ESPN has done more than stick their toe in the political water, they have jumped straight in and their ratings are showing it…
On Wednesday ESPN fired over 100 writers, anchors, and analysts, including some big names at the network. Among those fired were Ed Werder, Trent Dilfer, Danny Kannell, Doug Padilla and NHL reporters Scott Burnside, Pierre LeBrun and Joe McDonald. This reflects larger trends such as cord cutting, and the need to modernize the sports center format in the age of the internet and easily available information. However, the decline in numbers is also a direct result of the increasingly polarized political stance taken by the network, which has been in deep conflict with their original model of pure sports coverage.
The network already faces problems from trivial debates among their talking heads, annoying personalities, and wannabe comedians, but at least those problems are related to reporting on and analyzing sports. Their political conversations, however, have even less to do with sports and as a consequence people have tuned out. Studies demonstrate that 60% of viewers feel that ESPN leans too far left, which is especially grating because sports fans are more conservative on average. The rub: ESPN revenue is down 11% this year, which translates to over a billion dollars and 16% in ratings.
Some commenters have said that ESPN has turned into MSESPN. Their coverage of the Colin Kaepernick national anthem saga was a prime example of their problem. Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem and took an innocuous civic ritual and turned it into a political football. Instead of remaining committed to covering sports, covering the political implications lightly, or at least providing more balanced political coverage, ESPN launched into a full blown circus of coverage that was almost completely devoid of conservative opinions and criticism of what many people saw as not only silly, but deeply disrespectful behavior.
ESPN commentators Mike and Jemele were some of Kaepernick’s loudest supporters and are frequently proponents of leftist thought. Appearing to double down on their political values, ESPN has now given Mike and Jemele their own prime time show as part of the retooled sports center.
Many people watch sports to avoid the stress in their daily lives. Sporting contests let Americans of different colors, economic backgrounds, and political leanings set aside their differences and daily problems to join together in a common event. Politicizing sports destroys that neutral ground in favor of yet more sanctimonious preaching from liberals. If Trump’s election showed the elites anything, it should have been that many Americans, particularly whites and conservatives, are sick of the moral lectures from elites and liberals. It is especially aggravating when it comes from a sports network that people have come to for news related to their team and other prominent sports headlines. Until ESPN understands this truth, they will continue to lose viewers.
