Copyright outkick
Earlier this week, ESPN president of content Burke Magnus shared several updates about the company in an interview with The Athletic. Most notably, Magnus confirmed that ESPN could move Scott Van Pelt’s "SportsCenter" from midnight to 5 p.m. You can read our full analysis of that possibility here. During the discussion, Magnus also mentioned that while the company has broader plans for the 5 p.m. time slot, the 30-minute block is up 16% year over year compared to "Around the Horn." ESPN canceled "ATH" in May and has since aired a temporary edition of "SportsCenter" in its place. The success of the new program is noteworthy given the reaction from some media figures and blogs, which criticized ESPN’s decision to cancel "Around the Horn." "I’m admittedly biased, but this is progressive voices and people of color you’re taking off TV," former ESPN commentator Sarah Spain said following the cancellation. "I don’t know for sure that’s their intention, but are you so scared of getting called ‘woke’?" ESPN does not appear too concerned about the "woke" label. If it were, the company likely would not continue to show favoritism toward its more liberal commentators. That said, Spain raised a valid point. When "Around the Horn" launched in 2002, it offered a valuable platform for newspaper columnists to transition to television. Over time, however, the show evolved into a vehicle to feature, as Spain noted, any progressive voice and person of color at the network. In general, setting ideological alignment and skin color as prerequisites is not a recipe for success, especially for a sports show. In its later years, "ATH" failed to maintain credibility or audience engagement as a result. The show's content was embarrassing and had no place on sports-talk television. Segments included Spain calling Tampa Bay Rays players "bigots" for not wearing a Pride patch, J.A. Adande comparing red-state voting laws to China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims, Mina Kimes citing inaccurate information about the Trump administration, Kate Fagan arguing for trans inclusion in sports, and David Dennis Jr. claiming Caitlin Clark had a responsibility to defend black women who criticized her because of her "privilege." "Around the Horn" made the same mistake as many programs do: it ignored the interests of everyday viewers in favor of a small online audience. Regular people turn to sports for an escape. Not to hear about why the GOP is just as ruthless as the Chinese Communist Party. (How was Adande not fired on the spot? Seriously?) The improvement in ratings after the show's cancellation is consistent with a broader pattern. ESPN’s audience metrics routinely increase after canceling a show that focuses more on sociopolitics, race, and cultural issues than sports. And, oddly enough, there have been several. For instance, in 2018, the company canceled "SC6" with Jemele Hill and Michael Smith and replaced them with Sage Steele. Viewership rose 18% immediately after the change. Ratings increased by 30% when ESPN moved "High Noon" with Bomani Jones and Pablo Torre from noon to 4 p.m., and by another 20% when the show was later canceled. ESPN Radio also saw a 30–40% rise in listenership after replacing "The Right Time with Bomani Jones" with "The Will Cain Show." Similarly, ratings improved by double digits when "Highly Questionable with Dan Le Batard" ended in 2021. Need any more examples? Woke sports don't work. Woke sports have never worked. Data indicates that only about 8 to 10% of Americans align with progressive "woke" viewpoints. Programming designed for such a small demographic is unsustainable. ESPN appears to recognize this. Plans to elevate commentators like Peter Schrager, Laura Rutledge and Brian Windhorst suggest a shift toward talent and away from identity. These hosts likely hold personal political views, but they keep them separate from commentary — a quality that has become increasingly rare and valuable in sports broadcasting. Still, several on-air personalities continue to echo the commentary that contributed to the decline of "Around the Horn." These include Ryan Clark, Elle Duncan, Mark Jones, David Dennis Jr. and Monica McNutt (the sports reporter who never heard of Barry Sanders). Should ESPN decide to move on from these contributors, the network would likely see another significant increase in viewers.
