The CFP Handed ESPN the Real Decision
The Big Ten wants 24 teams, the SEC wants 16 -- and both conferences just agreed ESPN gets first crack at negotiating whichever number they eventually land on.
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38 articles
Cam Newton Is Turning Into the Guy Who Laid Him Off
Brandon Marshall called out Cam Newton for turning into today's real-time Stephen A. Smith over a recycled 2012 Pro Bowl story on his own podcast.
ESPN Gave Pat McAfee Everything But the Real Booth
ESPN keeps expanding Pat McAfee's Monday footprint, from Countdown to a reported ESPN2 alt-cast, while Joe Buck and Troy Aikman's booth never moves.
Stephen A. Smith Was Sad. He Wasn't Sorry.
Stephen A. Smith said he's 'not happy' Ryan Clark got laid off. He never once mentioned his $100 million contract. That's not an accident.
ESPN Just Picked the Worst Week to Raise Prices
ESPN is raising streaming prices right as the NFL season begins, and the timing, not just the dollar amount, is the real story worth paying attention to here.
ESPN Fired the Analysts, Then Paid Pat McAfee More
ESPN laid off Ryan Clark live, mid-broadcast, then handed his old desk's biggest new microphone to Pat McAfee. That's not a coincidence, it's a budget line.
ESPN Killed the Ticker. It Wasn't About Clutter.
ESPN says pulling the BottomLine ticker is about a cleaner picture. I think it's the network admitting it's done being the place where you check other scores.
ESPN Denies a WWE Rumor Nobody Was Panicking About
ESPN called a report that it's dumping WWE in 2030 'categorically false.' The denial is real, but nobody was asking yet, and that's the actual story.
The Thumbs Down Award Stephen A. Smith Couldn't Let Go
NABJ gave Stephen A. Smith a 'Thumbs Down' award for disparaging Black women. He vowed revenge on Fox News. Neither move is the plot twist it thinks it is.
Pat McAfee Joins a Desk ESPN Already Made Whole
ESPN already refilled Ryan Clark's old chair with Jason McCourty. Adding Pat McAfee anyway, right before Super Bowl LXI, isn't needed. It's a bet.
ESPN Fired Ryan Clark Live On Air. That Was the Point.
ESPN says Ryan Clark's exit was a layoff. Clark says he was fired live on NFL Live because they were scared of a leak. Only one of those is cowardice.
ESPN Cut Damien Woody Loose After 15 Years
Damien Woody's ESPN contract won't be renewed after 15 years. The network's explanation is corporate fog — and it's happening to more than just him.
ESPN's Revenge Plot Proves Rodgers Right
ESPN executives are reportedly sulking over Aaron Rodgers calling their Vrabel-Russini coverage gutless. Their revenge plan is confirming every word he said.
McAfee Says the Blame Game Isn't Funny. The Math Still Is
ESPN cut five recognizable names while reportedly paying Pat McAfee three times Stephen A. Smith's rate. He says the blame game isn't funny.
ESPN Grabbed Every WPBL Game. Only 11 Are Free.
ESPN locked up the entire first WPBL season, playoffs included, behind a paywall. Only 11 low-stakes games are free anywhere. That's not a programming plan.
ESPN Won't Say Why Clark Isn't in Its Own Documentary
ESPN's new WNBA documentary skips Caitlin Clark entirely, and nobody involved will explain why. The silence says more than any real answer could.
ESPN Handed the Savannah Bananas Three Minutes an Athlete Tribute Needed
The Savannah Bananas got three full minutes at the ESPYs while actual athletes got squeezed. Dave Portnoy led the backlash, and honestly, he's right.
Stephen A. Smith Just Said the Quiet Part About ESPN
ESPN laid off a handful of veteran voices, then reportedly discussed paying Pat McAfee three times what Stephen A. Smith earns. Smith noticed the math out loud.
ESPN Fired Ryan Clark Live On-Air, Then Called It a Layoff
ESPN folded Ryan Clark's firing into a layoff wave so nobody had to own the call. His own account, plus Stephen A. Smith and Emmanuel Acho, blew that up.
