It was not a matter of if, but when. The veritable sports television entertainment venue ESPN recently executed a massive series of layoffs due to plummeting ratings, high overhead costs and the proclivity of stagnant content lodged in a 1990’s frightening loop of listless schtick composed of Chris Berman’s “pun” with names games, the nightly top-10 and Chris Mortensen’s incessant pursuit of Brett Favre. Add to the volatile mix a hefty dose of PC apologist content and the recipe spells doom for the once fixture in the American living room for everything sports. Deadspin.com offers this continually updated list of official casualties at Bristol.
Of course the cable giant is a mere subsidiary of the vast universe of the Disney Corporation, but has alienated a large proportion of audience in echoing the sentiments of the politically correct movement and even going as far as to validate the childish and anti-American stance of NFL flunky Colin Kaepernick towards the National Anthem. Not only does the network promote an edgy political bias, but achieves geographical segregation by devoting the majority of airtime to athletes and teams in the Central and Eastern time zones. The ongoing joke between sporting consumers is that the call letters should be changed to ESECN in celebrating the too close for comfort agreement with the Southeastern Conference which compromises objectivity, or replacing the current broadcast programming slogan with”Lebron and LaVar all day and all night”. Rumor has it that the network is building the framework in its extensive programming laboratory for a new reality series featuring the former Bruce Jenner and the elder Ball called “Who’s Your Daddy?”
In the wake of content teeming with sentiments of apologists and race baiters, viewers have discovered other methods of watching live games and sports content sans the political commentary, thanks to direct competitors and technological advances in streaming technology. Other than filling the void of a nearly empty bars or taverns on weeknights with vapid background noise, with the countless number of choices available to the consumer in feeding an insatiable lust for sports information, the network and contrived atmosphere fueled by a holier than thou attitude is simply not relevant anymore.
Jeff Reynolds of PJ Media authored this extensive story as to why ESPN is in serious trouble.
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