Menu
Media

ESPN Continues To Shut Out Noise Surrounding Presidency Amid Recent Instability

Interim ESPN President George Bodenheimer's appearance on the sidelines before the Alabama-Georgia CFP title game last week "projected an aura of calm and stability for a network that has not experienced calm and stability for weeks," according to Ourand & Smith in this week's SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. ESPN President John Skipper's "stunning exit and revelation that he suffered from a substance abuse problem flooded ESPN's headquarters with angst during the network's busiest period of the year." No one "knows who will be ESPN's next president" and nobody from ESPN has even been "contacted about applying for the position yet." But even with that uncertainty, the "mantra among both ESPN executives and staffers has been to keep their heads down and shut out all of the noise around Disney's search for a new president." Bodenheimer's "steady influence and reassuring presence already has been felt by the rank-and-file and has helped keep the network on track" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 1/15 issue).

STILL UNANSWERED QUESTIONS: In N.Y., Hannah Withiam notes author Jim Miller has "gone on the record doubting Skipper's 'addiction' was his downfall, wondering in a first-person account why Skipper would not just take a leave of absence to deal with his issue." If not an addiction problem, was Skipper's handling of ESPN's latest controversies -- "SC6" host Jemele Hill's "suspension for a second violation following her tweets calling President Trump a 'white supremacist' and the abrupt cancellation" of Barstool Van Talk the "nail in the coffin?" Miller said, "I don't think John Skipper resigned as president of ESPN because of having to deal with social media. I don't think that's true. ... I think social media wound up being probably one of the biggest thorns in his side that his predecessors didn't have to deal with and something that his successor is definitely going to have to deal with." Withiam notes though Miller would "not offer any names" for who ESPN's next president might be, he "hypothesized it would be the first time in decades that person came from the outside" (N.Y. POST, 1/17).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2018/01/17/Media/ESPN.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2018/01/17/Media/ESPN.aspx

CLOSE