ESPN announces 300 layoffs, citing 'disruption' amid virus

[volbeast33]

Seriously - Barstool, Outkick, Bleacher, etc showed that even comedy linked to sports sells. Abandoning the irreverent comedy for social commentary is a predictably fatal wound.

Yeah that is definitely what is missing

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

Literally all ESPN had to do is stick to sports. SMH.

Underrated post. Whenever I see Stephen A Smith, I change the channel. At least they got rid of the racist Hill, but when everything has some kind of political bent, I'm done with it. But it's not unique. Even CNBC is getting political now with Shepherd Smith. I HATE that. I want to watch business stuff. The only politics that should remotely enter is with regard to some policy decision.

Journalism is dead. Opinionism is the "new normal"

 

[kiddiedoc]

Underrated post. Whenever I see Stephen A Smith, I change the channel. At least they got rid of the racist Hill, but when everything has some kind of political bent, I'm done with it. But it's not unique. Even CNBC is getting political now with Shepherd Smith. I HATE that. I want to watch business stuff. The only politics that should remotely enter is with regard to some policy decision.

Journalism is dead. Opinionism is the "new normal"

I swear, people can't just have fun with anything, anymore. Music is the same way. Freaking Tyler Childers, Jason Isbell, and Dave Matthews have become intolerable. You know, because super-eccentric alcoholics and drug users are who I usually look to for political advice.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

I swear, people can't just have fun with anything, anymore. Music is the same way. Freaking Tyler Childers, Jason Isbell, and Dave Matthews have become intolerable. You know, because super-eccentric alcoholics and drug users are who I usually look to for political advice.

All the artists you mentioned have been horrible since the beginning of their careers. That didn’t just happen overnight. I hope this helps.

Best Regards,

PJAX

 

[Rocky_Top_Vol13]

What killed ESPN was their determination to be socially "woke". You couldn't, and still can't, watch any sports broadcast without getting a 15-20 minute lecture on social injustices. There is a time and place for that, but not when people are LITTERALY watching your programming to escape it and just relax with some entertainment. I can't stand ESPN and every athlete that thinks their opinion matters more than mine or the guy that bags groceries at the supermarket. Its also interesting to note that Fox sports or other sports news outlets aren't doing so horrible so blaming everything on Covid is a BS excuse.

 

[MG1968]

Too bad Jemele Hill isn’t still employed by ESPN so she can get fired again.

 

[Plano Vol]

I hope Alyssa Lang is safe.....she makes my marbles warble.

 

[05_never_again]

Seriously - Barstool, Outkick, Bleacher, etc showed that even comedy linked to sports sells. Abandoning the irreverent comedy for social commentary is a predictably fatal wound.

Outkick is absolutely social commentary and not "stick to sports." I think there was a time when Clay Travis wanted to be a Barstool Sports for southerners, but over time he's turned it into a conservative Deadspin.

Nobody needs ESPN for sports scores or news anymore. Their flagship show (SportsCenter) is totally irrelevant in an internet/social media age. In an attempt to gain back relevance they did a number of things, including the insertion of left-wing social commentary/politics into their coverage. It hasn't worked.

 

[05_never_again]

What killed ESPN was their determination to be socially "woke". You couldn't, and still can't, watch any sports broadcast without getting a 15-20 minute lecture on social injustices. There is a time and place for that, but not when people are LITTERALY watching your programming to escape it and just relax with some entertainment. I can't stand ESPN and every athlete that thinks their opinion matters more than mine or the guy that bags groceries at the supermarket. Its also interesting to note that Fox sports or other sports news outlets aren't doing so horrible so blaming everything on Covid is a BS excuse.

What killed ESPN is large part was SportsCenter becoming irrelevant in the age of the internet/social media. There's no need to watch it anymore, or any of their other shows.

ESPN was losing subscribers before they got woke, and nobody's cutting their cable because they don't like left-wing politics on one channel. ESPN got woke because they were becoming irrelevant. It's more like go broke, get woke...not get woke, go broke.

I'm not denying for a second that they turned into social justice warriors over the last few years - they certainly have. It's just that people get the cause and effect wrong.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

I miss Kinison.

