Kind of a topic out of left field, isn't it? I first looked into ESPN and their missteps almost four years ago now and thought it was time to take a look at them again. The pandemic has not been kind to the Worldwide Leader in Sports. Without live sports, there was no reason to really watch them. Their top on-air talents and executives took a paycut. The station bled money. Now, it's resulted in another round of massive layoffs: Over 500 jobs were eliminated, from what they would say was due to the pandemic.
However, if you look further into it, the pandemic is merely an excuse. It merely hastened the inevitable. Thanks to a cookie-cutter formula for most of its shows and greatly increasing costs for broadcasting rights, ESPN is in a rough situation. This also doesn't get into their greatest threats: Cord-cutting and the rise of internet media/podcasting for people to get their sports fix.
What else is there? This video might explain... hopefully?
Revisiting: ESPN
3 388 Көрүүлөр 341 миӊ.
Say what u want about Skip but the man has been covering practically every sport since the mid seventies. True he’s completely biased for certain players and organizations but his opinions are authentic. ESPN made a mistake letting him go.
Thank. You.
Get Up and Jalen and Jacoby are the only ones I can really watch anymore but the former is mainly cause I like Mike Greenberg lol
The lack of accountability is what sickens me. We have seen the same narrative over, and over, and over again with these police shootings. A incident happens, a video gores viral and Twitter creates a narrative. The MSM, ESPN and now sports, and Hollywood run that narrative created on Twitter into the ground. They toss gasoline on a fire and riots happen and people get hurt and killed. Then three weeks later after all the facts come out, that original narrative pushed by ESPN and CNN turns out to be 99% fictional. I could forgive it if it happened once, but it has happened to many times to say its nonintentional. Remember Jacob Blake, The NBA took a day off because they where, "sad". Kenny Smith walked of the set of Inside the NBA because he was sad. ESPN ran it for 96 hours. Has anyone done a follow up or update? The shooting was justified, Jacob Blake admitted on live TV he did in fact have a knife. People died in those riots, did Kenny Smith give a follow up statement. Did ESPN do any further coverage of the incident, did Lebron offer a, "I was wrong" Tweet? I grew up on sports and ESPN and fuck em, they sit in their ivory towers and play the news manipulation game and real people suffer. I would rather watch Ace of Diamond a baseball anime then MLB. I'd rather spend my time playing Dark Souls then watching the NBA playoffs. I'd rather get online with friends and play Warframe or GTA Online on Sundays then watch the NFL. I dont need them and I grew up on Tony Dorsett, Big East basketball, OSU vs Michigan, Evander Holyfield from Cruiser Weight to legend, hell I watched Hershal Walker run for 2000 yards in the USFL. That is me not tuning in, forget about me paying for a ticket, I got better shit to do.
TSN getting rid of Dan O'Toole really pissed me off.
Seems like great journalist and reporters have been replaced by over the top ex-jocks..and few of them do i feel have great thoughts or opinions
Love @FlemloRaps he has amazing player profiles. Same with @thePatMcafeeShow great stuff. Hey @JomboyMedia in there too. The astros cheating breakdown is still one of the funniest videos I’ve ever seen.
The last time I was watching ESPN was on March 8, 2020 when the Vipers vs Wildcats game was on. And that was a the best football game I've seen in the past 5 years
Disney should have moved MNF back to ABC
Age of stupid
Lolz
Scoot is still there
its because they went woke and are talking about politics now...
I’m late but great video Tree
I’m done with ESPN racism and political shit I’m sick off #boycottespn
wokESPN.
Wait... there are people out there who like Stephen A. Smith. That guy is so loud and obnoxious.
ESPN told half the country "Fuck you. We don't need you." What could go wrong?
Paul Pierce got fired from Disney because of weed and strippers. Good Job ESPN.
Good, I'm a Celtics fan, but I thought he was the worst analyst in the whole NBA.
Let's be real, it stinks because they mixed sports and politics. Whichever side of the political you sit on. ESPN was going to piss you off
Disney ruined ESPN...
It been runied disney and there other owner runined it.
