Barstools too hip for ESPN, replaced with stuffy chairs

[Huff]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/23/sports/espn-barstool-van-talk.html

ESPN abruptly canceled a 10-day-old partnership with the controversial sports media outlet Barstool Sports on Monday, apparently after ESPN’s president realized he could not separate his company from Barstool’s toxic reputation.

“Effective immediately, I am canceling Barstool Van Talk,” John Skipper, the ESPN president, wrote in a statement. “While we had approval on the content of the show, I erred in assuming we could distance our efforts from the Barstool site and its content.”

What a shocker. Could never have seen this coming.

[Tucah]

what the fuck did they think would happen with a barstool show

[ToxicAdam]

I wouldn't say I feel bad for ESPN, but Deadspin helped foster this anti-ESPN community that pounces on any weakness they have. They can't partner (or hire) anyone with skeletons in their closet, otherwise the trolls will attack and hold them up as hypocrites.

So, that kind of traps them into playing it safe and not really evolving as a content provider.

-- // --

They should really just spin off one of their channels into a new property (and don't meddle with it) and try all their weird shit there.

[Huff]

Was a terrible idea from the get-go, but ESPNs numbers must really be struggling.

Maybe they should have got into the sports meme business earlier before barstools took the market

[Brehvolution]

I still have no idea what barstool does or how it makes money. Just looked like a bunch of former frat boys doing frat stuff again. Former Indy Punter Pat Mcafee retired from millions in the NFL to be in it so idk.

[etiolate]

Deadspin is trash

ESPN has no idea what it's doing in regards to about anything

ESPN knew what Bartool sports was about and still went in

Jamele Hill is racist

THE END

[Huff]

I still have no idea what barstool does or how it makes money. Just looked like a bunch of former frat boys doing frat stuff again. Former Indy Punter Pat Mcafee retired from millions in the NFL to be in it so idk.

That's def a large part of their viewership (they even bough oldrow - which is basically frat stars/college stuff). I don't do much but follow their instagram account, but I they have podcast and shit that are huge.

As more and more stop using cable (and espn news not the most thrilling after watching for 15+ years), people are turning to insta and Snapchat for quick beats of sports with jokes and people acting like drunken twats.

Never a good fit for ESPN, but I don't know what they're going to do to win over the younger viewership

[Phoenix Dark]

They should have never picked it up in the first place. ESPN is clearly struggling with "internet shit." They want viral moments, "hip" (ie black) lingo, frat views and all this other shyt but don't seem to understand how to balance it. They want black faces but don't want black opinions. They want ugly fratbro online viewers but don't want the backlash of that comes with ugly fratbro content or its creators. Politically they've pissed off the left and right. All while their viewer numbers crater for different reasons (people are cutting cable).

I don't know that I have a solution. I only watch ESPN for sports (football and sometimes basketball). I've watched maybe 10 minutes of The Six and thought it was bad. I don't watch sportscenter anymore since when I get home I'm more likely to just get online than turn my TV on.

[studyguy]

Straight was a shot at grabbing (more of) that white frat dude demo.
Shit was weird and not sure who greenlit it without taking even half a glance below the surface.
Any idiot could have told you shit was gonna go south quick.