As a kid that grew up on ESPN, I can't believe it is at a point where it is struggling to find a future. Matt Van Dalsem turned me onto this podcast by The Ringer on the topic of what Disney should do with ESPN. I have to say, over the past few years, it's become disheartening to see ESPN struggling to find content that aligns with their brand. In recent months, we've witnessed some rather peculiar choices, such as the "slippery stairs world championships" and the "pillow fighting world championships" being featured on ESPN stations. 🤔 While these events may have their own fan base, it raises the question of whether ESPN is diluting its brand and losing touch with its core audience. That combined with the changes in the media space as a whole, is making this a defining point in the future of ESPN. I think that ESPN is going to have to evolve with the times and find a way to be relevant to the core drivers of human emotions. It has to find it's new voice and define the new value that it is going to bring to this new generation of viewers. What got it here (being the place we went each day to watch highlights from the previous day) has been surpassed by other media options. Sports broadcast rights have become more and more competitive with brands such as Amazon coming in to the market to compete for the National Football League (NFL). The leagues have started their own channels, the MLB Network, NFL Network, SEC Network, etc. I don't know the answer for ESPN, but I do know that there can be a future for this legacy asset, with a renewed focus. As Gretzky said, ESPN should be "skating to where the puck is going, not where it has been". Shameless plug here....if ESPN is looking for amazing content that could help jumpstart their future, I'd be more than happy to introduce them to the beauty and magic of trail running. Amazing people doing unbelievable things in stunning locations....put that on your channel and drop pillow fighting. #TrailRunning #UltraRunning #ESPNRelevancy
The answer for ESPN is to sell to UltraSignUp obviously. ESPN getting into gambling as part of the Disney company is WILD to me. Let's get some deep pockets and go buy that thing!
I love this take. It's interesting that you mentioned trail running because together with other sports like gravel racing and even pickleball, I believe ESPN's core demographic is now doing more than watching as a response to screen time overload. Plus there are now numerous other ways to digest sports highlights and content, not least of which are tiktok and YouTube.
Yes! televised coverage of Western States, Eastern States, Leadville, Mount Marathon, Moab, Badwater, Hardrock, UTMB World Series, Whiteface, Jay Peak, Manitou's Revenge, Infinitus. so many great races and no shortage of great feature stories about the competitors. Aerial drone streaming, Sports Science features 🤔
Awesome. Would love to see UTMB® series televised (for example!)
Co-Founder and CEO at Freetrail. Professional athlete.
1yTruth. MVD and I were texting about pillow fighting too. I’m working to launch Freepillow now. 😉