You're right I think this will be a huge day for the little guys to get some credible names on their roster. Bleacher report, barstool sports, yahoo and others that will be born from this. Sad to see good guys let go but this could be what pushes sports talk further into the podcast/youtube channel era
Live sports were always seen as the line in the sand against cord cutting, but that doesn't appear to be true anymore. If it weren't for free Time Warner, I wouldn't sniff cable with a 10 foot pole. There are only so many hours in the day to be entertained and Netflix is more than capable of filling cable's void for me. There are other ways of watching sports, too, and I wish the leagues would improve their digital offerings to fans. It's ridiculous that I am blacked out of MLB TV in Austin because Root Sports is available on one provider in the city (AT&T) that doesn't service much of the residents. Am I supposed to move to watch the Astros? I'd be happy to pay for a season's-worth of blackout-free Rockets and Astros games.
ESPN was dead to me a long time ago when they pushed out the nerdy sportscasters for the loud, brash, opinionated jocks and bimbos that now litter halls of Bristol. It's funny that the suits have decided to double down on removing any credible reporters left on the network and then blame the whole fiasco on cord-cutting related austerity. The product is crap and has been for over a decade, hence the cord-cutting and mass exodus.
they may not be getting paid as much as you think, but the truth is people watch them talk about sports. because they recognize them and know the game over someone like skip Bayless or a random who talks abt sports
One of my favorite takeaways from this is that espn had a "predictive analytics expert" named Rufus Peabody.
I miss ESPN during the days of: Dan Patrick Craig Kilborn Chris Berman Keith Olberman These guys were enjoyable to listen to. ESPN of today is trash. I cant even remember the last time I sat and watched Sportscenter.
No, this is not cord cutting. Maybe getting those fat cable checks allowed ESPN to go along its merry way spending more than it needed to longer than it should have. But, these layoffs are because management felt that the value these reporters created was not worth their cost. The money saved goes to shareholders. It's not like the salaries of 100 reporters was just killing the business model. ESPN is doing fine. And they wanted to do more fine.
I've been mulling an ESPN Sucks thread for weeks, and they do it to themselves. If it weren't for clutchfans, I wouldn't get any details, because any relevant stories on ESPN.com are behind their paywall.
ESPN is a dumpster fire these days. All they talk about is Lebron James, Russell Westbrook, and the Dallas Cowboys. If you really want hear smart sports talk you go the NFL, NBA, or MLB networks. LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Dallas Cowboys. That's all ESPN talks about anymore. It's the same thing every single day. If you want to hear knowledgeable sports talk these days you are best served by the NFL, NBA, or MLB networks.
Colin Cowherd on ESPN layoffs: 'It will happen annually for the next decade' "Years ago when I used to work at ESPN they signed an NBA contract," said Cowherd. "And ESPN was paying the NBA $400 million a year. It was reported as I drove to work that day, they [ESPN] had signed with the NBA for $1.4 billion." It was that day that Cowherd said he realized ESPN would never be the same and started looking for another job. "You cannot pay four times for the house what you paid for the house last year," said Cowherd. Cowherd said he doesn't expect things to get better for ESPN. "It's awful," said Cowherd. "It will happen annually for the next decade." Cowherd said ESPN has overpaid for products compared to Fox Sports. _____________________________ A little more than half(61) of the 100+(?) expected to be let go: Jay Crawford(Anchor) Brendan Fitzgerald(Anchor) Chris Hassel(Anchor) Jaymee Sire(Anchor) Jade McCarthy(Anchor) Darren Haynes(Anchor) Andy Katz(CBB) Dana O'Neil(CBB) Eamonn Brennan(CBB) Len Elmore(CBB) C.L. Brown(CBB) Brett McMurphy(CFB) Danny Kanell(CFB/Radio) Max Olson(CFB) David Ching(CFB) Jeremy Crabtree(CFB Recruiting) Derek Tyson(CFB recruiting) Austin Ward(CFB) Jesse Temple(CFB) Brian Bennett(CFB) Ted Miller(CFB) Chantel Jennings(CFB) Greg Ostendorf(CFB) Charles Arbuckle(CFB) Johnette Howard(Columnist) Jim Caple(Columnist) Reese Waters(Correspondent) Tom Farrey(Enterprise Reporter) Jean-Jacques Taylor(ESPN Dallas) Jane McManus(ESPNw) Melissa Isaacson(ESPNw) Dottie Pepper(Golf) Roger Cossack(Legal) Jayson Stark(MLB) Jim Bowden(MLB) Mark Saxon(MLB) Doug Padilla(MLB) Doug Glanville(MLB) Dallas Braden(MLB Raul Ibanez(MLB) Dr. Jerry Punch(Multi-sports reporter) Ethan Strauss(NBA) Calvin Watkins(NBA) Justin Verrier(NBA) Trent Dilfer(NFL) Ed Werder(NFL) Jarrett Bell(NFL) Paul Kuharsky(NFL) Ashley Fox(NFL) Scott Burnside(NHL) Joe McDonald(NHL) Pierre LeBrun(NHL) David Lombardi(PxP) Rufus Peabody(Predictive Analytics Expert) Marysol Castro(Premier Boxing Champions) Josh Parcell(Producer) Robin Lundberg(Radio) Mike Goodman(Soccer) David Hirshey(Soccer) Dave Tuley(Sports Gambling) Dan Sharfin(Voiceover)
