ESPN Is Pathetic

kenneycb

kenneycb

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This feels like step 2 in spinning them out from Disney. Step 1 was breaking them out in the financials. Now they’re seeing what they can do as a stand-alone without the other Disney channels supporting it (and vice versa) as with the cable bundle.
 
bankshot1

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I liked Jeff Van Gundy and his contrarian/don't give a serious fuck ways. And he generally knew what he was talking about. I hope he hooks up with TNT. Maybe do a family reunion gig with his bro.

Or get a chair and chat with Ernie, Chuck Kenny and Shaq. I could see him having fun with that crew and being good at it.

Reggie and Doris and Breen?

Thats not good.
 
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The Social Chair

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Not mad at all. JVG's contempt for the game was unprofessional. The NFL would never let Aikman or Romo get away with bashing or ignoring the product.


ESPN could save a lot of money by firing Woj. He's a complete dud on camera and I'd like to understand how his tweets create any value for ESPN.
 
Cellar-Door

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Rose and JVG... clearing out the 2nd tier of pretty good analysts who make money to save the tier of people who are awful (SAS, Jackson, Perk)... yuck
 
joe dokes

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ManicCompression said:
If this were true, ESPN's ratings wouldn't be cratering and they wouldn't have multiple rounds of layoffs. There's no shortage of awful in their current programming and still no one watches it.
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Fair point. I should have just gone with my usual myopic view --- improving the product is too hard and might cost money. Cutting expenses is a much easier way to goose stock prices, which is how a lot of the higher ups are paid anyway.
 
Van Everyman

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Cellar-Door said:
Rose and JVG... clearing out the 2nd tier of pretty good analysts who make money to save the tier of people who are awful (SAS, Jackson, Perk)... yuck
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NortheasternPJ said:
So Stephen A Smith will now be working 20 hours a day?
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I got criticized for this before, but I legitimately think the brass at ESPN has no idea what they’re doing. SAS is a terrible and polarizing figure to build your brand around. John Skipper may have been a weirdo and a drug addict but he at least seemed to have an idea about what ESPN brought to the table in terms of value. This recent bloodletting is like some Zaslav-level out of touch-ness.
 
Pablo's TB Lover

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Cellar-Door said:
Rose and JVG... clearing out the 2nd tier of pretty good analysts who make money to save the tier of people who are awful (SAS, Jackson, Perk)... yuck
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It's like the 24-hour cable news networks, who took their cue from talk radio. You can't have Jalen Rose putting together solid takes to retain the viewer only for the duration of his show, when Perk can say some outlandish shit that feeds SAS's content, NBA pregame content, SportsCenter's content, ESPN Radio content, etc etc. Every decision now is bluster over substance.
 
Van Everyman

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Pablo's TB Lover said:
It's like the 24-hour cable news networks, who took their cue from talk radio. You can't have Jalen Rose putting together solid takes to retain the viewer only for the duration of his show, when Perk can say some outlandish shit that feeds SAS's content, NBA pregame content, SportsCenter's content, ESPN Radio content, etc etc. Every decision now is bluster over substance.
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It’s just more doubling down on hot takes, which they started to do when they gave the keys to. SAS. I will say it again: I don’t think it is remotely sustainable, but given how badly some of their long term trends look, I suspect they are focusing more on engagement.
 
Vinho Tinto

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Van Everyman said:
I got criticized for this before, but I legitimately think the brass at ESPN has no idea what they’re doing. SAS is a terrible and polarizing figure to build your brand around.
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I was an undergrad in the 90s. A few of my buddies were on the hockey team and would never shut up on how little attention ESPN paid the NHL. Nearly 30 years later, ESPN brings the NHL back for a reported 7-year/$2.8 billion dollar deal. The network proceeds to ignore it as a product again. The only time Stephen A mentions it is to remind his viewers the only thing he knows about hockey is the puck is black.

They do not know what they are doing.
 
Mystic Merlin

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I wonder what kind of notes their regular NFL analysts (Kimes, Spears, Orlovsky) - the only other real gravitational nexus point in their content outside of SAS - are getting. ‘Turn it up, don’t be afraid to mix it up even more!!’
 
Pablo's TB Lover

Pablo's TB Lover

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Vinho Tinto said:
I wonder if Simmons makes an offer.
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Not sure the financials of The Ringer as a standalone entity within Spotify, but I'm sure BS will inquire. I tend to think he would be more of a "project/docuseries" guy Bill would bring in a la Jackie MacMullen, he may not be as strong a day-to-day podcaster with the intricacies of the game at this point. Bill and Jalen's former ESPN work together was more based in basketball's intersection with pop culture.

RedOctober3829 said:
Ashley Brewer is out per Marchand. She was a frequent SportsCenter anchor.
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Good luck getting an interview from Frank Kominsky now.
 
ManicCompression

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Pablo's TB Lover said:
It's like the 24-hour cable news networks, who took their cue from talk radio. You can't have Jalen Rose putting together solid takes to retain the viewer only for the duration of his show, when Perk can say some outlandish shit that feeds SAS's content, NBA pregame content, SportsCenter's content, ESPN Radio content, etc etc. Every decision now is bluster over substance.
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Hard not to notice that 24 hour cable news networks and talk radio are also sinking ships by chasing this trend.
 
Mystic Merlin

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Pablo's TB Lover said:
Not sure the financials of The Ringer as a standalone entity within Spotify, but I'm sure BS will inquire. I tend to think he would be more of a "project/docuseries" guy Bill would bring in a la Jackie MacMullen, he may not be as strong a day-to-day podcaster with the intricacies of the game at this point. Bill and Jalen's former ESPN work together was more based in basketball's intersection with pop culture.


Good luck getting an interview from Frank Kominsky now.
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They are seemingly getting married next week. What timing.
 
Ale Xander

Ale Xander

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My belief is Fox Sports will hire Brewer by the end of the weekend, particularly that she’s in LA now.
 
Van Everyman

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Mystic Merlin said:
I wonder what kind of notes their regular NFL analysts (Kimes, Spears, Orlovsky) - the only other real gravitational nexus point in their content outside of SAS - are getting. ‘Turn it up, don’t be afraid to mix it up even more!!’
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Kimes seems to be one of the few people who knows how to navigate this uncertain terrain. She seems solid on the substance side, but knows how to let a hot take really rip.
 
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