The obvious question is what happens now? They’ve gutted all their most knowledgeable people. I’m not sure it will be worth listening to pregame shows anymore. Even the game calling may be pretty inept.
It really bothers me that they aren’t training ex athletes anymore. They used to use regional games to test their on air skills and train them. They often weren’t actually on air. The feed was available if the producers needed it. It gave the athlete a chance to learn, get criticized, and prove himself before working a big game.
CBS announced Tony Romo starts this Fall. They are just handing the guy a mic. That’s going to be quality sports coverage.
I’m not sure what to expect. ESPN had such great talent. People with many years covering sports.
I know they’ll put on a sports show as always. Will it be any good?
Going forward ESPN needs to keep a tight rein on salaries. Let people leave if they aren’t satisfied with their contract. That’s better than paying inflated salaries for a few years and then firing all their experienced people.
As long as they have live sports, they’ll be worth watching. It had been a long time since I watched anything aside from SportsCenter anyways (and even SportsCenter) - all that has been supplanted by getting that info much more easily and quicker on the internet.
I can’t, however, use the internet to watch (ok, aside from WatchESPN), say, Portland Timbers vs. Atlanta United next Sunday at 4pm.
I don’t pay much attention to the names of sports commentators. Unless it’s a veteran like Bob Costas.
I do expect knowledgeable analysis from people that know a sport.
We have enough talking heads that just smile and blather on about how great the upcoming game will be. I expect analysis. How players in positions match up and tell me who to look closely at. How the game effects conference standings. I already switch off a lot of pregame shows because there’s no real content.
I haven’t kept up with who ESPN is firing. I know there are some veterans that have been on the air for awhile.
I think ESPN suffered because they had too many people signed at a high rate. Millenials like streaming, instead of cable. As such ESPN took in in the shorts and has a real problem with the key 18-34 male viewers. The future looks bleak.
I’d like to see a tell all book on how it all when down, but I doubt such a book will come out.
With all those personalities under one roof, you’d figure there were some amazing stories of heroes, back stabbers, jealousy, and admiration.
Aceplace57: I am shocked at your comment. Serious sports fans don’t need a sports announcer to tell them what is happening with the ball; they can see it themselves (it is only clueless non-fans like me who don’t know what is going on).
The loss of on air talent is the least of their woes - the actual sporting events are what makes ESPN watchable. Much as I hate listening to Mark Jackson call BB games ( different network, but just using him as an example ), I’ll happily watch anyway because basketball game.
The question is whether the ESPN website will be as worth reading as they cut analysts and reporters. I suspect the answer will be less so. But ESPN just isn’t as concerned with that aspect of their business, for better or worse.
If I like the announcer I listen if I don’t I mute. I don’t care who calls the game, just air the games. I do wish that they would show something in the winter besides college basketball and I wish ESPN classic spent more time showing old games rather than being a backup channel for airing more live games.
Here are some more interesting changes at the Mothership, as Dan Patrick calls it.
I think dismantling Mike and Mike is a terrible idea and throwing Golic Jr. into the mix simply because his dad is on the show makes matters worse.
ESPN also felt like they had to make a splash with the first woman to call play by play on a nationally televised NFL game. Beth Mowens (who?) will call a game with Rex Ryan(!) on MNF opening night. Apparently Mowens has been calling college games and pre-season NFL games, so I guess that means she’s ready for Monday Night Football.
Apparently the Mikes’ relationship has deteroriated pretty badly, to the point where a lot of people think it won’t even make it to the contractual end date of December. So ESPN’s hand was probably forced here, though I’ll be sad to see it go.
Beth Mowens is fine if unspectactular (which is all I usually want in a play-by-play announcer, to be fair). Rex Ryan has the potential for a hilarious blow-up.
That doesn’t surprise me. I was listening when they finally addressed the situation on their radio show, and I was struck by exactly what that article points out at the end. Neither guy said “thanks,” or “you’ve been a great friend,” or anything that would lead you to believe they get along very well off the air. And that wasn’t always the case, in the past they’d talk about their off air friendship.
Sounds like Greenburg has been wanting to do something different for a while. I get that. He seems pretty intellectual, and sports talk radio might not be the most fulfilling thing in the world. That’s why I like him, though. Most talk radio personalities pretend to either be an idiot or a blow-hard know-it-all.
If ESPN ditched a lot more of its on-air “talent”, it might be worthwhile to watch.
I’ve decided to avoid all ESPN baseball broadcasts, since the Powers That Be have evidently decided the games are boring, and the cure is to not only have the play-by-play/color announcers blab incessantly about matters unrelated to the games, but to show them on camera blabbing and giggling to themselves and to a worthless pack of guests, and/or have video of them playing celebrity softball or participating in other inane activities.
They are way too full of themselves as well as full of other stuff.
Greenberg has been the most annoying of the pair for years, IMO. His analysis is nonsense, his knowledge of the NFL or MLB doesn’t expand beyond that of the Jets or the Yankees (his favorite teams), and he plays up the mensch persona too hard*. I think he’s going to be extremely disappointed when his new career deflates - I don’t believe he has what it takes to carry a show by himself.
*Yes, I know it’s an act to play against Golic’s jock persona, but it’s just so tired at this point.
ESPN will be fine as long as they have quality sporting events to cover.
Unfortunately, too much of their airtime is taken up with “Talking Heads Arguing” shows. I will watch Monday Night Football on ESPN, but I don’t care a whit about Dan LeBatard, Stephen A. Smith or "Around the Horn.
ESPN fired all the smart commentators they had, but are keeping all the argumentative loudmouths. MAYBE that’s the smart move (maybe there are more fans of sports quarrels than there are of sports themselves), but it sure doesn’t make me feel like watching them more.
