ESPN cleaning house

[DisgruntledAlum]

 

[ewglenn]

They let go of some great talents. Makes no sense what they are doing. Kendrick Perkins is still employed 😂

 

[MTFAN61]

They let go of some great talents. Makes no sense what they are doing. Kendrick Perkins is still employed 😂

With his new contract Pat McAfee might as well move a cot into ESPN for next few years. Hello 18-20 hour work days!

 

[AustinLewis]

They let go of some great talents. Makes no sense what they are doing.

Same.

Let go some folks who provide legitimate insight while they kept guys who do nothing by stir the pot & create controversy.

But I guess that's the way of the world now.

 

[RaiderDeez]

Same.

Let go some folks who provide legitimate insight while they kept guys who do nothing by stir the pot & create controversy.

But I guess that's the way of the world now.

So they're going with the Fox News model? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

 

[RaiderDoug]

Same.

Let go some folks who provide legitimate insight while they kept guys who do nothing by stir the pot & create controversy.

But I guess that's the way of the world now.

It's not about anything other than clicks.

No engagement, no real quality - how many clicks can you get? And the way to get the clicks is the shout the loudest nonsense. Doesn't matter if its right, people will forget about it in a few seconds anyway. It isn't just sports, it's news, entertainment, everything.

It's why i've almost completely unplugged except for a couple of very niche spots here and there. (Who wants to talk Bourbon Hunting!?!)

I'll tune in to ESPN for live sports, but that's it these days. Some 30 for 30 is good as well (just watched the American Gladiators one - good stuff if you remember the show). But sportscenter, the daily shows they have -all just low quality trash.

 

[RaiderDeez]

It's not about anything other than clicks.

No engagement, no real quality - how many clicks can you get? And the way to get the clicks is the shout the loudest nonsense. Doesn't matter if its right, people will forget about it in a few seconds anyway. It isn't just sports, it's news, entertainment, everything.

It's why i've almost completely unplugged except for a couple of very niche spots here and there. (Who wants to talk Bourbon Hunting!?!)

I'll tune in to ESPN for live sports, but that's it these days. Some 30 for 30 is good as well (just watched the American Gladiators one - good stuff if you remember the show). But sportscenter, the daily shows they have -all just low quality trash.

I'm pretty much the same exact way. I watch ESPN for live sports, and mainly just college football, and the occasional 30-for-30, like you said.

Feels like I'm now overpaying for YouTube TV based on what I originally wanted when "cutting the cord."

 

[MTFAN61]

I'm pretty much the same exact way. I watch ESPN for live sports, and mainly just college football, and the occasional 30-for-30, like you said.

Feels like I'm now overpaying for YouTube TV based on what I originally wanted when "cutting the cord."

Agreed. 30 for 30 is only program viewing I watch. Other than that strictly live sports viewing for basketball, football, or boxing. ESPN degenerated when it wanted to stamp its own personal politics on everything. Let sports be sports, that's why we turned it there in the 1st place.

 

[Predarat]

Disney films are flopping and underperforming at the Box Office, so the Mouse fires a bunch of ESPN employees. That is basically what happened.

 

[RaiderDeez]

Disney films are flopping and underperforming at the Box Office, so the Mouse fires a bunch of ESPN employees. That is basically what happened.

Isn't everything down at the box office across the board since covid happened? Like 2023 is on pace with 2001 gross earnings?

 

[Predarat]

Isn't everything down at the box office across the board since covid happened? Like 2023 is on pace with 2001 gross earnings?

im not exactly sure how they do that, but I think they have adjusted their expectations for Box Office numbers.

 

[RaiderDeez]

im not exactly sure how they do that, but I think they have adjusted their expectations for Box Office numbers.

Yeah, I can't imagine massive studios like Disney not adjusting.

I bet the ESPN layoffs are just cost-cutting to appease shareholders' bottom-line expectations. And the ratings are probably not all that great either.

 

[MidTennMtneer]

im not exactly sure how they do that, but I think they have adjusted their expectations for Box Office numbers.

It's gonna stay that way. It's minimum $45 for the three of us to go. I'd rather just wait till it's streaming and watch on my couch. Even renting for $9.99 is cheaper and obviously I'm not the only one that feels that way.

I'm the same way with ESPN. Live college and related, that's it. Selection shows etc. Used to watch the daily college football show but I get so tired of the whole P5/G5 mess. And ESPN is largely to blame for that narrative. I'm a firm believer there are 10 FBS conferences and that is it.

 

[SpaceRaider]

I'll tune in to ESPN for live sports, but that's it

Same here. I just cut the cord last week from x-finity. Too pricey for a lot of nonsense on channels not watched, especially on a fixed income.

Disney and ESPN have forgotten their customer bases. I didn't watch espn for anything but games and disney entertainment has become unbearable and unwatchable and looks like they haven't learned anything about when you're in a hole, you ought to stop digging.

 

[MTFAN61]

This could represent a great opportunity for Outkick & Fox Sports to pick up a number of sports writers & personalities. Wouldn't be surprised to see Fox sports execs in communication with its subordinate Outkick sports & a number of these former ESPN folks. Too much talent out there to remain on sidelines for long.

 

[FranklinRaider315]

Same here. I just cut the cord last week from x-finity. Too pricey for a lot of nonsense on channels not watched, especially on a fixed income.

Disney and ESPN have forgotten their customer bases. I didn't watch espn for anything but games and disney entertainment has become unbearable and unwatchable and looks like they haven't learned anything about when you're in a hole, you ought to stop digging.

Go woke and go broke.
Just ask Bud Light.

 

[RaiderDoug]

Go woke and go broke.
Just ask Bud Light.

I read an article somewhere that during the COVID shutdowns, many of these corps had to re-invent how to engage and market to their customers - becoming almost exclusively online based. They re-oriented their marketing and engagement folks to that.

Well, online is where the fringe weirdos live and shout the loudest, and having to become so attuned to those extreme elements, the corps are having trouble re-aligning to the fact that social media, and online outrage is not real life.

It's slowly working its way back to normal, but not yet.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

online outrage is not real life.

So true

 

[Noogaraider1]

Isn't everything down at the box office across the board since covid happened? Like 2023 is on pace with 2001 gross earnings?

Not really. Movies that were not filled with woke ideologies (i.e. latest Disney lineup) have done well. See Mario, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, John Wick series etc.

Politics and culture are on a pendulum and we're all currently swinging back to the right. The problem, in my opinion is that when it swings left, the center moves left.

Disney needed this wake up call. I wonder what this does to the massive TV contracts for conferences going forward. Sports do sell.