New ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro is facing a slew of problems at the WorldWide Leader. But his first order of business is apparently repairing the damaged relationship between ESPN and its most important partner.
Sports Business Journal's John Ourand reports the NFL and ESPN are in a precarious place. Some league executives have apparently categorized the state of affairs as the "worst they've ever seen."
The partnership between ESPN and the NFL has always been uneasy, given the former's extensive journalism arm and breadth of sports programming. In 2004, for example, the NFL reportedly forced the cancellation of "Playmakers," a drama that highlighted the dark underbelly of professional football.
While some personalities at ESPN appear to placate the NFL at times –– "the punt is blocked!" –– the company has pursued several negative stories about the league in recent years. Outside the Lines has published exposes on the concussion crisis, and feature writers Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham frequently pen stories about NFL palace intrigue –– ranging from the dispute between Roger Goodell and Jerry Jones to apparent unrest with the Patriots. According to Ourand, ex-ESPN president John Skipper, who resigned suddenly late last year, did little to engage the league office on these matters.
There have been signs of the reported rift over the last few months. The NFL is partnering with Fox to produce an NFL Draft show next month that competes with ESPN's coverage. This year, perhaps as a result of the league's pressure, ABC will carry the third day of the NFL Draft.
ESPN, which is hampered with a dwindling subscriber base and astronomical rights fees, pays the NFL $1.1 billion per year. Due to the exorbitant price, executives in Bristol are miffed about the weak "Monday Night Football" schedules, per Ourand's reporting. MNF ratings have experienced a double-digit decline since 2015.
Changes have already been made to the MNF telecast. ESPN announced Friday play-by-play man Sean McDonough won't be returning to the booth after just two seasons. The New York Post's Andrew Marchand reports the NFL wasn't smitten with McDonough, who occasionally criticized the product on the air. Veteran broadcaster Joe Tessitore will take McDonough's place.
Jon Gruden, ESPN's highest-paid analyst, left his MNF gig earlier this year to become the Raiders' new head coach.
