OT: ESPN Layoffs

[PK Cronin]

The problem is that there's a lot of truth to saying that. When is the last time you saw ESPN cover anything even remotely political and someone said something besides leftist groupthink? That's not the main reason ESPN crashed (The ridiculous spending on rights fees while being oblivious to the cord cutting trend is the main one) but alienating half the audience certainly didn't help. And if they tried to be the Fox News of sports politically it would've been every bit as shortsighted and foolish.

Yep, agreed. It's part of the reason I don't care for ESPN anymore. I want my sports without politics, as much as possible, not injected with it at every corner. Steven A. Smith came out with some recent comments in rebuttal to someone claiming he should've been fired and immediately led off with race...because, you know, that's relevant somehow.

 

[Flair19Woo]

Yep, agreed. It's part of the reason I don't care for ESPN anymore. I want my sports without politics, as much as possible, not injected with it at every corner. Steven A. Smith came out with some recent comments in rebuttal to someone claiming he should've been fired and immediately led off with race...because, you know, that's relevant somehow.

Stephen A Smith is a polarizing figure that people either like or hate. Unlike you and others, a lot of people will tune into that just to hear him and then hate or support. I think that's why he's still there, and he'd easily land somewhere else if skip friggin Bayless can, who in my opinion is worse.

The other question is why some of the fired were fired, but lesser talents were not. Ed werder knows his stuff. So does Jason Stark. They let go a bunch of no names too. But there are plenty of other reporters and journalists that are still there when they could easily cut them. It's a little baffling.

 

[sabremike]

Stephen A Smith is a polarizing figure that people either like or hate. Unlike you and others, a lot of people will tune into that just to hear him and then hate or support. I think that's why he's still there, and he'd easily land somewhere else if skip friggin Bayless can, who in my opinion is worse.

The other question is why some of the fired were fired, but lesser talents were not. Ed werder knows his stuff. So does Jason Stark. They let go a bunch of no names too. But there are plenty of other reporters and journalists that are still there when they could easily cut them. It's a little baffling.

The answer is probably that the lesser talents are being paid like lesser talents while the "name" ones are costing more.

 

[A Pointed Stick]

Maybe they should have just stuck to sports rather than trying to throw politics and their "progressive" ideology at their viewers. Sucks for them. Never watched ESPN anymore anyway, When you have MLB Network, NHL Network, and NFL network what purpose is there for ESPN?

I want sports free of politics. They somehow managed to break that rule and it was all delusional left wing garbage.

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

Progressive Ideology? C'mon . . . yawn . . . .

Normally, I'd share your skepticism, and I think that "progressive ideology" is a bankrupt term... but, there was a pretty lengthy article I read a few weeks ago that shows that the sports media skews pretty heavily liberal. I'm not a ESPN consumer, but this type of stuff does tend to bleed into the narrative in most presentations. After all, what is politics except fanaticism and picking teams, right?

 

[Flair19Woo]

I want sports free of politics. They somehow managed to break that rule and it was all delusional left wing garbage.

I don't think this will ever happen. Politics or social issues will always be a part of sport, and networks will try to target audiences to make money. ESPN is sinking primarily due to its shortsighted deals and cord cutting, as much as their infusion of a social and/or political slant to their shows annoys most.

 

[PK Cronin]

Stephen A Smith is a polarizing figure that people either like or hate. Unlike you and others, a lot of people will tune into that just to hear him and then hate or support. I think that's why he's still there, and he'd easily land somewhere else if skip friggin Bayless can, who in my opinion is worse.

The other question is why some of the fired were fired, but lesser talents were not. Ed werder knows his stuff. So does Jason Stark. They let go a bunch of no names too. But there are plenty of other reporters and journalists that are still there when they could easily cut them. It's a little baffling.

I think you're right about him getting another gig, and Smith is actually better on radio when he doesn't need to put on the same show (I still don't think he's great). The question I have is whether or not he is polarizing or if he's polarizing because of the spot he was put in?

Skip Bayless was absolutely worse. Contrarian and/or homer who refused to look at anything objectively, and made no effort to try.

Someone online made a great point about that Jemele Hill and Michael Smith keep being given these shows and time slots that are prime time, yet I don't know anyone who actually watches or likes them. It's bizarre. I've never checked the ratings, so it's purely anecdotal.

 

[IslesFanatic]

I want sports free of politics. They somehow managed to break that rule and it was all delusional left wing garbage.

Exactly. I don't care what side they portrayed. Not the place. If I wanted to watch politics I'd watch a political show. Linda Cohn thinks that's why too.

 

[IslesFanatic]

Progressive Ideology? C'mon . . . yawn . . . .

Yawn? It's fact.

 

[IslesFanatic]

The problem is that there's a lot of truth to saying that. When is the last time you saw ESPN cover anything even remotely political and someone said something besides leftist groupthink? That's not the main reason ESPN crashed (The ridiculous spending on rights fees while being oblivious to the cord cutting trend is the main one) but alienating half the audience certainly didn't help. And if they tried to be the Fox News of sports politically it would've been every bit as shortsighted and foolish.

Exactly. Don't matter which side. Not the place.

 

[JohnTonelliRises]

I don't think the force feeding of politics at every turn has helped ESPN in any manner....

But, there content as a whole has largely become complete garbage as a whole. Yes, I love hockey (so I'm clearly biased), but I feel like there's also nothing of redeemable value on that network anymore.

As much as I despise some of the commentators on the NHL network, it's much more tolerable and they tend to offer semi-decent analysis. ESPN can't and does not.

 

[The Underboss]

Lets keep the politics next to nil.

 

[LetsGoIslanders]

My love of Steven A. Smith is that he pretends Hollis was ****ing South Jamaica or Queensboro in the late 80s. Hollis, it's not the greatest place in Queens, but it was relatively safe. He makes it sound like he was living in Mogadishu. There are very few projects out there. He's a fraud.

 

[MJF]

My love of Steven A. Smith is that he pretends Hollis was ****ing South Jamaica or Queensboro in the late 80s. Hollis, it's not the greatest place in Queens, but it was relatively safe. He makes it sound like he was living in Mogadishu. There are very few projects out there. He's a fraud.

I grew up in Queens Village in the 1970s. Hollis and QV back then were similar solid middle class communities that were racially mixed. SAS is about 5 years younger than me so we experienced similar surroundings growing up. I won't say Hollis was Beverly Hills but it wasn't the war zone Smith was exaggerating it out to be.

Michael Kay does the exact same thing. He says he grew up in South Bronx but it turns out he grew up near Classon Point Park. The only thing he's correct on is that it is in the southern part of Bronx but it is not South Bronx. Let's stop putting mustard on things Kay.