ESPN's Layoffs Let a Reporter Fire Karl Ravech For Them
ESPN let a reporter tell Karl Ravech he might be fired after 33 years. Tom Pelissero got cut too. The company can't even manage its own bad news.
Linda Cohn Is Gone. ESPN Didn't Notice.
Linda Cohn anchored 5,500 SportsCenter editions over 34 years. She left quietly while ESPN was busy signing Stephen A. Smith to $100 million.
Fox Paid $485M for the World Cup. ESPN Showed Up Anyway.
Fox paid $485M for World Cup exclusivity. ESPN ran 42 shows about it anyway. Fox denied FOS's report. FOS stood firm. That denial tells you everything.
The AI Got the Winner Wrong. ESPN Blamed the Human.
ESPN deployed AI to write game recaps. It credited the wrong team as the winner. The spokesperson said a human published it. This is the whole story.
ESPN Didn't Just Buy NFL Network. They Moved In.
ESPN closed its LA Live studios and is moving 160 employees into the Hollywood Park building it bought from the NFL. The theoretical wall is now a zip code.
Marcellus Wiley, Arrested Without Bond
Marcellus Wiley spent 15 years at ESPN and Fox judging athletes. He was arrested July 4 on domestic battery charges. Seven accusers. No bond.
Fox vs. ESPN: The World Cup Broadcast War
Fox paid $485 million for exclusive World Cup rights. ESPN responded with America 250 content on July 4th. Neither side is pretending this isn't a war.
Linda Cohn Left ESPN. The Job Left First.
Linda Cohn's last day at ESPN is today. She stayed 34 years through a network that replaced her job with argument. That's not a tribute — it's a diagnosis.
Linda Cohn's Exit Quote Is ESPN's Eulogy
Linda Cohn ESPN retirement after 5,500 SportsCenter episodes ended not with celebration but a quiet indictment of what Bristol became.
Stephen A. Told the WNBA to Fall in Line
Stephen A. told the WNBA they couldn't afford to rock the boat. The players ignored him, got a historic CBA, and he praised it. Who was the advice really for?
Fox Has the World Cup. ESPN Has the Draft.
Fox spent $485M on the World Cup. ESPN is airing the NBA Draft tonight instead. The most chaotic media story of the summer, hiding in plain sight.
ESPN Finally Shows Up for Women's Sports
ESPN replaced Sunday Night Baseball with Women's Sports Sundays. The WNBA's been there for 30 years. The numbers finally forced the industry to catch up.
Fox Sports and ESPN Are Fighting Over Who Made It Rain
Fox is mad ESPN didn't cover the 2026 World Cup enough. ESPN says FIFA's rules made it impossible. Scott Van Pelt drew goals on a whiteboard.
Stephen A. Said Sorry. The Machine Keeps Running.
Stephen A. Smith apologized to Jalen Brunson on national TV. Brunson answered in four words. The machine already has its next take lined up.
Fox Ran Ads Over the World Cup Then Blamed ESPN
Fox paid $485M to own the World Cup, ran ads over live action on day one, got away with it, and still blamed ESPN. Here's who's actually failing American soccer fans.
ESPN Is Paying McAfee $60M and Firing Everyone
ESPN is in Pat McAfee contract extension talks worth $60M/year while laying off workers again. This isn't a contradiction. This is the entire business model.
ESPN Bought the Empire. Now They're Firing the People Who Built It.
ESPN spent $3 billion to buy NFL Network, RedZone, and NFL Films. The people who built that audience are now in panic mode waiting for the axe.
Shams Charania Spoiled the MVP Announcement Because of Course He Did
Blake Griffin told Shams Charania to 'go to brunch, you nerd' after ESPN's insider spoiled the SGA MVP announcement hours before Amazon's planned reveal.
WWE Fans Now Need Three Subscriptions to Watch Everything, and It Costs Nearly $1,000 a Year
WWE's move from Peacock to ESPN's $29.99/month streaming service means fans need Netflix, cable, and ESPN to watch all WWE content, costing nearly $1,000 a year.