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New York CNN —ESPN is laying off around 20 high-profile sports commentators as part of a cost-cutting initiative, a source with knowledge of the layoffs told CNN. “Given the current environment, ESPN has determined it necessary to identify some additional cost savings in the area of public-facing commentator salaries,” ESPN said in a statement. But the source stressed that the cuts were simply a matter of cost-cutting, and not related to job performance. Disney (DIS), which owns ESPN, is laying off 7,000 employees. The person familiar with the plans said that ESPN’s layoffs were unrelated to the broader layoffs at Disney (DIS).

Persons: Max Kellerman, Keyshawn Johnson, Jeff Van Gundy, Jalen Rose, LaPhonso Ellis, Suzy Kolber, “, ”, ” Kolber Organizations: New, New York CNN, ESPN, CNN, ” ESPN, Twitter, Disney Locations: New York

☆ The N.C.A.A. Wants More Money From TV. Maxing That Out Could Prove Tricky.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Billy Witz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For more than 20 years, fans of college sports like softball, baseball, women’s basketball and more than two dozen others have known just where to find N.C.A.A. championships — on ESPN’s spectrum of channels. The arrangement has worked well for both parties: The N.C.A.A. A sign of how comfortable the N.C.A.A. and ESPN were with their partnership came in 2011, when they agreed to a 13-year, $500 million renewal without the N.C.A.A.’s ever taking the rights to market.

Persons: ’ Organizations: ESPN

☆ Nikola Jokić temporarily loses MVP trophy ahead of Denver Nuggets parade
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Thomas Schlachter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —For most people, after winning the NBA Finals MVP trophy, you wouldn’t let it out of your sight. But Nikola Jokić is not most people, and the Denver Nuggets star seemed to have misplaced his award. After dominating in the Denver Nuggets’ 4-1 NBA Finals win over the Miami Heat, Jokić deservedly picked up the award given to the best player throughout the series. The Denver Nuggets' Championship Celebration gets underway Thursday. The Denver Nuggets’ championship celebration starts with a pre-rally at 11:00 a.m.

Persons: Nikola Jokić, Jokić deservedly, Jokić, ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Russell, Andrews, “, ” Jokić, Sparky Gonzales ’, ” Andrews, –, Isaiah J, Downing, ’ Jokic, Don’t, ESPN’s Lisa Salters, ”, Garrett Ellwood Organizations: CNN, NBA, Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, Serbian, USA, Reuters, Star, The Denver Nuggets, Union Station Locations: Serbia, Denver

☆ Damar Hamlin participates in full Buffalo Bills practice wearing a helmet and seemingly in good spirits
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Wearing a helmet and seemingly in good spirits, Damar Hamlin participated in full practice with the Buffalo Bills for the first time since his cardiac arrest in January. Hamlin (left) participates in practice on June 6. On the sideline, Hamlin threw his helmet to the ground in frustration and trainers looked at his right shoulder/arm area. CPR was performed on Hamlin when he lost his pulse and needed to be revived through resuscitation and defibrillation. The 25-year-old was cleared to resume football activities last month and said he has been planning to make a comeback to the NFL.

Persons: CNN —, Damar Hamlin, Hamlin, Brandon Beane, “, ” Beane, “ He’s, we’re, he’d, “ We’ll, that’ll, ESPN’s Alaina, John Wawrow, Getzenberg, Nyheim Hines, KeeSean Johnson, Kyle Allen, “ Hamlin, ” Hamlin, commotio cordis Organizations: CNN, Buffalo Bills, Bills, NFL, Hamlin, Cincinnati Bengals

☆ Yogi Berra: ‘It Ain’t Over’ documentary reassesses baseball great’s remarkable career and life
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Don Riddell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Yogi Berra famously said “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over,” but one of the greatest careers in baseball history might have been over before it had even begun. He was injured during the attack, he pulled bodies out of the water, and he learned that in comparison to war, baseball would be easy. In a file photo -- September 28, 1955 -- Jackie Robinson (R) is safe under an attempted out by Yankee catcher Yogi Berra, on a steal home from third. I don’t think anything that anyone said or wrote took any of that joy away from him. I don’t think Grandpa meant to be a civil rights activist,” explained Lindsay, “He just did the right thing.

