Have we all lost sense of what ESPN is? Has sports media—and fans—forgotten the sole point of ESPN’s programming, the purpose it has always served?
It’s been a difficult couple of weeks for the “four-letter network” as the ongoing carriage battle between The Walt Disney Company and YouTube TV rages on into a third weekend of football. Therefor, more than ten million subscribers are having to find alternate ways to watch sports that they love and pay for. Plus added tensions from the current state of the country and the time of year.
Amid all this, ESPN presented two recent instances that, for many, were shocking. Events that suggest the modern audience may have forgotten what ESPN is for today’s consumer.
The first example came on Monday Night Football’s alternate broadcast, The ManningCast, with the Manning brothers. Earlier that day, Omaha Productions announced that Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger would appear on the program as Green Bay hosted Philadelphia.
It was an unusual choice for a football show: the CEO of the company embroiled in a public dispute with YouTube, appearing with no explanation as to why. Furthermore, timing, of course, is everything. This was an opportunity for Iger to use his platform to provide his spin on the dispute. Even if those affected couldn’t watch live.
Nine minutes of scripted questions about Iger’s background and his love for the Green Bay Packers. He was treated with soft Mickey Mouse hands by the show’s hosts.
It was predictable, expected, and boring. Exactly what you would expect from a CEO talking to his partners on their own broadcast. Why throw in a hardball question about a pressing business matter when it’s third down and four?
Still, many in sports media and among fans criticized the Manning brothers for not asking a single question about the YouTube TV dispute.
SI Media columnist Jimmy Traina said that to not ask Iger a single question about the YouTube TV issue was “a complete joke.” Mike Florio questioned why Iger was even at the game in the first place when he could be working on the issue itself. He called the interview “a microcosm of the current disconnect between those who pull the strings and those whose chains are getting jerked.”
Sports radio hosts across the country chimed in as well. Including Craig Carton, who questioned if the Mannings were told not to ask, or “didn’t have the stones to ask” Iger the question. Many others, including Clay Travis of Outkick, questioned why even have Iger on at all.
Trump’s Debut
On Tuesday, a second occurrence of a somewhat similar appearance happened when The Pat McAfee Show welcomed President Donald Trump on the program, which airs on ESPN. McAfee and his program were broadcasting live from Parris Island as the show celebrated Veterans Day with the United States Marine Corps.
McAfee and Trump discussed a range of topics from college football’s evolving landscape under name, image, and likeness rules to the NFL’s new kickoff format, the Ryder Cup, and the World Cup. There was some non-sports conversation too. Topics regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs, his labeling of the shutdown as a Democrat shutdown, and ending wars.
This marks Trump’s first appearance on ESPN programming after his re‑election. Also just two months after ESPN personality Paul Finebaum publicly stated the network turned down an offer to have Trump interviewed on his program.
Once again, sports media and fans upset. This time that McAfee didn’t challenge Trump on statements about improving the VA after slashing roughly 30,000 jobs or on his claims about the government shutdown.
Have we all forgotten what ESPN is? The very first letter of the “four-letter network” stands for entertainment. The content company of what ESPN has become provides entertainment for the viewing audience.
Iger wasn’t going on CNBC, and Trump wasn’t going on CNN. ESPN is a safe space for public figures. They know there’s challenging on a majority of programming that the network provides.
All in the name of providing entertainment.
Are You Not Entertained?
Was it disappointing to see Iger avoid questions about a business matter affecting more than ten million YouTube TV subscribers? Sure. But why expect it?
When has Pat McAfee ever been a fact-checker for an interview? He rarely, if ever, challenges the person who gives their time to his program. That’s why he gets the list of celebrities he gets. It’s not a knock; the formula works. So why change the model if the business continues to grow?
Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, and Pat McAfee are not journalists. They go into interviews uncoached on tough questions—and that’s the point. The concepts and models for their programs are designed to be the escape from the realities and difficulties of the world.
Sports media and fans have lost their way in what to expect from ESPN. Bob Ley is no longer around. Outside The Lines doesn’t exist anymore, and The Sports Reporters was the first shovel in the grave. Journalism is no longer the product that the network provides to the consumer, because entertainment is where the dollars and eyeballs are going.
Sports is the escape, and the programming direction of ESPN serves as exhibit A of that escape. To expect anything different is more a reflection on the ones providing the critique.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
exactly.
an old quote about ESPN:
“Remember, it is a Business”.