When sports came back, there was still no reason to watch these pinkos. At least olberman is a grounded, reasonable fella these days😆😆😆😆
They need a 30 for 30 type doc every week. Maybe an analyst like Jomboy or yourself. About 98% less talk about LeBron, and 150% less talk about woke bs. The latter was my last straw over the past 8 mo or so
Good job. The only thing you missed is that allot of people (me being one of them) are getting turned off by there extreme biases, and I'm not talking about politics. I'm talking about the constant coverage of ONLY teams like the Cowboys, Patriots, and Lakers. Or the constant Tom Brady, Mahomes, and Lebron James coverage. IDK I used to love ESPN, but over the past few years I've turned to KGread. I mean I'm a Bill's fan, so there's pretty much no point in watching ESPN, rarely if ever do they cover my team. Yet there are many many youtubers who strictly just talk about my team. Also you're point about ESPN documentaries is spot on. The last series I really liked that ESPN did was the 30 for 30, and shows like it... but they rarely do those anymore. So in closing, if they aren't going to cover my favorite teams, sbd I'd they aren't doing Documentarys, then there is no point in watching.
You lost me at "Mike Greenberg".
Nothing forced them to go political. It’s that kind of thinking that has shown the steep decline in their viewership for the last 5 years.
Max was great for HBO Boxing. He can't hold a candle to Skip Bayless, nor can Shannon to Stephen A. Smith. PTI is all I watch because Tony and Mike haven't changed in over a decade.
ESPN is no longer needed. That's their biggest problem. Well, that and poor leadership, marketing and hiring and woke.
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I hope ESPN fails. Why is Disney buying rights to SEC games?
Hold up. Lebatard is trash. Has always been. Espn focused on woke and having people push an agenda rather than sports. They also want people to have "hot takes"....which is just stupid takes to make a conversation. Then, when it was a slow sports day, somebody on ESPN would say something really stupid early on. Then, the rest of the day, all the other shows would bring it back up. Did that quite a bit on ESPN radio. Everything now is a "vs" type show. Two guys (or girls) that argue about something. They argue even when they agree. One guy could say "the cowboys aren't good this year because xyz" and the next guy will act all crazy and be like "I AGREE WITH YOU, BUT YOU ARE WRONG. THEY SUCK BECAUSE OF ABC!!!!" They also do this thing where they just put a pretty girl on to host the show. Her knowledge of the sport is horrible and has lack of depth. She is says a few words and then the other people on the show ignore her. They also have people who they just put on shows due to facial expressions. Mina Kimes for example. Pretty girl, but every time I see her on there, she's just making the cutesy type facial expressions. They lost the ability to talk sports and have fun. They are trying way too hard. There are thousands of athletes and they only focus on 5. Some of the personalities only know names and don't really analyze anything. In terms of their radio content. It's complete trash. If you guys like basketball, listen to the Bill Simmons podcast. I don't like the NBA at all, but he has a good podcast talking about it. He talks about a lot of players you wouldn't hear about on ESPN. And he doesn't bring in the crap (aside from talking about Taylor Swift). And finally. Max Kellerman is the absolute worst. He is the biggest puppet and would let black nba players bang his wife just so he looks cool. He tries way too hard to fit in.
Only reason I watch ESPN is their 30 for 30. That's about it.
I just get my football digest from you, Thats Good Sports and Mikerophone. Way more interesting to watch than ESPN has been for over a decade
Shit I wanted to be on ESPN sports center as a kid too. Then I saw the bullshit and I really only like SVP. Fuck ESPN I don’t even like fs1 but it’s much better
Imagine if Jon Bois and Kofie Yeboah had budgets of several million dollars.
Im so estatic that you mentioned Pat McAfee :) #ESPNStinks
The last dance and 30 for 30 is the most entertaining part of ESPN now
Yeah I can’t remember the last good 30 for 30 they made that’s what I got ESPN+ for
For as long as I remember I’ve been listening to people tell me about the good ole days of ESPN while simultaneously trashing what it is currently. I’ve always felt the need to push back when I hear stuff like this because really what do you want? The internet changed the highlight industry that sports center had a stranglehold on the market. I’m sorry that boomers are upset that they don’t get to enjoy the goofy quips from Dan Patrick at 7 PM but the world has changed. Move on dudes.
@Hephaestus boomer is a state of mind
"Boomers". Christ.
@UrinatingTree I mean sure but like I said that’s really all there is to do now with sports. Sports highlights as we used to know it are dead because everything is instant on our phones. I really don’t know what else people expect is my issue
The issue isn't that ESPN hasn't embraced the good 'ol days: It's that they've embraced the wrong things (the overreliance on personalities, failing to adapt to new trends and content avenues, living and dying by live sports).
Back in 2011, ESPN had a segment at the end of the year where they highlighted sports figures who had died during the past year. Well, in September of 2011 the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL hockey team) died in a plane crash. There were several former NHL players, men with olympic medals, and men who were considered amongst the best hockey players in the world on that plane. ESPN did not include them in their remembrance. It was one of the most tragic events in sports history and ESPN couldn’t be bothered to include it, because they have some sort of ridiculous grudge against the sport and had been trying to squash it ever since 2004. They have no integrity.