Persons: Yogi Berra, Berra, ”, Lindsay, “, Bob Costas, Granny Hamner, Don Larsen, Billy Crystal, Yogi, ” Berra, Joe Di Maggio, Mickey Mantle –, Jackie Robinson, Frank Kellert, Larry Berra, Barack Obama, Alex Wong, ” Lindsay, ’, ‘ we’re, ’ ”, “ There’s, grandpa, ESPN’s, he’d, Grandpa, you’ve, Jon Matlack, Robinson, “ Grandpa, Jackie, Kathy Willens Organizations: CNN, Yankee, Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, AP, Life Magazine, Bettmann, American, Observers, Dodgers, Getty, White, Mets, ” New York Yankees Hall of Fame, Toronto Blue Jays, Steinbrenner, “ Locations: Normandy, American, New York, Washington , DC, Europe, ”, Tampa , Fla, Maryland

☆ Will Levis, widely expected to be picked in first round of 2023 NFL Draft, suffers awkward moments as he isn’t chosen
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Those cutaways during the NFL Draft to hopefuls waiting for their names to be picked as other players are chosen ahead of them. Will Levis, the quarterback from Kentucky, was widely projected to be drafted in the first round, if not the top 10 selections. Levis waits in the Green Room with family at the 2023 NFL Draft. Levis waited, waited, waited and waited. But when the final pick was turned in and it Levis’ name wasn’t on that ticket, the waiting game was over.

☆ Aaron Rodgers: New York Jets general manager calls deal 'historic' for the franchise
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas called the deal to acquire four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers “historic” for the franchise. Douglas spoke Tuesday on how the trade – which has not yet been finalized as the two teams work out the details – came together. “Obviously, a long time in the making,” Douglas told reporters at a previously scheduled pre-draft press conference. Rodgers is joining the New York Jets after 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers. The NFL Draft begins Thursday night in Kansas City, Missouri.

☆ Drafting it: Sportscaster Rich Eisen on football and finances
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Chris Taylor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Feb 9, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, US; Sports commentator Rich Eisen poses for a photo on the red carpet before the NFL Honors award show at Symphony Hall. “I hung up the phone and became the owner of my own business,” Eisen recalls about buying back his show from DirecTV, which was shuttering its Audience Network. This year’s edition will kick off April 27 in Kansas City, Missouri, and Eisen will be assuming hosting duties once again. But when he thinks about his financial life, Eisen does not focus much on areas like stock picking. When I first got that call, I didn’t have the first clue about how to run a business," Eisen says.

☆ Disney boss Bob Iger talks about the future of Marvel, ‘Star Wars,’ ESPN, and Hulu
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Bob Iger’s vision for Disney is coming into greater focus. The CEO touched on a broad range of subjects, including Disney+, Marvel, “Star Wars,” and Hulu, among others. “We’re going to turn back to the Avengers franchise, but with a whole set of different Avengers,” Iger said. ► Imperative to be “very careful” with “Star Wars”: Iger said that the company is also being “very careful” in its approach to the “Star Wars” franchise. “In our zeal to grow profits, we may have been a little bit too aggressive about some of our pricing,” Iger said.

The massive audience makes it the most-watched “Monday Night Football” broadcast since the NFL moved the series to ESPN in 2006, surpassing the previous record of 21.8 million viewers for a Packers-Vikings game in 2009. Monday’s high-profile game, however, was suspended when Hamlin collapsed in the first quarter just moments after an open field tackle of Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. During game play, ESPN averaged 21.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings. That audience then grew to 23.9 million viewers between 9 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. when ESPN aired news coverage of Hamlin’s collapse. But I just didn’t want to be speculating.”Before Hamlin’s devastating injury, the game was expected to be among the most-viewed Monday Night Football games in ESPN’s history.

