More Cuts at ESPN

SAS isn't going anywhere.

Again -- SAS is the centerpiece of an entire show. ESPN has a successful show based solely on the stupid shit that comes out of his mouth.

If people stop watching they'll cancel the show and he'll be done. At this point firing SAS would cost ESPN far more than it would save the company in salary.

 

Do you think they'll renew his contract, PC?

 

If the ratings for "First Take" are good, absolutely. They'd be foolish not to.

I mean, I can't explain why anyone watches it, but they do.

 

Right. That's my question. I don't know how the ratings compare. I can find that a few hundred thousand people do watch it, but I don't know the margin and the profit of that over SportsCenter or other reruns.

 

Yeah before ESPNU, ESPN Regional television was all done from Charlotte for many of the reasons you describe. As they expanded they used the space in many different ways. It's going to be a very very tough transition for the people moving from Charlotte to Bristol, because of the appeals of ESPNU was you were under the umbrella but off the radar.

 

Looking at the numbers here, they're pretty good. The network cares about the number on the far right. It's not great, but considering how cheap a show like that is to produce, it'll do.

 

Alright. Thanks for the analysis. Then yeah, the criticism of SAS seems even more misplaced. If his show is successful by the most basic measure in the industry, what's the problem?

 

Probably mention it every time it comes up, and probably have mentioned it on this thread before, but the days of SportsCenter sticking to scores and highlights are long gone. But unlike the 80s and 90s, there are other places to go for that: MLB Network, NFL Network, RSNs, etc., for those wanting their highlights without the updates on LeBron cutting his toenails.

 

Now laid-off Dodgers reporter:

 

If you're an NFL MLB and or NBA fan, watch their networks, they do a better job for their sports.

When I was a kid my mom would shop exclusively at department stores. 1 store, shop for everyone with a decent selection but not overwhelming in each internal department. Ocean wide, puddle deep. Now it's almost all specialty stores. Puddle wide, ocean deep. ESPN is a department store with diminishing economies of scale. And like the department stores, the merchandise lacks the quality of old. They still have some very high end stuff, but it falls off dramatically

 

People always stop to watch a train or car wreck

 

Wonder if any commentators will get cut?