studies show that people just aren't willing to pay subscription fees so you're kinda just stuck.

Unless Stephen A literally makes you cancel your cable package, he's not really impacting cord cutting. ESPN gets $6 for every cable bill paid in this country. That is a baseline for revenue and it's received whether anyone watches or not. Sports fans don't cancel cable packages. Cord cutting is about your aunt that can get her news on her ipad and just has Netflix now or your girlfriend that has satellite TV and HBOGo. ESPN is no longer getting THEIR $6. Our $6 is still rolling in.

All of this is clearly shown by who was let go. Stephen A is still around, LeBatard is still around, Bo isn't going anywhere. This was a blow to all the "gritty" journalism folks claim will save the day.

This is about share price and putting on a dog and pony show for investors so people don't think John Skipper is just sitting on his hands. This will have little to no impact on where ESPN is headed. Any analysis that doesn't start with those points is just an agenda.

[mgoblue]

Re: ESPN Cleaning House

I can't stand SC6 with Jemele and Michael...

[DamnYanks2]

Re: ESPN Cleaning House

ESPN turned me off with their political, tmz oriented show. I don't give a damn about that stuff, when it comes to sports.

I'm not trying to watch Fox news or CNN, I just want highlights, and thoughtful analysis. And for the most part they fail.

First Take is kind of entertaining. But, Jalen and Jacoby, PTI, The 6, Dan Lebetard, and his dad are all garbage imo.

To me the only thing ESPN has going for it is Sportscenter, the college basketball guys, and the college football team.

Can't stand their NBA team, NFL team, MLB team.... Well you get it.

Basically if you want to learn about sports with substance, don't watch ESPN.

I have no idea how they do the 30 for 30's so well, but that's literally their best work.

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[Jr.]

Re: ESPN Cleaning House

Here is a complete list of people who got laid off by ESPN

MLB Analyst Jim Bowden
MLB Analysts Dallas Braden
Legal Analyst Roger Cossack
SportsCenter Anchor Jay Crawford
NFL Analyst Trent Dilfer
College Basketball Analyst Len Elmore
ESPNU Anchor Brendan Fitzgerald
MLB Analyst Doug Glanville
SportsCenter Anchor Chris Hassel
SportsCenter Anchor Darren Haynes
MLB Analyst Raul Ibanez
Radio Host Danny Kanell
College Basketball Reporter Andy Katz
SportsCenter Anchor Jade McCarthy
Reporter Britt McHenry
Golf Commentator Dottie Pepper
Auto Racing and College Football Commentator Jerry Punch
SportsCenter Anchor Jaymee Sire
MLB Writer Jayson Stark
Correspondent Reese Waters
NFL Reporter Ed Werder

I'm starting to think the people celebrating and claiming this is about hot takes or politics haven't actually looked at the list of people let go. There are no "hot take" artists here. Hell, there isn't even a lot of TV talent. I see one Sportscenter anchor.

Those are all primarily TV personalities from what I can tell. Some of the names I deleted are more of radio personalities, or have limited TV appearances. I agree that the "hot takes" people aren't really on this list, so I'm not sure where all of that sentiment is coming from either. But there is plenty of TV talent that was let go.