☆ ESPN stands by report that NFL planned to restart game after Hamlin collapsed
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —ESPN is sticking by its reporting that the NFL had initially planned to resume Monday’s football game after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field – a claim the NFL vehemently denies. The NFL postponed Monday’s game between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals following the on-field injury. But whether the NFL had at any point after Hamlin’s devastating injury planned to resume the game remains a subject of dispute and controversy. “There was constant communication in real time between ESPN and league and game officials,” the network said in a statement. All night long, we refrained from speculation.”Joe Buck, ESPN’s Monday Night Football announcer, told the New York Times in an interview Tuesday that he received reporting from John Parry, ESPN’s officiating analyst.

☆ Disney should spin off ESPN and ABC, analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

But one Wall Street analyst has an idea for how Disney could get back on track. Wells Fargo’s Steven Cahall thinks Disney should spin off cable sports giant ESPN and traditional TV network ABC… two slow-growth (and some would argue, dying) businesses. Cahall wrote in his report that “we think Bob Iger is returning to {Disney] ready to make big changes. ESPN, in theory, may have an easier time negotiating with sports leagues as part of a pure play media network. “We think ESPN and ABC are integrally linked as the broadcast [network] improves negotiations in sports rights, and we’re seeing more of those sports on both networks,” he wrote.

☆ Carlos Correa: San Francisco Giants and shortstop reportedly agree on 13-year, $350 million deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The San Francisco Giants and two-time All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa have reportedly agreed to a franchise record, 13-year deal worth $350 million, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, citing unnamed sources. The deal is the largest for a shortstop in MLB history, according to Passan. Correa signed with the Minnesota Twins on a three-year, $105.3 million deal, according to the salary tracking website Spotrac, in March. He won his first ever Gold Glove, which is awarded to the best defender in each position, in 2021. The 28-year-old has batted .279 with 155 homers and 553 RBIs in eight MLB seasons.

☆ Fact Check-ESPN did not mistakenly publish image of Larry Fitzgerald in article on Brittney Griner release
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Users shared a screenshot of an ESPN report on Griner’s release that seemingly featured an image of Fitzgerald instead of Griner. The ESPN article features an embedded video news report preceded in some versions by a still image of Griner. In the video, an image of Griner can also be seen in the graphic across the bottom of the screen (here). A Twitter advanced search via ESPN’s official Twitter account showed Griner’s image linked to reports of her release, not Fitzgerald (archive.vn/wip/pVTh6). The ESPN report on Griner’s release featured an embedded video report with Griner viewable in a still image and in a graphic.

Sanders has a 27-5 coaching record at Jackson State, including going 12-0 this year and winning two consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference titles. Sanders will owe Jackson State around $300,000 in a buyout for the 2020 contract, according to USA Today. This is not a Deion Sanders thing,” Parker told NBC News. “I do think he cared about the well-being of Jackson State football players. I think the buzz around the program will change, especially if they don’t hire a coach that has a similar stature as Deion Sanders.”

☆ Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving issues another apology as possible return from suspension nears
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Jacob Lev | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Kyrie Irving, the Brooklyn Nets star who was suspended for at least five games by the team for comments made after sharing a link to an antisemitic movie on social media, has issued another apology as his possible return from suspension nears. Putting some type of threat, or assumed threat, on the Jewish community,” Irving told SNY. Irving reiterated he is not “anti-Jewish” and apologized to the Jewish community. I got a chance to do that with people from the Jewish community, people from the Black community, from the White community,” Irving said. No, I’m not anti-Jewish.’ I’m a person who believes we should all have equal opportunities and that we should all shower each other with love, and that should be at the forefront,” he continued.

☆ What would happen if the NCAA didn’t exist?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Chris Cillizza | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —This past weekend, fans flocked to college football stadiums around the country to cheer on their favorite teams. “And he ruled the NCAA with an iron fist out of Kansas City. Not long after, the NCAA voted to support an interim policy allowing college athletes to make money off of their name, image and likeness. But for the average college athlete playing at a mid-major Division I school, it doesn’t provide much in the way of cash. As ESPN’s Paul Finebaum told me, there are just too many people who care too much about their schools to let that happen.

