Category: Sports Media

ESPN’s Curious Timing

Now, far be it from me to tell John Skipper, the president of ESPN, how he should run his business. But, releasing some of your most competent, respected hockey reporters, during the most high-profile portion of the NHL season, seems to be not the wisest of management decisions.

It has been a long-running joke that ESPN has not had hockey as a priority item in their view since they ceased to broadcast live NHL games in 2004. After reading an article regarding the second round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs on the ESPN.com website, I read some of the comments on the related comment board. The nature of the comments spoke to the issue of ESPN having no more hockey reporters. So, I figured that these comments were figurative in nature, related to the less than enthusiastic treatment (real and perceived) of the NHL by ESPN, for more than a decade.

However, it was to my amazement to find out that ESPN has chosen to separate multiple staffers from their employment with the company, including long-time hockey reporters Pierre LeBrun, Scott Burnside, and Joe McDonald. All three contributed to the article I had just read, which was posted today, Wednesday, April 26, 2017.

While the most recent personnel are part of a greater upheaval at the company, which includes a stylistic revamping of the flagship SportsCenter program, and, the impending split of long-time morning show duo Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic, it appears to be a less than well-thought-out move to ax competent contributors of content, during a time when they would have maximum value to the operation.

The headcount reduction is being done to offset increased programming costs and lost subscriber revenue, points detailed in this March 2017 Bloomberg.com/Bloomberg BusinessWeek article. But the timing is curious, and, unfortunate for those seeking information and opinion about the NHL’s most prominent season.