The First Take segment was such a parody, it could’ve been a skit on SNL. The day after Alex Ovechkin broke the NHL’s all-time scoring record, P.K. Subban was in studio. A quintessentially hatable Montreal Canadian, the NHL vet has taken his agitator act to TV, where he routinely lambasts the supposedly “me first” guys in the NBA. Given ESPN’s history of neglecting the NHL, Subban is probably the best hope for hockey fans, appearing on the network’s signature studio show to debate… LeBron James. What?!
“LeBron’s great, but he ain’t Kobe, he ain’t Jordan for me,” Subban blustered, defending his all-time NBA player rankings. Shannon Sharpe, a 14-year NFL Hall of Fame player, pushed back vociferously.
“LeBron’s great, but he ain’t Kobe, he ain’t Jordan… yeah I did, I put Kobe ahead of him!” – P.K. Subban joins First Take for some hockey talk pic.twitter.com/2lfYaeS5Pw
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 7, 2025
The loud, inaudible argument between two decorated ex-athletes encapsulates the current sports media landscape. Recently, AA’s Matt Yoder pointed out that sports media has no idea how to discuss the NBA. As the Ovechkin segment illustrates, they also struggle to talk about the NHL, MLB, tennis, golf, or anything outside of the NFL and big-time college football. Ironically, the sports media scene seems to be losing its grip on… sports.
How did we get here?
The landscape has always been tilted… but it’s way worse now
We’re referring to the talking heads in “national sports media”– a dying breed within a collapsing ecosystem that serves primarily betting sponsors and the leagues themselves. 21st-century ESPN has consistently favored specific topics. Multiple studies during the Tebow years confirmed the channel nearly dedicated itself to the controversial QB, with viewership reportedly increasing whenever he was discussed. When it wasn’t Tebow, the focus shifted to big-ticket items: the Cowboys, LeBron James, Durant, Peyton Manning, and underperforming New York teams. AA conducted a project showing sports media is still obsessed with the Cowboys, perhaps more than ever.
However, like every dopamine-driven trend, the pattern accelerated during Covid. Over the past decade, ESPN has seen an avalanche of talent loss, including Bill Simmons, Jemele Hill, Dan Le Batard, Bomani Jones, and many others. This shrinking roster is exacerbated by ESPN’s cancellation of Outside the Lines in 2023.
Almost all of these personalities and shows were rooted in journalism, contributing to thorough reporting efforts. Now, with dwindling offerings at ESPN, FS1, and other outlets devoid of wrestling characters like Pat McAfee and Stephen A. Smith, the focus seems misplaced. ESPN, once cautious about its personalities overshadowing the brand, now pays SAS and McAfee nearly $40 million per year.
They have the formula, built around feuds over the Cowboys and LeBron. Brian Windhorst, known for his connection to LeBron, noted this past fall that the industry doesn’t value storytelling. “Everything is too short right now. People are too focused on tweets, highlights, social media posts, rather than chronicling the season and learning about players,” he noted on Giannis’ brother’s YouTube show.
Windhorst became a fleeting character in LeBron’s memorable interview with McAfee, where the best player ever called out SAS in a lengthy smack fest.
“This guy who says he’s my f-cking best friend. These guys are just weird.”
LeBron James on Brian Windhorst 😂 pic.twitter.com/jrQgLgG1mc
— Underdog (@Underdog) March 26, 2025
The segment, while shocking, followed a predictable pattern. SAS and LeBron had exchanged barbs for weeks, including at a Lakers game where LeBron confronted SAS, who then fanned the flames with an uninterrupted 15-minute monologue on First Take. Now, SAS isn’t even ranting about the Lakers or Knicks anymore—it’s all about… himself!
Stephen A. Smith on LeBron James: “I suggest that he be happy with the things that I haven’t brought up. I never brought up really and never really discussed why you were not at Kobe Bryant’s memorial service…” pic.twitter.com/Wji02Zidej
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 27, 2025
In a fractured world, the talent is the show
The NBA’s ratings crisis was the most overblown story of the year. After all the concern, NBA national TV ratings remain steady with last season’s figures. Yet outside the NFL and major college football, overall sports viewership is dwindling, with leagues becoming increasingly regional. It’s common knowledge.
