More layoffs are set to hit ESPN soon, TheWrap has confirmed. This, even after a spring bloodbath that saw 100 on-air personalities losing their posts in a single day.
The Sporting News first reported a new upcoming round of cuts, with well-sourced writer Michael McCarthy placing the number at between 40-60 and timing in late November or early December. One person with knowledge of the ongoing restructuring told TheWrap that another round was looming, though the headcount is not set in stone.
Our insider said that this round is all about efficiency and cutting down on duplication. After all, the media landscape is nothing like it used to be, and few places are feeling the effects as much as the Disney-owned sports giant.
ESPN declined comment on this story when reached by TheWrap.
ESPN is certainly not alone in the notion that the media behemoths from decades’ past must become leaner — or at least reallocate resources. For example, ESPN’s new ACC Network will be hiring as its parent company is pink-slipping — so it’s not going to be a total headcount loss overall.
Still, it’s been a rough couple of years for the “Worldwide Leader in Sports,” and cord-cutting has disproportionately impacted the priciest non-premium cable channel. That subscriber loss has been hard to absorb, particularly with the pricey talent contracts and sports rights ESPN had compiled over the years.
And then there is the public perception problem. ESPN has had more than its share of PR issues to deal with lately.
On Monday, the channel canceled “Barstool Van Talk” after just one episode after ESPN personality Sam Ponder resurfaced sexist remarks Barstool Sports boss Dave Portnoy made about her back in 2014. And then there is the Jemele Hill issue — the channel’s “SC6” host can’t stop getting herself into hot water through Twitter.
Hill is nowhere near the first personality to get herself suspended for public comments that go against the Disney brand. Nor is her offense the worst of the bunch: Ryen Russillo was arrested late this summer for entering a stranger’s bedroom naked.
There are more examples of misbehavior inside the Mouse House’s sports-media halls, but there is no need to kick a company when it’s down.
To the contrary, it is important to point out here that for all ESPN’s lost talent and subscribers, the Bristol, Connecticut-headquartered company is still No. 1 in the business — and by a lot. And its problems are certainly not unique to ESPN — they’re just so much more pronounced at the top of the heap.
Still, don’t get too close to anyone, newbie Katie Nolan — it’s unclear who will still be your colleague come Christmas.
8 Times Skip Bayless Haters Stuck It to Departing ESPN Blowhard (Photos)
As Skip Bayless makes his exit from ESPN, he leaves behind a legacy of fan rage and controversy. From his hot-take tweets to his televised morning rants, Bayless has made a living riling up sports fans on topics ranging from his worship of Tim Tebow and the Spurs to his constant needling of LeBron James.
Turns out it's not just fans who are annoyed with him. As he says farewell to the Worldwide Leader, we look back at the times when the athletes and media with whom Bayless shared the sports world bit back.
Several guests who dropped in on"First Take" for an interview ended up going after Bayless. In 2012, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban spent a whole segment attacking Bayless' hot takes on the NBA. "You guys like to talk in complete generalities where no one can question you," Cuban said to Bayless' face. "You don’t ever use facts. You don’t ever use substance."
Earlier in 2012, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs called in to the show and quickly got fed up with Bayless' leading questions, eventually demanding he "be an analyst, don’t be a douchebag."
In 2013, Seattle Seahawks star Richard Sherman, registered his irritation with Bayless' claims that the cornerback's skills weren't in the same league as those of Darrelle Revis. When Bayless tried to bait Sherman into talking about Revis, Sherman called him "ignorant, pompous, and egotistical," and said when Bayless suggests Sherman is nowhere near Revis' level that loses credibility. "No, I don't,I gain it," responded Bayless in sports media's most unmerited mic drop.
Immediately after LeBron James won his third NBA championship, against Steph Curry's Golden State Warriors, Bayless wrote a series of tweets declaring that his favorite team, the Spurs, would have beaten James and his Cavaliers. This was too much for even fellow ESPN pundit Danny Kanell to take, as he responded to Bayless' tweet with a simple message: "Bye, Felicia."
Danny Kanell's ESPN Radio partner Ryen Russillo spoke at length on Bayless' last day about how no one at ESPN was allowed to openly disagree with him on any topic, and that Bayless got mad at other pundits at the network who challenged him. "When you disagree with Skip, it’s handled a different way," Russillo said. "A lot of us are just like, whatever. So that’s why we never bring it up."
Other sports media figures joined in on the Bayless pile-on. NFL Network anchor Rich Eisen tweeted that the best part of LeBron James' NBA Finals victory was that the basketball star "ends [Bayless'] career at ESPN that he built by trolling on him by shutting him the F up."
Also following Lebron James' NBA Finals win, ESPN NFL analyst Mark Schlereth retweeted a hot take from Bayless made in 2014, declaring that the now unemployed Johnny Manziel "will one day be bigger in Cleveland than his buddy LeBron ever was." "Good call!" Schlereth quipped.
The biggest swipe against Bayless came on SportsCenter, during which Scott Van Pelt dedicated his take on the Cavs' NBA Finals win to calling out LeBron critics who "have made your living ripping him." It didn't take much between-the-lines reading to see that Van Pelt was referring to Bayless. "Find a new ax to grind," the anchor said.
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The sports commentator has angered players and fans with his rants, and after LeBron James’ NBA Finals victory his media peers had enough too
As Skip Bayless makes his exit from ESPN, he leaves behind a legacy of fan rage and controversy. From his hot-take tweets to his televised morning rants, Bayless has made a living riling up sports fans on topics ranging from his worship of Tim Tebow and the Spurs to his constant needling of LeBron James.
Turns out it's not just fans who are annoyed with him. As he says farewell to the Worldwide Leader, we look back at the times when the athletes and media with whom Bayless shared the sports world bit back.
