People get let go all the time. Sometimes, they are fired because of not being a big asset to their company. Other times, it's not because of effort and the company may have no choice but to give them the axe. ESPN, who has ran into some issues the last few years regarding a losing subscriber base and is attempting to stop the bleeding of losing money by laying off a number of their personalities and writers. It's not just some of the young ones. With 15 plus year veterans like Jerry Punch and Ed Werder on the list of people gone, a lot of people at one of the biggest sports networks ever were not safe.
The channel began back in the fall of 1979 and quickly became a place to find sports 24 hours a day. Getting stuff in the 80s like NASCAR and college sports eventually netted them some of their current operations of the NFL and MLB. Despite the Internet's presence in the 90s and 2000s, fans were still eager to check out highlights and scores via SportsCenter and other programs from a wide net of personalities. In recent years, however, things have not gone the network and Disney's (who has had ESPN since 1995) way. In an era now where streaming is a big deal and competitors like Fox Sports 1 and NBC Sports Network want their share of the pie, many people have left the leader of the sports television industry unsubscribed.
As far as layoffs go, ESPN let go of a number of writers in college sports and a bit of hockey people, especially as the Stanley Cup Playoffs enters its second round. Some beat writers for certain teams and radio hosts were gone. Several anchors have been given the axe. It's a changing of the times, unfortunately. Like certain other channels, it's a miracle they still exist. I think it has to do with watching the highlights and scores at, even if you have a phone that can give you the daily updates on how others are doing. Sure it's nice to have everything in the palm of your hand, but for big sporting events, you want a decent sized television and seeing this stuff live.
One site has said that some anchors that were still around had their roles shrunken down. Whether they could be gone is a matter of what ESPN might do. It's not a surprise. Some of these people are pretty old, but at the same time, they are at that age in the prime of their career in broadcasting. Sadly, people like Doug Glanville will be missed while we still have morons like Jessica Mendoza acting like loudmouth fans instead of professional broadcasters. That's the nature of the beast. You have to move on, no matter how painful it might be.
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