Moreover, games are growing harder to access. Fubo doesn’t carry WBD networks, giving YouTube TV a monopoly on sports fans… for $82.99 monthly. This frustration translates across every city in the U.S., as regional sports networks have lost 97% of their value in just seven years.
A case in point is the Red Sox, a franchise with a dedicated following that is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to watch. Earlier this year, Xfinity in Boston bumped the team’s network, NESN, to a higher tier. This move resulted in New England sports fans with Xfinity incurring an additional $20 monthly charge atop their existing cable bills. For cord-cutters, NESN is available on Fubo, but not YouTube TV, posing an issue for Boston fans, especially as the NBA champion Celtics gear up for another playoff run accessible only on… TNT!
Unfortunately, TNT isn’t available on Fubo or Hulu but is accessible on YouTube. This situation creates a Kafkaesque nightmare. For those who have YouTube and still want to catch the Red Sox and Bruins, there’s the NESN 360 app. However, it costs $30 monthly and isn’t available on LG TVs, requiring Roku, Apple TV, or similar services. This process is cumbersome, costly, and reflects the struggles faced by fans across the nation.
On the flip side, who is accessible on YouTube, cable, and all social media platforms? Pat McAfee, delivering outrageous highlights, explosive clips, and quotes from the stars themselves. It’s worth noting that McAfee recently held an arena show in Pittsburgh with more than 10,000 attendees.
There are no storylines if nobody is looking
When Brian Windhorst spoke with Thanasis Antetokounmpo, he lamented the lost art of storytelling. Players are now more visible than ever, yet the daily happenings of most teams are enveloped in increasing anonymity. The Thunder are a prime example; despite being one of the best teams in NBA history, they rarely receive recognition outside of a lone Mike Greenberg soliloquy on Get Up!
Recently, Thunder players addressed their media coverage issues on The Young Man and The Three podcast, with Alex Caruso pointing out that it’s “become cool not to watch basketball.” The situation is compounded by Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal consistently criticizing the current product on Inside the NBA, the league’s flagship studio show.
“I think a lot of it is the national media, they don’t watch the games either if we’re being honest.” — Jalen Williams on the impact of the media on the current landscape of the NBA pic.twitter.com/6CSJvcbn9k
— TheYoungManAndTheThree (@OldManAndThree) April 5, 2025
In terms of recognition, the battle between Shaq, Barkley, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is profoundly lopsided. The studio figures have brands significantly larger than the players they cover, and the in-season drama between LeBron and Stephen A. likely garnered more attention than the Thunder did this year.
Speaking of attention, I won’t dwell on the sob story regarding newspaper closures. We know that newspaper employment has plummeted 80% in the last 35 years. It’s been a slow, painful decline.
Yes, SI officially became a dead brand in 2024, but it had been largely irrelevant for years prior. The more pressing issue is there are fewer outlets to fill these voids. Even The Athletic has undergone major layoffs recently, shifting focus to immediate reactions and breaking news.
To illustrate with Boston again, the Globe has been shrinking for years, and the Herald is limping along. For about a decade, RSNs funded extensive coverage of all teams, especially NBC Sports Boston, which heavily invested in local programming and talent. However, over the years, they’ve let go of veteran Celtics, Bruins, and Red Sox reporters, along with local anchors and shows.
NESN has also laid off its entire editorial staff, resulting in a lack of original programming beyond game broadcasts. Meanwhile, “The Sports Hub” and WEEI, once fully staffed, have become mere shadows of their former selves.
Platforms for those who genuinely cover games are shrinking, especially in Bristol. As Around the Horn prepares to bid farewell next month, the sole relic of the mid-aughts remains PTI, led by 66-year-old Michael Wilbon and 76-year-old Tony Kornheiser. Once upon a time, ESPN would integrate emerging sportswriters into their programming; now, they showcase active athletes. The equivalent of a modern Bob Ryan simply isn’t showing up. Instead, we see Marcus Morris, who has his own takes.