ESPN has been political for years. The company was pretty much taken over by their HR department. A couple small political committees of black employees called the shots for a long time.
Now ESPN is bringing back the NHL. Great.
For the brand!
Quick question: are people simply not caring as much about sports any longer?
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Jeez they've got Rex Ryan giving his opinions on stuff? Maybe he would care to explain that little foot fetish video he made. I still have nightmares about that thing.
What the fxxk does Stephen "a Smith" know about football, for that matter.
tuned into espn for the first time to check in on the nba trade deadline and wanted to hear pressing trade news and it was just rachel nichols talking about herself and im sorry but i just cant. and another thing is that the nfl has lost so much viewership its really hurt espn
I can't stand Dan Orlovsky
I watch ESPN when I am on the treadmill at the gym...for about 10mins.
An Owl approves ESPN's downfall.
And that‘s why i like pat🙌🏻
ESPN is where I learn that race is the only thing that matters. Also that ppl like me are evil.
Oh boy. ESPN has the NHL. They’ve never cared about hockey before. I hope this goes well.
Soon ESPN will go down the road of spotify and purchase exclusive rights to some of the youtubers/talk shows....and ruin those too.
ESPN's deal with the NHL is quite concerning to say the least
Being owned by disney...that's why ESPN is long dead. They've banned all their reporters and personel from joining youtubers and talk shows like Pat McAfees as a guest.
Politics and sports never mix. No matter what side it's for people are there for sports, not political agenda. Also Brady is the GOAT LeBron is the GOAT gets old really quick.
3:04 You said you like old ESPN cause you got the real anchor then say first take was good because they were hammy. Hmmmmm... It did not take a lot of money, or shouldn't have to make the last dance.... They edited clips they had and did sit-down interviews....
To me they don't talk about all sports they get on two or three subjects and spend a whole day talking about that and what makes it worse you bring these sorry ass ex athletes on ESPN
Honestly there are plenty of YT channels that put up highlights and game recaps and you don't have to deal with the social justice and race baiting that comes with espn.
ESPN got hockey back, I like the idea but if they don’t change and don’t teach their anchors hockey they don’t know what’s going on and can’t report on it. It’s not NHL network, Kevin Weeks and Kathryn Tappen aren’t on ESPN, as funny as it is to see Stephan A Smith report on hockey their wont be actual reporting, it will be confusion
Would help if they actually showed highlights on Sports Center rather than just constantly speculating about shit (Specifically in the morning!!!) I want to go to wake up and see what i missed the night before, not what I'm gonna miss tonight.
IKR, That’s what made ESPN great Back in the 90’s
Tree, or anyone reading this, go check out the 1993 edition of "Thrills and Spills". Patrick and Olbermann make a brief cameo appearance during a Dick Trickle-curated segment called "Dick's Picks". Speaking of Dick, every time they'd show NASCAR highlights during the late part of ESPN's original 1982-2000 NASCAR run, they'd almost always make sure to mention where "Mr. Trickle" finished. I once saw a story about how sometimes, if they went live right after a NASCAR race, one or both of the SportsCenter anchors would watch the race like normal fans, then they'd start their show. They used to actually show an interest in it. Nowadays, the only time they mention NASCAR is if something social justice-related happens in it. How far they've fallen.
ESPN has tanked so hard. It was the only channel I watched forever. But as of last year I’ve hardly watched it nor do I use any of their apps
The mouse owns ESPN. The mouse will never let it die.
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Flemlo is the best
Go woke. Go broke.
I'm like a month late but... When I was 6 years old. I was a total noob to sports. I understood nothing about any sport, aside form the absolute basics. And yet, I found myself in front of the TV tuning into Arpund the Horn and PTI on routine. I loved the personalities, I loved the discussion, and I adored the people that made it great. I still listen to Tony Kornhieser's podcast with my dad. One day though, I turned on the TV and it felt...different. I stopped being interested in the people. It felt like the magic was gone. It was solidified when I tuned into HQ (the Hispanic show) and felt nothing. It didn't have that same magic that PTI had. At that point, I was 9 going on 10, and i had other interests. So I stopped watch ESPN. I'll glance up at it whenever I was at a restaurant, but the only other time I committed to ESPN was during the XFL. Now, I turn to people like you and Tom Grossi for updates on the NFL and other sport. The quality and humor value keep me coming back upload after upload, and recapture that magic I felt almost 10 years ago. Thank you and **** ESPN.
