ESPN Layoffs

[bmfc1]

d'Kong76 wrote: Is there a complete list of the beheaded? I was thinking yesterday about the notion that these networks need 5-6 guys doing pre-post-during NFL 'analysis' and what a waste of time and money (and brain cells) it is.

http://deadspin.com/a-running-list-of-espn-layoffs-1794664091

[G-Fafif]

At least it's not the one with Mad Dog.

[Guest d'Kong76]

bmfc1 wrote: http://deadspin.com/a-running-list-of-espn-layoffs-1794664091

Thanks, what a train wreck...

[Frayed Knot]

I kind of had to chuckle at reading that they played off some of their hockey correspondents ... I didn't know they had any.


But at least they'll have Rex Ryan this fall so I'm sure that'll keep the masses tuned in.

[Edgy MD]

He's a tubby lout that can't hold down a job in a competitive endeavor. He's perfect.

America 2017: (Mediocrity + Confidence) X Volume = Excellence

[Guest d'Kong76]

It's Kahnfidence, not confidence -- F X Healy

[Frayed Knot]

I just find it funny that essentially the last move they made prior to massive layoffs which acknowledged a payroll overstuffed with with yakkers and ex-jocks was to continue the pattern that got into that
mess in the first place, namely deciding that they can't possibly live without whichever newly-retired player or out-of-work coach was available. Rex just happens to be the this year's example.

Although, to be fair to ESPN, it's not like that same practice hasn't been SOP at news orgs too.
'Hey, we got a chance to steal Katie Couric away from ______'
'But what would we do with her?'
'I don't know, but we got a chance to steal Katie Couric ... think of the pub we'll get from that!!!!'

[Guest cooby]

bmfc1 wrote: Is there a complete list of the beheaded? I was thinking yesterday about the notion that these networks need 5-6 guys doing pre-post-during NFL 'analysis' and what a waste of time and money (and brain cells) it is. http://deadspin.com/a-running-list-of-espn-layoffs-1794664091

A lot of surprisingly gracious comments there

[Guest d'Kong76]

Not burning bridges is always the way to go; especially these
days when everyone's undies are flappin' in the breeze.

[seawolf17]

d'Kong76 wrote: Not burning bridges is always the way to go; especially these days when everyone's undies are flappin' in the breeze.

Yeah, all these folks are going to want jobs. Gotta take the high road.

[Frayed Knot]

ESPN just did another one of their in-inning interviews, y'know the ones where the game gets stuffed into a small box in the upper left-hand corner of the screen while Jessica talks to Addison Russell about his Pokemon collection. But at least it ended in time for viewers to see the final four pitches of the half-inning. They then started the next half-inning doing their seemingly mandatory in-game manager interview blocking out the first two pitches of the that AB.
And the kicker here is that this is the Cubs at Fenway which they can't keep from telling us how great/historic/fun such a matchup is. If it's so great then why do you seem to doing as much as possible to prevent us from seeing it?

[bmfc1]

Exactly. It's a 3 hour baseball talkshow and it's terrible. They might as well bring Stephen A. Smith in to yell about something as the game is going on.

[Frayed Knot]

So tonight, after our game ends, I flick over to 'Baseball Tonight' on ESPN to hopefully catch some highlights of other games (the Yanx got blow'd out tonight and I wanted to wallow in it).
But despite the fact that the guide Said that BB2N was airing from 10 to 11, I was instead treated to a LeBron press conference because he apparently won Game 1 of a series which no one on earth thinks his team has even a shot at losing.

Hey "Worldwide Leader in Sports", do you think that maybe your increasing insistence that there are in fact just TWO sports in this country might be part of the reason your subscriber base is plummeting?

[HahnSolo]

I think after the layoffs that they've limited to BB2N to one night per week

[MFS62]

Frayed Knot wrote: Hey "Worldwide Leader in Sports", do you think that maybe your increasing insistence that there are in fact just TWO sports in this country might be part of the reason your subscriber base is plummeting?

