ESPN cuts ties with NFL analyst Ryan Clark, more layoffs expected Tuesday:

[stevenash]

NFL fans react to the news of ESPN firing Ryan Clark

(9) Gary Sheffield Jr. on X: "I just don’t know what we’re going to do without Ryan Clark turning fun sports topics into race bait arguments on national television. Jemele Hill and Jason Whitlock can fill this void, certainly" / X


ESPN cuts ties with NFL analyst Ryan Clark, wider layoffs expected Tuesday: Sources - The Athletic

[Chiefs83]

Pretty surprised by this…I thought he was one of the better ones.

[stevenash]

Pretty surprised by this…I thought he was one of the better ones.

He pissed off a lot of people, some in high places.

Leak led to Ryan Clark's mid-show ESPN exit

(1) Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) / X

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Better late than never, the guy is insufferable.

[stevenash]

Ouch

Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported on Monday evening that ESPN had severed its relationship with Clark, then followed up with the detail that the former NFL defensive back learned he’d lost his job while NFL Live was still airing, and he didn’t finish the show.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Ouch

Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported on Monday evening that ESPN had severed its relationship with Clark, then followed up with the detail that the former NFL defensive back learned he’d lost his job while NFL Live was still airing, and he didn’t finish the show.

Insert the "stage hook" gif

[stevenash]

Key Personnel Laid Off


Reports from The Athletic, The Sporting News, and Front Office Sports identify several high-profile names affected Yahoo Sports+2:

• Ryan Clark – Former NFL safety and longtime NFL analyst (since 2015). His departure was announced mid-broadcast on NFL Live, reportedly due to a mix of financial and on-air factors, including public disputes and political commentary Yahoo Sports+1.
• Karl Ravech – 33-year veteran play-by-play announcer, former Sunday Night Baseball voice, and Baseball Tonight host (since 1993) Yahoo Finance+1.
• David Lloyd – Longtime SportsCenter anchor (since 1997) Yahoo Finance.
• Stephania Bell – Injury and fantasy football analyst (since 2008) Yahoo Finance.
• Cam Newton – Former NFL MVP and First Take contributor, recently signed to a multi-year deal Yahoo Finance+1.
• Tom Pelissero – NFL Network insider and reporter (since 2017) Yahoo Finance+1.
• Charles Davis – NFL Network analyst and CBS Sports’ top college football color commentator Yahoo Finance+1.
• Bart Scott – NFL studio analyst and NYC radio host Yahoo Finance.
• Andreas Hale – Boxing, MMA, and wrestling coverage specialist Yahoo Finance.

[stevenash]

Insert the "stage hook" gif

Classic Bugs

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Key Personnel Laid Off


Reports from The Athletic, The Sporting News, and Front Office Sports identify several high-profile names affected Yahoo Sports+2:

• Ryan Clark – Former NFL safety and longtime NFL analyst (since 2015). His departure was announced mid-broadcast on NFL Live, reportedly due to a mix of financial and on-air factors, including public disputes and political commentary Yahoo Sports+1.
• Karl Ravech – 33-year veteran play-by-play announcer, former Sunday Night Baseball voice, and Baseball Tonight host (since 1993) Yahoo Finance+1.
• David Lloyd – Longtime SportsCenter anchor (since 1997) Yahoo Finance.
• Stephania Bell – Injury and fantasy football analyst (since 2008) Yahoo Finance.
• Cam Newton – Former NFL MVP and First Take contributor, recently signed to a multi-year deal Yahoo Finance+1.
• Tom Pelissero – NFL Network insider and reporter (since 2017) Yahoo Finance+1.
• Charles Davis – NFL Network analyst and CBS Sports’ top college football color commentator Yahoo Finance+1.
• Bart Scott – NFL studio analyst and NYC radio host Yahoo Finance.
• Andreas Hale – Boxing, MMA, and wrestling coverage specialist Yahoo Finance.

Thx, Nash. I do think it's normal to see these layoffs in a struggling economy. MOST of these guys are disposable.

My opinion on some of em:

1) I can't stand Clark. I always felt like he was saying nothing.

2) I can't imagine Ravech makes THAT much. Ravech has been a very good announcer. If he's canned, he'll re-surface very soon.

