Nearly two years after being laid off by ESPN, Joon Lee has reemerged, sharing his thoughts on an industry he feels has become “broken.” After being let go by the Worldwide Leader in July 2023, Lee expressed his concerns through a series of videos on social media. He highlighted issues like the overwhelming presence of sports gambling advertisements and the abundance of hot takes diluting meaningful sports discourse.
Lee lamented, “For decades, it felt like sports were always about more than who won, who lost and the box score. Sports were a place to tell stories about underdogs and dynasties and heartbreak and redemption. And it feels like, at least right now, the entire industry has lost sight of that.” He emphasized that the discussions around sports have become repetitive and narrow, pointing out, “We’re overloaded with hot takes,” as he reflected on the diminishing quality of journalism due to layoffs and increased paywalls.
Gambling isn’t the only thing warping sports.
We’re overloaded with hot takes.
I love a good hot take, but as more and more reporters get laid off and more journalism gets put behind a paywall, the only thing we’re left with is arguments.
The same debates. Every. Single. Day. pic.twitter.com/SnHrWal8Gn
— Joon Lee (@joonlee) April 2, 2025
Despite these challenges, Lee remains optimistic, celebrating the incredible talents of athletes like Shohei Ohtani, Patrick Mahomes, and Victor Wembanyama, among others. He aims to create a solution for fans who share his frustrations by launching an independent sports journalism YouTube channel. “I want to build a community that values the joy around sports and reminds us why we fell in love with them in the first place,” he stated.
On his channel, viewers can anticipate deep-dive interviews and insightful stories featuring players, coaches, executives, and fans. Lee is committed to maintaining transparency and integrity, opting out of gambling sponsorships to preserve trust with his audience. “I want to center trust again between me and you,” he affirmed, stressing the importance of unbiased storytelling.
Lee added, “I believe we can make sports media fun again. I can’t do this alone — I mean, I don’t want to do it alone. So if you are tired of all the noise, if you miss feeling connected to sports, join me.”
So I’m starting something new: an independent sports journalism YouTube channel.
No gambling sponsors, so you can trust that I’m telling you the truth and holding nothing back.
Storytelling, curiosity, and reporting making sense of everything happening in sports pic.twitter.com/LlAEfsfFwJ
— Joon Lee (@joonlee) April 2, 2025
Lee’s ambitions for his channel are commendable and certainly worth keeping an eye on as the project develops. In the meantime, you can subscribe to his YouTube channel here.
