More Cuts at ESPN

The error refuted here is enough to make me think folks are looking for reasons to think the WWL skews left. Or do we need to bring up the whole "what about freedom of speech" question again?

 

Holy shit, this was a comical list.

Schilling, after being told over and over (along with the rest of the ESPN workforce) to lay off the political stuff on social media, posted the most offensive meme about the bathroom bill he could find. He worked damn hard to earn that firing.

Network endorsement? WTF?

You familiar with the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner? Google them. It's a war anthem. I'm not even saying it's a good or bad thing, but that's what it is.

You know, "don't call black people 'gorillas'" isn't a leftist agenda, unless your argument is that being a racist fuck is a necessary part of being conservative. And maybe he really meant "guerrilla," but it's worth noting that (a) guerrilla makes no sense in that context, and (b) anyone dumb enough to use "gorilla/guerrilla" on TV to describe a black woman shouldn't be doing TV.

Funny, neither guy is political. They both have something else in common, though... as does Kevin Blackistone and Serena Williams. It's almost like there's something else about them that bothers you.

Wonder what that might be?

 

I assume FS1's ratings must be through the roof with all the righty's running away from ESPN.

 

The thing that makes me put some stock in the "no political agenda" talking point is that the ratings for FS1's bro-talk shows remain undetectable with a micron telescope.

 

Exactly. And everybody who drops ESPN is also making sure to retain FS1.
Awful Announcing had a terrific expose on the fallacy of Clay Travis' monthly clickbait column about the politically related demise of ESPN.

 

Whitlock was on with Travis today discussing this. Whitlock likened the troops at ESPN falling into line with the liberal heads to guys who start wearing three-piece suits bc the boss does. I don't buy that, not least bc no one wears three-piece suits. Travis said he knew people at ESPN who were terrified to talk politics for fear of its effect on their jobs. Guess it's possible. BTW, he is an insufferable, arrogant asshole. I don't know how anyone could listen to him regularly. Whitlocl tore into that Awful Announcing story and called the writer an idiot.

 

Some are convinced the quality of programming on the prominent national sports package has no bearing at all on a cable subscriber's decision to reduce a package or cut the cord. Amazing.

 

Not related to this topic, but Adam Rubin says ESPN was not going to renew his contract, so he took the buyout and is joining athletic department at NY Institute of Technology.

Longtime Mets reporter Adam Rubin says ESPN let him go because of cord-cutting

 

Guys, ESPN is really, really liberal. Really liberal. You do not give an award to the Missouri football team - which threatened a boycott in support of a very wealthy, somewhat specious hunger striker - if you're not.

 

I looked for this and can't find it. Does anyone know what has happened to Fox News subscriber numbers the last five years or so. How does that compare to ESPN's subscriber losses? I think cord-cutting is affecting everyone.

 

Rather than unpack all that's going on here, I'll just ask this: what does the wealth of the hunger striker's family have to do with anything?

 

I don't know the specific answer to what you're asking, but Fox Sports lost more subscribers than ESPN last month.