The sports world was shaken by another wave of Disney layoffs, with ESPN parting ways with several on-air personalities. The cuts included Cam Newton, Ryan Clark, and veteran Karl Ravech. The latter had been with ESPN for more than three decades, and Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy was especially disappointed by this move.
Dave Portnoy Voices Frustration Over ESPN Firing Karl Ravech
Ravech had been one of ESPN’s most recognizable faces since joining the network in 1993. Serving as its lead MLB play-by-play announcer, he most recently called Monday night’s Philadelphia Phillies-Los Angeles Dodgers game while also contributing to a wide range of programming, including “Baseball Tonight” and “SportsCenter.”
Ravech learned of his firing from a reporter, prompting The Sporting Tribune CEO Arash Markazi to criticize the “brutal” way he found out about the layoff. ESPN had already removed his biography from its website.
Portnoy also agreed with this take.
“Brutal way to treat a legend. ESPN really is the worst,” Portnoy wrote.
Portnoy later contrasted ESPN’s approach with Barstool’s philosophy, referencing Pat McAfee, who left Barstool in 2018 before eventually joining ESPN.
“Another glaring difference between ESPN and Barstool. When our stars become huge and command tons of money like McAfee at ESPN, we part ways rather than fire people who have been with us for decades to pay for the 1 star. Loyalty matters here. At ESPN, there is no such thing. Not saying our way is right but just more family vs corporate,” Portnoy tweeted.
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The latest wave of layoffs also affected several renowned football personalities, including the former NFL safety Clark, who joined ESPN in 2015 after a 13-year playing career. He was informed of his firing while filming Monday’s episode of “NFL Live” and did not return for the rest of the broadcast.
Newton, the former NFL MVP, was also let go by ESPN as part of the layoffs. He had signed a multi-year deal with ESPN last summer to expand his coverage on “First Take,” so the news was a surprise.
NFL insider Tom Pelissero was another big casualty of the layoffs. After building his reputation with the NFL Network since 2017, he was reportedly not retained after ESPN acquired NFL Network.
According to multiple reports and social media announcements, the layoffs also included longtime “SportsCenter” anchor David Lloyd, NFL analyst Charles Davis, former NFL star Bart Scott, staff writer Dan Hajducky, and combat sports reporter Andreas Hale among others.
