The axe man cometh yet again, at ESPN. Or, at least that’s what a new report from the Sporting News claims. As the network that’s still reeling from over a hundred layoffs earlier this year, braces for another round.
The sources informed the Sporting News, that somewhere between 40 and 60 positions could be impacted by the layoffs. The source also indicated that the layoffs could come sometime in late November or early December. The report also stresses that the layoffs would hit both talent and production positions.
One source told the Sporting News, “This time it won’t matter if you’re ‘liked’ or not. It’s not going to be pretty.”
Another source said, “I see (ESPN) going down a path where they have less staff — and hire more production companies to provide programs and fill air time.”
As the Sporting News notes, “…ESPN is struggling from the triple-whammy of a shrinking subscriber base, expensive billion-dollar TV rights for the NFL, NBA and other sports, and bloated talent costs. The network pays $1.9 billion annually for “Monday Night Football” and another $1.4 billion for the NBA. Don’t forget ESPN is still paying millions of dollars in severance costs to many of the 100 anchors/reporters laid off in late April.”
ESPN is not the only mainstream sports media entity to be going through layoffs. However, they are by far the most mismanaged. Chronicling their recent failures reads more like a timeline for the Onion than it does a list of historical things that actually happened. With everything from mistaking Asian-American broadcaster Robert Lee for a dead rebel chieftain. Not suspending Jemele Hill for viciously attacking the President of the United States, but instead, suspending her for attacking the Dallas Cowboys. All the way up to canceling their deal with Barstool Sports after only one episode, because they apparently thought they could get Barstool, without getting Barstool.
It reads like something that never should have happened, because it really never should have happened. And those are just a few of their bad decisions, and that’s without any mention of the drum beat of leftist activism that the network beats on a daily basis. ESPN is convinced that by downsizing, contracting their production work out, and upping their digital content, that they can somehow trick consumers into thinking that they’re getting “good ESPN.” Just sports, without any of the overt leftist activism that drove people away in the first place.
Instead, people will see through ESPN, like ESPN saw through Barstool. Realizing you can’t get the milk without buying the cow, and they’ll decide they want neither milk, nor cow.
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