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.
media
63 articles
The Only Thing Russini Has Left to Protect
Dianna Russini says she'll tell her side of the Vrabel story once she has a new job -- but The Athletic already cleared her reporting months ago.
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.
Barkley Buried the Real News About Ernie Johnson
Charles Barkley says next season is his last on Inside the NBA, and buried inside that sentence, so is Ernie Johnson's. That's not an accident.
The Athletic Cleared Russini's Copy. Not the Relationship.
The Athletic's five-month review cleared Dianna Russini's reporting of every inaccuracy -- and still ruled her Vrabel relationship a clear standards violation.
Bill Simmons Is Under Review for the One Betting Sin
Bill Simmons admitted on his own podcast to using a proxy to bet through FanDuel. Now Massachusetts regulators are reviewing the state's most bet-friendly voice.
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.
The 'LA Doesn't Care' Argument Meets the Attendance Data
Every August, someone declares LA a bad sports town. Colin Cowherd pulled the attendance numbers this time, and we checked them ourselves first.
NFL Network Forgot to Show the Actual Football Game
NFL Network's broadcast crew missed Damar Hamlin's interception and a Steelers touchdown while running an extended beer ad. Here's who actually paid for it.
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.
Al Michaels Said One Sentence About a Lake and Broke Sports Twitter for Two Days
Al Michaels made one dry crack about Trump's Lake Ontario rename during a Browns-Patriots broadcast. Two days later, the reaction says more about us than him.
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.
Shannon Sharpe's Ring Take Skips the Hard Math
Shannon Sharpe says Jalen Brunson's ring beats Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP season. Ring-counting is the laziest habit in NBA media, and this take proves it.
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.
NBC Blew Its Michael Jordan Shot in One Interview
NBC landed Michael Jordan, aired one chopped-up interview all season, and he's reportedly not coming back. Not a ghosting. A plan that never existed.
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.
The Pacers Bet $9M on Fans Paying $120
The Pacers gave up a guaranteed $17M for an $8M floor and a 50-50 ad split with DAZN. Now they need fans to actually pay the $120, not just tune in.
Brenda Song's One Quarter in the Rams Booth Was a Test
Brenda Song called the third quarter of Rams-Saints on CBS. The real question isn't her fandom — it's whether one guest quarter tells CBS anything real.
It Now Costs Over $1,000 to Legally Watch the NFL
Watching every NFL game legally now takes ten subscriptions and north of a grand a season. The FCC chairman noticed. It's about time somebody did.
The Times Hadn't Lost in 50 Years. Now It Owes $9.25M.
A jury ordered The New York Times to pay Kai Spears $9.25 million after wrongly placing him at a fatal shooting. The paper calls it an honest mistake.
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.
Same Clip, Two Sports: How Outlets Split on Carrington
CNN and OutKick watched the same DiJonai Carrington ejection and filed two different stories. The split in the coverage says more than the foul did.
The WNBA Rule Enes Kanter Freedom Invented
Enes Kanter Freedom declared for the 2027 WNBA Draft citing a self-ID rule the league's CBA doesn't have. Conservative media ran with it anyway.
Megyn Kelly Called Caitlin Clark a Coward. Portnoy's Right.
Megyn Kelly called Caitlin Clark a coward for staying quiet on the trans-athlete debate. Dave Portnoy called that exactly what it was: nonsense.
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.
Clay Travis Doesn't Actually Want This Bet Settled
Clay Travis raised his bet to $10 million and a Minneapolis anchor called it sexist on air. Neither side needed the Aces to actually play the game.
Boston College Let a Rookie Coach End Two Careers
Boston College fired two broadcasters with 22 years on the job over Luke Murray's "losing mentality" complaint. The AD's statement doesn't actually deny it.
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.
CBS Already Built the Booth Without Romo
CBS says Tony Romo is on leave 'until further notice,' but it already handed the No. 1 booth to JJ Watt, who's one year into calling games at all.
Blue Jackets Cut Bob McElligott's Radio Job of 17 Years
The Blue Jackets cut 17-year radio voice Bob McElligott for a TV simulcast to save money that barely registers against an $8 billion league.
The Number WWE Would Rather You Not Notice
WWE keeps touting 149 million global views this year. It just won't mention that Raw itself is drawing fewer Netflix viewers than it did in 2025.
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.
USA Today Got Caitlin Clark Wrong Twice in Two Days
USA Today linked Caitlin Clark to Emmett Till, then falsely reported she skipped a WNBA event for a haircut. Same athlete, same week, same outlet.
Dundon Guts the Blazers' Broadcast Booth
Tom Dundon cut Michael Holton after 19 seasons and lowballed Kevin Calabro instead of paying him. The Blazers broadcast cuts read exactly like Carolina in 2018.
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.
41 Years Free. Tonight It Costs $8.99.
MLB just moved the Home Run Derby behind a Netflix paywall for the first time in 41 years. The one event that converted kids is now $8.99/month or you miss it.
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.
Bueckers Tied a 23-Year WNBA Record. The Silence Was Deafening.
Paige Bueckers just tied a 23-year-old WNBA efficiency record and the discourse barely blinked. That silence reveals something about how sports media assigns value.
Braxton Ashcraft Got Robbed. Skenes Agrees.
Braxton Ashcraft has a better ERA than Paul Skenes in 2026 and still didn't make the All-Star Game. Baseball picked its star early and won't reconsider.
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.
Marina Mabrey Scored 53. The World Moved On.
Marina Mabrey just tied the WNBA single-game scoring record with 53 points. The sports world barely flinched. That silence says more than any highlight reel.
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.
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.
Trinity Rodman Is Not a WAG
Trinity Rodman just became the world's highest-paid female soccer player. Media still calls her Ben Shelton's girlfriend. The category error is the whole story.
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 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.
Clark vs. Her Own Machine: What This Fight Reveals
Caitlin Clark called the media blatantly wrong. That is not a PR moment — it is a celebrity machine turning on those who built it. The reveal is the point.
Dan Le Batard Says Sports Journalism Is Dead. He Helped Kill It.
Le Batard declared sports journalism dead because streamers don't care about reporting. He streams on Peacock. The irony writes itself.
Will TNT Sports Survive the Paramount-WBD Merger? The Math Says No
The Paramount-WBD merger will combine CBS Sports and TNT Sports by Q3 2026. Here's why the TNT Sports brand is the most obvious casualty of consolidation.
Sports Illustrated Got Caught Plagiarizing With AI Again. Of Course It Did.
Sports Illustrated got caught using AI to plagiarize Sportico's reporting, then deleted the writer's entire existence. This is the second AI scandal for a brand that cannot stop doing this.
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.
The Backlash to The Atlantic's Gambling Piece Proves Its Point
McKay Coppins lost $9,891 gambling for The Atlantic. Gamblers calling it a 'hit piece' reveals how deeply normalized sports betting addiction has become.