This past week big names joined the circling vultures picking from the flesh of ESPN. Reports surfaced Skip Bayless, from First Take, was leaving ESPN for a big contract from FS1 and Mike Tirico divorced his former employer for NBC Sports. Ignorant douche-bag Curt Schilling kicked the casualty while it was down for good measure begging the question is ESPN dying or dead. Are we sure they’re still alive or just a fresh carcass with plenty of meat left to savor? Obviously the company is still operational but ESPN can’t proclaim themselves as “the worldwide leader of sports” anymore. No one holds the title belt anymore in a time where you don’t need the infrastructure of giant media companies when one can start their own platform(s) as entrepreneurs.
The better question is will cutting premier topple the mothership? It might. Spending big money for live events like college football has left ESPN frugal on signing and resigning on air talent. While president John Skipper understands the importance of live television with providing games; and they have locked up big intellectual properties, he spent too much money and overlooked the need for interesting personalities to keep viewers entertained. As cable TV becomes obsolete and paid subscription services grow ESPN find themselves in precarious place. While they own the rights to some big sports titles their viewer subscriptions have taken a big fall, impacting their income, and forcing the staff cuts and losses over the last few months. Services like Netflix and HBO Go has ripped out a space for themselves while damaging cable entities like ESPN.
Why bother with obvious censorship and fear of God from Disney when I can watch unfiltered and honest material from my favorite sports personalities Bill Simmons (HBO) and Dan Patrick (NBC)? Simmons wasn’t resigned due to Disney’s fear of Rodger Goodell and the NFL having soft egos from deflate-gate. They treated Dan Patrick like shit. He’s better now than when he was Bristol. Say what you want about Skip Bayless but he’s a loss. You can’t let Fox take a host people still flood in to see on your network. Skip is not replaceable. Stephen A might be but Skip’s baffoon opinions aren’t. Skip doesn’t give a fuck what you think and that’s why people come back to smell has ass every morning. First Take is one of the few shows people care about on ESPN, for better or for worse. No one cares about Sportscenter anymore. The talent there reminds you of vanilla bean and basic home accessories from Target. It gets the job done but yeah… Nothing…
ESPN got wiped by Disney’s business culture of worrying too much about moms with the “can I see to the manager” haircuts and other complaining parents who are outraged when real human experiences unfold on TV. God forbid you should have to explain something to a child before they experience it on their own as an adult. Yes, I’m speaking as future, hopefully, parent. This business approach works for Disney itself but fails it in their venture with ESPN. They should observe the impact my boy Bill Simmons, yes I’m biased, has made since he exiled. Grantland died with him and he gutted most of the old office over to his private hub. Other ex-Grantland members simply left ESPN. Zack Lowe and Jalen Rose are the only gems left that come to mind. Don’t call it a prediction but I wouldn’t be surprised once their contracts end they jump over to Bill or TNT. They are two of the best NBA pundits, writers, personalities outside of Ernie, Jet, and Charles.
Looking as a fan and outsider with an opinion I can say ESPN is dying and if they don’t address the hemorrhaging loss of on air talent they will be cleaned by the desert, and their competition. NBC owns them in the NFL, TNT owns the NBA, and Fox Sports now owns the sport personalities from the ESPN exodus. Time will tell but it doesn’t look good.
Disaesthetic 