Andy Katz let go.

[jbslicer]

Anti-Zag Len Elmore gone.

Anti-Zag Michael Smith not gone.

Good news!

[sittingon50]

Is Bill Oreilly looking for a job still?

I think so, but he'll probably need a lackey to check the remaining "blonde" scorecard at ESPN.

[zag67]

Katz, good luck on where you end up. ESPN and I are going to be seeing less of each other.

[Ezag]

Katz was one of the good ones. All in all I cannot feel too sorry these reporters and their giant salaries. I am sure they got a decent severance

[jazzdelmar]

Otoh, how safe is the WCC contract w espn? Meaning, does it make more than it costs. Time for GU to consider over the top options.

[webspinnre]

Jayson Stark and Andy Katz were two of my favorites, definitely sad to see them go. Brennan also solid, was a fan of Dilfer and O'Neil as well.

edit: Jim Caple too! Two of my favorite baseball writers, gone.

[TexasZagFan]

Otoh, how safe is the WCC contract w espn? Meaning, does it make more than it costs. Time for GU to consider over the top options.

I doubt the WCC contract is more than $5 million a year. So long as the Zags are featured in more than half the games, ESPN is doing fine with the contract.

As for their contract with the Big East, that's a separate issue: $40-$50 million a year.

[RenoZag]

Cancelled my insider subscription. Really going to miss Katz, O'Neil and Brennan. This sucks.

Brennan is a very talented writer. Would not be shocked to see his byline on The Ringer or Yahoo!Sports before long.

[MDABE80]

Might be a silver lining if Katz
Get support for Anne's
Network
And he takes
His friends
And revenues with him . Golden opportunity for him and others looking to get into
The "sports business"

[doctorzag]

I doubt the WCC contract is more than $5 million a year. So long as the Zags are featured in more than half the games, ESPN is doing fine with the contract.

As for their contract with the Big East, that's a separate issue: $40-$50 million a year.

I thought the Big East was with Fox?

[gon2mt]

Really thought that Eamonn Brennan was an excellent writer.

[TexasZagFan]

I thought the Big East was with Fox?

I stand corrected. Thanks! The article I checked said they're averaging about 100K viewers per game. I guess they had to overpay back in 2013.

[229SintoZag]

This is shocking. I feel like ESPN should not even bother covering college basketball if they think that letting a guy like Katz go makes any business sense at all. They have nobody there who even approaches what he brings in covering college hoop. In firing him they have not only lost an on air personality but they have lost a huge resource for them. This would be akin to firing Peter Gammons in baseball 15 years ago.

I am almost certain that, whatever the economics are at ESPN, this will go down as a mistake that will cost them much more than they think they are "saving."

I just hope Katz lands somewhere that makes sense, where we can pick him up and where he won't miss a beat.

[Zagceo]

One point of view...

The most interesting aspect of the mass layoffs on Wednesday isn’t that they happened, it’s who the network targeted. Not the high-priced carnival barkers and the know-nothing loudmouths doing their best to make Rachel Maddow proud. Nope. ESPN targeted sports reporters. In an effort to cut some fat from its bottom line, ESPN exchanged a scalpel for a chainsaw, skipped the fat entirely, and went straight to cutting out muscle.

LINK

[tinfoilzag]

I doubt the WCC contract is more than $5 million a year. So long as the Zags are featured in more than half the games, ESPN is doing fine with the contract.

As for their contract with the Big East, that's a separate issue: $40-$50 million a year.

To give some perspective, I believe ESPN is spending 1/2 Billion (with a B) annually on their NBA contract.