Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • Home
    • About Us
    • Digital Subscription
    • Advertisement
    • Contact Us
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    The Tennessee TribuneThe Tennessee Tribune
    Advertise With Us
    • Home
      • COVID-19 Resource Center
        • Dr. Henry Louis Gates’ PSA Radio
      • Featured
    • News
      • State
      • Local
      • National/International News
      • Global
      • Business
        • Commentary
        • Finance
        • Local Business
      • Investigative Stories
        • Affordable Housing
        • DCS Investigation
        • Gentrification
    • Editorial
      • National Politics
      • Local News
      • Local Editorial
      • Political Editorial
      • Editorial Cartoons
      • Cycle of Shame
    • Community
      • History
      • Tennessee
        • Chattanooga
        • Clarksville
        • Knoxville
        • Memphis
      • Public Notices
      • Women
        • Let’s Talk with Ms. June
    • Education
      • College
        • American Baptist College
        • Belmont University
        • Fisk
        • HBCU
        • Meharry
        • MTSU
        • University of Tennessee
        • TSU
        • Vanderbilt
      • Elementary
      • High School
    • Lifestyle
      • Art
      • Auto
      • Tribune Travel
      • Entertainment
        • 5 Questions With
        • Books
        • Events
        • Film Review
        • Local Entertainment
      • Family
      • Food
        • Drinks
      • Health & Wellness
      • Home & Garden
      • Featured Books
    • Religion
      • National Religion
      • Local Religion
      • Obituaries
        • National Obituaries
        • Local Obituaries
      • Faith Commentary
    • Sports
      • MLB
        • Sounds
      • NBA
      • NCAA
      • NFL
        • Predators
        • Titans
      • NHL
      • Other Sports
      • Golf
      • Professional Sports
      • Sports Commentary
      • Metro Sports
    • Media
      • Video
      • Photo Galleries
      • Take 10
      • Trending With The Tribune
    • Classified
    • Obituaries
      • Local Obituaries
      • National Obituaries
    The Tennessee TribuneThe Tennessee Tribune
    Sports Commentary

    ESPN Cuts Reflect Triumph of Personality

    Ron WynnBy Ron WynnMay 18, 2017Updated:May 22, 2017No Comments4 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram Pinterest Tumblr Reddit Email
    John Skipper
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
    Advertisement

    There have been a host of stories written over the last few days about the massive cuts recently made at ESPN, the cable sports giant. A lot of folks have offered explanations for why more than 100 folks were laid off in this latest round, which follows another set of cuts made earlier on the production side.

    Some reasons being given include the impact of folks cutting their cable/satellite subscriptions, the monetary losses being suffered by increasing rights fees being paid to sports leagues, even political fallout for ESPN’s supposed “liberal” bias (a joke considering they are a multi-national corporation about as far from expressing a socialist/leftist worldview as possible).

    But one thing that hasn’t been discussed quite as much but should concern those who think that any supposed news entity should be more in the information business than anything was something said by ESPN President John Skipper regarding a prime factor in the decision process regarding who stayed and who left. It wasn’t experience, knowledge, even on-air presence. No the main thing that Skipper cited was “personality.” Now personality isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and certainly television is an entertainment medium and that has to be factored into any decision.

    However ESPN likes to pretend that it is more a news organization than anything else. Certainly it broadcasts a bunch of games in multiple sports, but they have touted “SportsCenter” in particular and the realm of sports reporting in general as the main focus of what they do. So it was quite informative that in deciding which people they would retain and who would be let go, personality played more of a role in the decision making than anything else.

    In fact, personality and versatility were the qualities that were repeatedly cited in a letter Skipper released to the general media.  “Dynamic change demands an increased focus on versatility and value,” Skipper’s memo read. “And as a result, we have been engaged in the challenging process of determining the talent—anchors, analysts, reporters, writers and those who handle play-by-play—necessary to meet those demands.”

    Taken another way, people who specialize in a particular sport or whose expertise is grounded in knowledge and experience, but aren’t necessarily humorists or interested in being part of shouting matches, aren’t necessarily what the company’s looking for at this point. While versatility is certainly a good thing, not everyone knows everything about all sports. You run the risk of having someone discussing something without truly knowing what they are talking about, or misinterpreting or distorting information and ultimately giving the audience a false picture of what they are covering.

    A prime example of what Skipper’s emphasizing can be seen in the decision to drop baseball analyst Doug Glanville and basketball analyst Len Elmore. Both were gifted, educated and articulate observers, but neither was big on glib comments, inserting pop culture references into their analysis, trying to be funny at the expense of information, or engaging in heated “hot take” responses. Here’s a list of some people that are highly valued in the new ESPN world. Sportscenter with Scott Van Pelt, Sportscenter hosts Jemele Hill and Michael Smith, radio hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic, and First Take, which includes fiery commentators such as Stephen A. Smith. According to ESPN, this group brings humor, inflammatory comments, and opinions in addition to the news across TV, radio, and social media.

    While I have nothing against any of those people, and I regularly listen to the podcasts of Hill and Smith, as well as Bomani Jones and the two Mikes, I fail to understand why ALL content on ESPN has to be the same. It’s a shame there doesn’t seem room anymore for those more interested in giving insight and information more so than edgy rhetoric and pungent opinions.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Ron Wynn

    Related Posts

    Fisk makes more athletic history

    March 13, 2025

    Rooney rule under scrutiny

    February 12, 2025

    Carthon made scapegoat for Titans disaster

    January 16, 2025

    Titans need major overhaul

    December 11, 2024

    Americans take gold in both men’s, women’s basketball

    August 14, 2024

    Biles returns another huge Olympic story

    July 18, 2024

    Comments are closed.

    Business

    Charlotte Knight Griffin Takes Office as TBA President-Elect

    June 30, 2025

    EXCLUSIVE OP-ED: President Joe Biden Commemorating Juneteenth

    June 19, 2025

    FUNdraising Good Times Report from Neighborhoods USA Conference in Jacksonville

    June 4, 2025
    1 2 3 … 384 Next
    Education
    Featured

    Fisk University Welcomes Antonio Barrino to Lead Band Program and Expand Music Education

    By adminJuly 7, 2025

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Fisk University proudly announces the appointment of Antonio Barrino to the Department of…

    Austin Peay’s MPH program receives $27K for childhood literacy initiative. Community LIFT Project to be implemented at Head Start centers this fall

    June 30, 2025

    TSU, State, reach agreement to reallocate $96M to school

    June 26, 2025

    TSU student lands prestigious internship at Harvard Medical School

    June 25, 2025
    The Tennessee Tribune
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • About Us
    • Digital Subscription
    • Store
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact
    © 2025 The Tennessee Tribune - Site Designed by No Regret Media.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Our Spring Sale Has Started

    You can see how this popup was set up in our step-by-step guide: https://wppopupmaker.com/guides/auto-opening-announcement-popups/