Maybe they'll do what The Sporting News did when they announced they would "begin to cover other sports".
Here comes the NASCAR coverage. Lots of beered up fans to show while the action is going on. They'll love it.
(S/C = 92)
Later

[Edgy MD]

bmfc1 wrote: Exactly. It's a 3 hour baseball talkshow and it's terrible. They might as well bring Stephen A. Smith in to yell about something as the game is going on.

What's the deal with that guy? I don't know anybody who isn't just embarrassed when that guy is on. Does he get good ratings by people hate-watching? Is he sort a black Francessa, where he has a large and vocal he's-a-tool-but-he's-our-tool base.

He's still working? Is Bayless?

[MFS62]

Edgy MD wrote: bmfc1 wrote: Exactly. It's a 3 hour baseball talkshow and it's terrible. They might as well bring Stephen A. Smith in to yell about something as the game is going on. What's the deal with that guy? I don't know anybody who isn't just embarrassed when that guy is on. Does he get good ratings by people hate-watching? Is he sort a black Francessa, where he has a large and vocal he's-a-tool-but-he's-our-tool base.

I'm hoping the phenomenon of Smith is like that of comedian Andy Kaufman when he used to beat up women. Viewers thought it was an act. Later, they realized it was for real, he was a sick person and he dropped off the radar screen. I watched about 3 minutes of Smith, saw the pony's one trick and haven't watched since.

Later

[Fman99]

Frayed Knot wrote: But at least they'll have Rex Ryan this fall so I'm sure that'll keep the masses tuned in.

If "jerking off on the internet while looking at foot pics" is ever going to be a major sport in this country, well, you've got to start with the experts.

[ashie62]

ESPN used to be a big fish in a small pool. Now? Not so much.

[HahnSolo]

Edgy MD wrote: He's still working? Is Bayless?

Bayless jumped ship a year ago to FoxSports, where he is now basically hosting the same show with Shannon Sharpe in the role of Stephen A. Smith.

Stephen A. is still on the show, now joined by Max Kellerman. I'll watch clips of their show online sometimes just to see the dreamy Molly Qerim.

[Lefty Specialist]

bmfc1 wrote: From the baseball side, Dallas Braden, Doug Glanville and Raul Ibanez, too. Braden was prominently featured on a recent Sunday night game but now they can live without him.

Boy, Braden was annoyingly awful. Trying much too hard to be a 'character' in the ESPN infomercial that Sunday Night Baseball has become. An excellent firing.

[Frayed Knot]

HahnSolo wrote: Edgy MD wrote: He's still working? Is Bayless? Bayless jumped ship a year ago to FoxSports, where he is now basically hosting the same show with Shannon Sharpe in the role of Stephen A. Smith. Stephen A. is still on the show, now joined by Max Kellerman. I'll watch clips of their show online sometimes just to see the dreamy Molly Qerim.

Yeah, it's kind of sad that when FOX Sports went to take on ESPN their best idea seemed to be to copy the most ESPN-ish things they did and as such decided to throw mega-bucks to lure away both Skip Bayless
and Colin Cowherd, two guys whom they might have been able to pick up on the (relative) cheap had they waited until this recent bloodbath in Bristol.

And now for ESPN, as they all but admit that they're now going to stop even pretending to cover baseball on their own and so will farm out all but the Sunday night coverage to outside vendors, they're picking
up the most clownish of the MLBN shows to simulcast.

[ashie62]

ESPN also lost just about all that was left of boxing.

Friday nights Teddy Atlas is/was a quality guy.

[Edgy MD]

People are actually "throwing money" at Colin Cowherd?

Every day I feel stupider for having been surprised by the rise of Trump.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Some guy named "Tim Tebow" just signed a multi-year contract extension at ESPN.

https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/05/08/tim-tebow-signs-espn-contract-extension

[ashie62]

There will be more layoffs at ESPN as more learn to "cut the cord."