Former ESPN host Bomani Jones believes the network that once prided itself on building stars internally has shifted into a new era — one where it no longer develops talent from within and increasingly relies on personalities who built their reputations elsewhere. During an appearance on The Main Event with Andrew Marchand, Jones said ESPN’s ability to manufacture its own breakout voices has all but disappeared.
Jones reflected on the ESPN he joined more than a decade ago and the philosophy that guided its talent pipeline at the time. According to him, the company trusted its brand strength enough to cycle through hosts without fear of losing viewers.
“They weren’t paying people a whole lot of money, because they felt like, we make stars,” Jones said. “You want more money, you go ahead, we’ll get somebody else. Think about what happened with Dan Patrick, which I guess is now probably like 15 years ago. We’ll go find another one of you. It’s not that big a deal. They can’t do that anymore.”
Jones said that shift is most evident in how ESPN now values — and retains — its highest-profile figures. He argued that the network no longer sees its top stars as replaceable, a significant departure from the mindset that defined the company for decades.
“The idea that Stephen A. Smith makes $20 million a year would have been ridiculous,” Jones said. “Not that long ago, they would have told him, or anybody else, ‘Oh, we’ll find another of you.’ No, they don’t think they can do that anymore.”
ESPN has since introduced a direct-to-consumer platform and continues to manage long-term rights deals with major leagues, including a potential acquisition of a 10% by the NFL. While that evolution continues, Jones believes the network has become more conservative creatively.
While ESPN once experimented with original programming, he said today’s strategy increasingly relies on importing established voices rather than building new ones.
“It’s all people who already have their own thing somewhere else,” Jones said. “They’re out of ideas. Or at the very least, nobody is in the business of coming up with new ideas.”
Furthermore, Jones argued that the evolution of digital media has changed how talent emerges. Many of today’s most notable personalities build their audiences independently, which makes ESPN less of a career launching pad and more of an amplifying platform for those who already arrive with followings.
He noted the partnerships the network has created in recent years with Pat McAfee, and Bussin’ with the Boys as examples.
Despite his criticism, Jones acknowledged that ESPN remains a dominant brand with significant reach. However, he said the network’s hesitancy to take creative risks has reshaped its identity and diminished its ability to cultivate the next wave of homegrown stars.
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Bomani wouldn’t know from personal experience.