ESPN was perfect the way it was before the nerds and sluts. . .
Thursday morning, ESPN laid off more than 100 employees, citing financial loses, ad drops and viewership decline as the main reason. For whatever reason, we’re still confused why the billion-dollar revenue stream would cut people out of their jobs, when the channel has become a complete joke this decade (see: ESPTMZ and not enough sports-focused coverage).
Through numerous Sports Center anchors, beat writers, columnist and even specific series have been cut – headlined by the likes of Jay Crawford, Marc Stein, Ed Werder, Britt McHenry, Jayson Stark and Andy Katz. We expected Fox Sports 1, NFL Network, MLB Network and NBA TV to immediately pick up some of the better ex-employees from the network and turn them back to gold.
One person who unfortunately received a bulk of the blame, was the face of the channel, Stephen A. Smith for being one of the main survivors of the cuts. While we’re assuming disgruntled former and current colleagues speaking about the situation behind-the-scenes, sports writer Jeff Pearlman was one of the main voices to speak out on Smith in regards to the layoffs.
Take a listen to Stephen A. responding to ritics of his power at Disney and much more.
Remember guys, watch UNDIPSUTED for NFL and First Take for NBA. Neither knows boxing.
I just saw what @jeffpearlman had to say about me. Can't wait to respond on my radio show in a few
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 27, 2017