CNN —Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, who was suspended for at least five games by the team for comments made after sharing a link to an antisemitic movie on social media, is due this week to miss his eighth consecutive game. Thursday’s matchup in Portland against the Trail Blazers will mark two weeks since the Nets announced it was suspending Irving, saying at the time “he is currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.” The team has not said when Irving’s suspension could end. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, citing sources, Irving could return as soon as Sunday, when Brooklyn plays at home against the Memphis Grizzlies. CNN reached out to the Nets on Wednesday evening for comment but did not immediately hear back. “He’s someone I’ve known for a decade, and I’ve never heard an antisemitic word from him or, frankly, hate directed at any group,” Silver said.

☆ The GOP dealt conservative Georgia voters a dud with Herschel Walker
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Arick Wierson | Arick Wierson Is A Six-Time Emmy Award-Winning Television Producer | A Former Senior Aide To Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He Advises Political | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

The bold way that the GOP — the pro-life party — continues to support Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker, who allegedly urged an ex-girlfriend to have an abortion and paid for the procedure, is eyebrow-raising to say the least. However, it’s not the first time Walker has been involved in a deal in which he has failed to live up to expectations. If you are an ardent Vikings fan, the Walker trade was a raw deal that still stings to this day. In this lopsided trade, it’s former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party attempting to present Walker as a Senate candidate with deeply held anti-abortion convictions to conservative Georgia voters. According to a Survey USA poll of likely voters, conducted Sept. 30 through Oct. 4, Warnock leads Walker 50% to 38%.

☆ ESPN would help Disney and Comcast settle a score
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

NEW YORK, Sept 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - When it comes to modern corporate sagas, few deliver the drama between Walt Disney (DIS.N) and Comcast (CMCSA.O). Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts is in position to let his counterpart squirm, but there’s a neat solution to help settle the score: ESPN. He feared Comcast “would have paid more later.”Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterBefore long, Comcast clashed again with Disney. To settle the matter, the two parent companies agreed that in January 2024 Comcast could force Disney to buy its stake or Disney could require Comcast to sell based on a minimum valuation of $27.5 billion. Disney owns two-thirds of Hulu and Comcast owns the rest.

☆ Activist investor changes mind about Disney spinning off ESPN
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-12 | by ( Frank Pallotta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN Business —Dan Loeb is fine with Disney keeping ESPN after all. The activist investor and Third Point CEO, who made headlines last month when he proposed that the media giant spin off ESPN, had a change of heart over the weekend. https://t.co/Gobvf8KS2w — Daniel S. Loeb (@DanielSLoeb1) September 11, 2022However, Loeb also wanted to see five changes at Disney, which he said would “unlock further value in the near-term.”One change, which got the most attention, was for Disney to ditch ESPN. Loeb noted that “a strong case can be made that the ESPN business should be spun off to shareholders with an appropriate debt load” to reduce Disney’s debt. “ESPN would have greater flexibility to pursue business initiatives that may be more difficult as part of Disney, such as sports betting,” Loeb added.

☆ College Football Playoff Fast Facts
▼ + stars: | 2014-08-14 | by ( Cnn Editorial Research | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

January 9, 2023 - The College Football Playoff National Championship game is scheduled to be played at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. January 10, 2022 - The Georgia Bulldogs defeat the Alabama Crimson Tide 33-18 in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. According to the College Football Playoff, compared to the BCS, the “format increases revenue for all conferences and independent institutions.”Revenue Distribution PoliciesThe College Football Playoff trophy, presented to the championship team, is handmade, stands 26.5 inches tall and is constructed from 24-karat gold, bronze and stainless steel. April 23, 2013 - The College Football Playoff is announced as the name of the new system to replace the BCS. January 12, 2015 - The Ohio State Buckeyes defeat the Oregon Ducks 42-20 to win the inaugural College Football Playoff Championship.

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