I do as well. He would probably be too offensive if he was still alive for many people.

 

[Rocky_Top_Vol13]

What killed ESPN is large part was SportsCenter becoming irrelevant in the age of the internet/social media. There's no need to watch it anymore, or any of their other shows.

ESPN was losing subscribers before they got woke, and nobody's cutting their cable because they don't like left-wing politics on one channel. ESPN got woke because they were becoming irrelevant. It's more like go broke, get woke...not get woke, go broke.

I'm not denying for a second that they turned into social justice warriors over the last few years - they certainly have. It's just that people get the cause and effect wrong.

I can see your point, but I think it has been a one two combo punch thats just about knocked the network out. They were becoming irrelevant with the social media explosion but they have and continue to alienate viewers with all this political BS. What demographic typically doesn't rely on social media? Its the over 45 crowd. So when that makes up a lot of your viewership and then you go non stop social justice warrior you get their current situation. I really think its 50/50 and why it will be a slow painful death for ESPN. Also wonder how long Disney will continue to pump money into when its obviously failing?

 

[08Vol]

Seriously - Barstool, Outkick, Bleacher, etc showed that even comedy linked to sports sells. Abandoning the irreverent comedy for social commentary is a predictably fatal wound.

These are all examples of companies that have been able to undercut ESPN b/c they didn’t have to pay for broadcast rights. ESPN changed b/c their consumers started going other places for the funny stuff. It wasn’t the other way around.

 

[08Vol]

I can see your point, but I think it has been a one two combo punch thats just about knocked the network out. They were becoming irrelevant with the social media explosion but they have and continue to alienate viewers with all this political BS. What demographic typically doesn't rely on social media? Its the over 45 crowd. So when that makes up a lot of your viewership and then you go non stop social justice warrior you get their current situation. I really think its 50/50 and why it will be a slow painful death for ESPN. Also wonder how long Disney will continue to pump money into when its obviously failing?

The group that advertisers care the most about is 18-34 and it’s not even close. Companies want to build brand loyalty and that is easiest to do with this young age group. They don’t want to advertise Nissans to people who are 45+ because “my last 2 cars have been Toyotas so why the hell would I buy a Nissan.” Older consumers are set in their ways and you don’t change their views with TV ads. If your viewership is older that really limits your high paying ad options to drugs. Look at CNN, Fox News, etc to see the kind of TV ads that are targeted to older viewers.

 

[05_never_again]

I can see your point, but I think it has been a one two combo punch thats just about knocked the network out. They were becoming irrelevant with the social media explosion but they have and continue to alienate viewers with all this political BS. What demographic typically doesn't rely on social media? Its the over 45 crowd. So when that makes up a lot of your viewership and then you go non stop social justice warrior you get their current situation. I really think its 50/50 and why it will be a slow painful death for ESPN. Also wonder how long Disney will continue to pump money into when its obviously failing?

It isn't just social media though that has killed the network; it's the internet generally. I think most sports fans these days, whether they are 18, 35, or 55, get sports scores and info from the internet or an app on their phone, more or less in real time. You used to have to wait until that night or the next morning's SportsCenter for that, or read it in the morning paper the next day.

ESPN went left politically because their core demo is males 18-35, and after the NBA contracts they signed many viewers of the network are NBA fans. There's been research done on this, and the NBA is the only one of the Big 4 sports leagues + college football that has a fanbase that leans left politically. I think they thought that hot take shows with leftist social commentary would appeal to a left-leaning audience, and their live sports audience (which is not politically left) either wouldn't notice or wouldn't care.

ESPN is struggling due to cord cutting + paying out the nose for TV contracts with leagues, not their political commentary. I don't think a single person has eliminated their entire cable package because they don't like what ESPN says about politics.

 

[LookinUp]

The result of siding with that ungodly BLM and the liberal left. I hope they have to go off the air. What did Fulmer say? UT has list 170 million? I hope they lose so much money they have to shut down their liberal sports teams and close the school doors.

 

[NorthDallas40]

I do as well. He would probably be too offensive if he was still alive for many people.

Can you imagine Redd Fox or Don Rickles standup in today’s environment?