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Topline
A new wave of cuts to high-profile on-air personalities at ESPN on Tuesday has ignited criticism against the network for shedding longtime familiar faces as the company appears primed to double down on expensive talent like Pat McAfee, whose brash takes and hypermasculine brand has made him a star among the network’s core demographic of young men.
ESPN analyst Pat McAfee on Dec. 29, 2023 in Arlington, Texas.
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Key Facts
ESPN on Tuesday announced its first round of layoffs since acquiring the NFL Network earlier this year, and viewers were shocked to learn numerous prominent and long-standing on-air personalities were among those let go.
Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton, who’d signed a multi-year extension with ESPN last August; 33-year veteran MLB announcer Karl Ravech; and longtime NFL analyst Tom Pelissero were among those laid off.
Former NFL safety Ryan Clark, who’d been with the network 11 years, learned that he was being laid off midway through his appearance on NFL Live on Monday and did not finish the show, in a move that fans have since called “diabolical” and “so wrong.”
As the list of those laid off grows, the timing of the cuts has turned heads: ESPN is reportedly negotiating a record-breaking contract extension worth between $60 million and $65 million per year for McAfee, host of a popular show that bears his name.
McAfee, who has been described as an "extension" of the Trump-aligned “manosphere” due to his brash persona, anti-political correctness messaging and loyal following of young men, has established a valuable niche at ESPN by drawing the younger audiences advertisers crave to cable television, where viewers typically skew older.
Fingers were also pointed at McAfee following a 2023 wave of layoffs that included several on-air personalities that were household names among sports fans and came shortly after he signed his existing, $30 million-per-year contract.
At the time, he responded on social media by saying "our goal is that 'mass exits' are never a thing again."
WHO WAS LAID OFF AT ESPN?
Cam Newton—NFL analyst and former Carolina Panthers quarterback
Ryan Clark—NFL analyst and former Pittsburgh Steelers safety
Karl Ravech—MLB play-by-play announcer and “Baseball Tonight” host
Tom Pelissero—NFL Network insider
Stephania Bell—NFL injury analyst and physician who had been a fixture on ESPN's NFL coverage
David Lloyd—SportsCenter anchor
Charles Davis—NFL Network analyst and draft expert
Bart Scott—NFL analyst and radio co-host
Andreas Hale—Boxing, MMA and professional wrestling reporter
Dan Hajducky—ESPN.com staff writer
Key background
ESPN in January acquired NFL Network, NFL RedZone and the NFL’s fantasy football business in a deal that gave the league a 10% equity stake in ESPN. The integration brought hundreds of NFL Media employees under ESPN’s umbrella, and chairman Jimmy Pitaro blamed the acquisition for the layoffs in a memo to employees Tuesday obtained by Forbes.
TANGENT
Though he’s not as directly tied to the movement as names like Andrew Tate, Joe Rogan and Theo Von, McAfee benefits from an audience overlap with the so-called "manosphere,” a loosely-defined network of podcasts, influencers and online communities centered on men’s issues, masculinity and politics. In recent years, the manosphere’s audience has become increasingly commercially valuable as media companies and advertisers compete for the attention of young men—a demographic that has shifted away from traditional television in favor of podcasts, YouTube and creator-driven content. Critics argue the manosphere often promotes misogyny and far-right politics disguised as a welcoming alternative to mainstream media. McAfee is not generally considered a manosphere creator, but media journalists at The Guardian described The Pat McAfee Show as "an extension” of the community and argued that his appeal reflects ESPN's broader effort to attract younger male viewers. The essay, titled "How the rightwing sports bro conquered America,” highlighted how some of McAfee's rhetoric—including calling WNBA star Caitlin Clark a “white bitch” and amplifying stories that degrade women—appeal to a similar conservative audience.
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