Lol yesterday they banned ESPN personnel to go on McAfee's show proving what you're saying and how pity they are
Mainstream Media: "Let me get this straight. ESPN is losing hundreds of millions of dollars, dozens of reporters are getting laid off, and you think it's funny?" Me: "I do. And I'm tired of pretending it's not!"
Add another 2.8 billion dollars for NHL in the fall.
ESPN sucks even more now since they’ve banned their employees from being on the Pat McAfee show and banned him from being on their shows... they are SCARED and DECLINING
And now ESPN has blocked all their people appearing on the Pat Mcafee Show... Damn shame #ESPNSTINKS!
You mean Disney
Who is here after ESPN stopped allowing their ‘journos’ on The Pat McAfee show?
ESPN just blocked their employees from associating with Pat McAfee on air. They are scared and they should be.
The Pat McAfee Show is better than ESPN Shows
Kinda worried with NHL going to ESPN
I myself watch First take and Get Up just about everyday and the main point of yours that I agree with is the lack of authenticity at times, I personally have seen Max Kellerman flip flop his view on a topic within a few days. With that being said I still enjoy the personality based broadcasters/faces they have on the network, cause growing up during the 2000s without any access to major sports channels I never got exposed to the ESPN of old, but once I got into highschool that's when I got to exposed to Stephen A. and Skip Bayless and seeing them debate got me and my friends to be like them and have long winded debates about football and many other sports. So while I say the criticism is fair on ESPN I would also say that the top few personalities on ESPN are the best thing about the program.
I can’t wait to be preached to about social injustices when I’m just trying to watch a hockey game.....
Rerevisiting ESPN: they got the NHL back
You'll have to revisit ESPN again now
And now they're caring about hockey again! It'll definitely benefit the NHL, though we'll see how it benefits ESPN
who's here after ESPN signed a 7 year deal with the NHL?
And now they'll have the NHL again... Fuck.
@David Dolan I'll take "Shit that's Not Going to Happen" for $500, Alex.
@David Dolan (X) Doubt
They'll do better than NBC.
Anddddd they are about to sign the nhl away for 7 years for tv rights for a company that can't stand hockey 🙄and bashes it at every point this deal will ruin the nhl just great 👍
@noobmaster69 You hope in one hand, and shit in the other and see which one fills up first. You fail to realize this is ESPN we are talking about here, a company that can fuck up a bowl of ramen noodles.
Hopefully itll grow the game
Star Wars ESPN what beloved parts of my youth does Disney plan to ruin next?
Todd Williams: "What beloved parts of my youth does Disney plan to ruin next?" Disney: "Yes."
Don't test them
I feel like their only way to avoid complete demise is to gut their commentary shows embrace this new form of media and have low-budget shows that are less polished but have more interesting and less scripted personalities like the Pat McAffe show. They should become something like the sports PBS
In terms of multiple docu-series and legit TV shows? I'd be down for that.
Olbermann isn’t a talking head? Excuse me that dude is actually unhinged
@UrinatingTree ahh I see what you’re saying now. Good video man
He wasn't one twenty years ago. Now? Pretty much.
ESPN was great before wokecenter ruined it
And Dover! 😁
I remember the days when ESPN covered NASCAR with one guy with the most fun name to ever say: Dr. Jerry Punch.
Huh, I'm surprised he didn't mention esports at all. Let's face it, ESPN buying the rights to purchase some of the largest esports leagues would be a huge boon for them.
Their Brazilian branch does have the rights to either Dota or Overwatch leagues, if not both. I imagine it doesn't hurt.
If they had conservative leanings they would’ve been cancelled
The rating are already shitty with liberal perspectives as it is.
And they would've been cancelled over a fake issue.
Nice to see the shout out to Hockey Guy -- Dude is a continental treasure...
I would pay to watch a sports network with Urinating Tree, FlemLo, Jomboy, and The Hockey Guy.
I feel like that you could have rocked the espn rool
Serious question, has anyone watched FS1 regularly and do they have the same problems?
most definitely, i swear some people on that network change their narratives so often they just end up going in circles
FS1 has shit the bed. It is almost worse than ESPN.
ESPN is a slowly rotting corpse, when they killed baseball tonight as a daily show I knew it was over, but the year round non-stop coverage of the NFL was the nail in the coffin for me. Sportscenter used to show actual highlights for the majority of the show, now it’s 50% speculation about the nfl off-season, 50% licking lebrons asshole.
Ya don’t say.
Even as a Lakers Fan, even I can say that ESPN might as well create a show called "LeTMZ" because they obsess over him so much.
More like 33% NFL, 33% Lebron, 33% politics