ESPN: The Game Has Changed

ESPN (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What if we told you that people who are fed up with the rising cost of cable and satellite have ditched them in favor of streaming movies and TV shows on their computers and smartphones, creating a day of reckoning for sports channels?

No, this isn't the beginning of another ESPN "30 for 30" documentary.  The Disney-owned sports network just whacked at least 100 jobs last week, most of whom are writers, production people and on-air talent.  True, there have been layoffs before, but none of this magnitude.

The ESPN brand includes several TV channels, two regional networks, a Spanish-language channel, a radio network and a magazine.  They also own their own events to televise, including the X Games and some college football bowl games.

It's not just cutting the cord that's caused Disney's stock to go down every time ESPN loses subscribers.  The rights fees and long-term contracts to the NFL, NBA, MLB and the college conferences keep accelerating, resulting in various forms of cost-cutting that might not be obvious to viewers.  It's telling that some of the layoffs involve reporters and commentators who covered such sports as hockey, auto racing and golf--events ESPN does not televise.

Another reason some people have turned off ESPN is because of what they believe is the network's coverage of sports and society from a liberal perspective, whether it comes from its commentators and contributors or not.  One recent example came during the coverage of the NFL Draft, where after it was announced that Oklahoma football star Joe Mixon had been chosen by the Cincinnati Bengals, ESPN showed footage of him beating up on a woman.  That alleged incident drove Mixon's draft value way down.  For those who complain about the network's supposed progressive stance, there's always the chance they'll mention former football star Tim Tebow at least once a day.  He's currently playing minor league baseball for the Class A Columbia Fireflies in the New York Mets organization.

ESPN has also weathered the loss of on-air personalities that used to define them:  Chris Berman, Mike Tirico, Brent Musberger, Keith Olbermann, Colin Cowherd, Jason Whitlock, Brad Nessler, Skip Bayless and others.  In their places are so many sound-alike play-by-play announcers, "Sportscenter" broadcasts that rely less on scores and highlights and more on personalities, and debate shows that aren't much different than what you'd find on CNN.

ESPN is the most expensive of all the cable channels, yet it is also the hardest to give up.  This is also true of other sports channels, whose contracts with individual teams and cable providers (some of which last decades) restrict them from going the over-the-top route like HBO, leaving sports fans with no choice but to stick with cable.  Something has to change, or else it's game over for sports on TV.