ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro spoke at the SBJ Summit earlier today. To the surprise of no one, he addressed the network’s stand on politics and why he is encouraging hosts to avoid the subject entirely. Pitaro says the move is largely driven by what data says ESPN viewers want.
“What I have heard consistently, from day one of getting this job, is the more we lean into politically charged commentary, the more we are alienating not just our core fan, but our casual fan,” Pitaro said. He went on to say that during divisive times, both fan groups “are tuning in not just because they love sports or love ESPN…They are tuning in for an escape.”
Pitaro called that data “clear and convincing” and says he has “been very vocal” with producers and talent about these facts and about avoiding political commentary. He also noted that there are exceptions that make some political talk on ESPN necessary.
“When Tiger is talking about the President, the anthem controversy, anytime there is an intersection of politics and sports. For those stories, ESPN is the place of record. When you tune into ESPN we need to be, we should be, talking about those stories.” Pitaro said that he hopes the network can strike a balance not just in the way those stories are covered, but in how often those stories appear on the network in a single day.
