Why all that talent is headed out the door at ESPN

[KamaAina]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/ct-espn-talent-leaving-20160428-story.html

If ESPN were one of the teams ESPN covers, it might describe itself as an organization "in transition," which is a dainty sports cliche that means the immediate future isn't as promising as the recent past.

One reason for pessimism: the "Worldwide Leader in Sports" has seen a steady drain of superstar talent over the past 10 months, an exodus that is occurring amid deeper structural changes that are eroding ESPN's once-unassailable fortress....

If this were the New York Yankees - and ESPN is to sports broadcasting what the Yankees are to baseball - fans would wonder if this dynasty was in trouble....

Yet ESPN's problems go deeper than the loss of a few hosts and talking heads. After years of raking in gargantuan profits, its lucrative empire is threatened by upheaval in the media and technology businesses.

[El Supremo]

1. I wouldn't call Skip Bayless "talent". n'm

[RockaFowler]

2. Mike Tirico is a big gain for NBC

But the only other loss I see is Olbermann

Simmons was getting tired. Bayless is just horrible on so many levels. Cowherd was always bad and LeBatard is 100x better than he ever was. And Whitlock was no big loss either.

[mythology]

6. Simmons is just awful, I mean really really awful as a writer

It's not just that he's an over the top homer (although he is to the point that it makes Peter King look objective when fawning over Tom Brady), but also he doesn't actually have any idea what he's talking about. It's actually kind of amazing how bad he is at having anything useful to say about sports.

Bayless is talentless. If ESPN is lucky, they will lose Stephen A Smith as part of this "talent" exodus.

[JonLP24]

8. Seen his new show on HBO

Bores me to death. A shame too because the topics are interesting and sometimes his guests are but he does the show in the style of his columns which leaves it very dull.

Plus I seem to disagree with most of what he has to say anyway.

[RockaFowler]

9. VERY DULL!

I fell asleep within the first 10 minutes

I love watching Sports Talk. This show is not that good at all

[Yavin4]

11. It's all dudes talking about other dudes all the time.

Just boring.

[marmar]

7. I interned at a newspaper where Whitlock was a staff sports writer.

He was a world-class asshole.

[joeybee12]

3. Good...ESPN stinks...nt

[KamaAina]

4. How dare you insult the Worldwide Lemur?

[joeybee12]

5. They make me

[madinmaryland]

10. Because it is now the El SuPremo Network. nt