3) I like Lloyd's work. He has good control of his voice inflections. View him as a very solid broadcaster.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Thx, Nash. I do think it's normal to see these layoffs in a struggling economy. MOST of these guys are disposable.

My opinion on some of em:

1) I can't stand Clark. I always felt like he was saying nothing.

2) I can't imagine Ravech makes THAT much. Ravech has been a very good announcer. If he's canned, he'll re-surface very soon.

3) I like Lloyd's work. He has good control of his voice inflections. View him as a very solid broadcaster.

Chucky, Clark was not bad when he actually talked about football. However, he sees most things through a racial lens and it all got very tiresome long ago.

Agree with you on Ravech, he was there for a long time and I always liked him. Agreed that he will get scooped up quickly elsewhere.

Also surprised to see Pelissero on the list. He is one of the top NFL reporters that breaks stories. He will get scooped up by NFL Network or some other NFL gig in short order.

[Kami40]

Chucky, Clark was not bad when he actually talked about football. However, he sees most things through a racial lens and it all got very tiresome long ago.

Agree with you on Ravech, he was there for a long time and I always liked him. Agreed that he will get scooped up quickly elsewhere.

Also surprised to see Pelissero on the list. He is one of the top NFL reporters that breaks stories. He will get scooped up by NFL Network or some other NFL gig in short order.

Bottom line is usually its excess personal doing nothing relevant also just because you played a sport doesn't translate to you being able to talk about the game & break it down to make sense, they were just getting paid to chatter

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Bottom line is usually its excess personal doing nothing relevant also just because you played a sport doesn't translate to you being able to talk about the game & break it down to make sense, they were just getting paid to chatter

Agreed and don't get me wrong, I'm not defending him. ESPN has been unwatchable for near a decade now with many things they talk/debate about viewed through a liberal/racial lens. When watching a "sports" channel, most want to actually hear about sports not social and political issues.

[Kami40]

Agreed and don't get me wrong, I'm not defending him. ESPN has been unwatchable for near a decade now with many things they talk/debate about viewed through a liberal/racial lens. When watching a "sports" channel, most want to actually hear about sports not social and political issues.

Exactly Good Energy your way my Great Brother

[stevenash]

ESPN hasn't been relevant for 20 years.
Same as MTV.

Both brands (MTV is not a network; ESPN is both a brand and a network)
started like a supernova and burnt out like one, too.

ESPN has made many stupid business mistakes over the past two decades.
Like misjudging the talent they do have and letting them get away.
Worse than that, ESPN brass keeps making extremely questionable hires time after time.

Ravesh is one of the best MLB play-by-play dudes in the business.
He's the only baseball guy the network has I'll pay attention to.
33 years, he's seen it all, done it all.
Ravesh will wind up with a nice deal at MLB.TV. Fox or TBS, within a year.
Meanwhile, I'll have to settle for mediocre MLB voices, like Eduardo Perez.

There's a reason why up here in these parts we call ESPN "That Clown Institute up in Bristol"

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Agreed and don't get me wrong, I'm not defending him. ESPN has been unwatchable for near a decade now with many things they talk/debate about viewed through a liberal/racial lens. When watching a "sports" channel, most want to actually hear about sports not social and political issues.

Fair point, Jake. Merits a trip down memory-lane. Nash's point is a good one.

*MTV used to be SO cool. They helped launch the career of several great bands. But the product was MUSIC.

ESPN (similarly) was all about sports. ESPN had some early league contracts. SportsCenter was a show that presented results and hi-lites when they weren't that easy to find.

Speed of information flow changed over time. SportsCenter became less time-sensitive. But my biggest gripe is that sports are now OVER-analyzed. What is with the small batallion of talking-heads on the pre-game shows? Cmon, the games aren't that complicated.

[stevenash]

I just watched the Cubs game on ESPN.
That broadcast crew did nothing but slobber all over PCA's rooster.
It was a regular sausage fest.
To use JP's word, insufferable.

PCA?
Really?
What exactly has he done in 2 1/2 years except act like a spoiled 14-year-old?

[stevenash]

Jemele Hill had multiple problems with ESPN's layoffs this week

[lonegambler23]

espn blows havent listened to them in years

vsin for me or anywhere that joe lisi goes