August of 2025 saw a deal between ESPN and the NFL, further deepening the partnership between the two entities. ESPN acquired the media rights to the NFL Network and NFL RedZone in return for a 10% stake in the company. The two acquisitions will be integrated into the ESPN platform and be apart of the company’s Direct-to-Consumer model ESPN is transitioning to. The traditional roots of ESPN as a thought provoking journalistic-based news provider have slowly dissipated over the years. In the early 2000’s “Sportscenter” the flagship show of the network was intertwined within American’s lives with unseen precedence. Delivering more than just daily highlights of sports matchups, presenting hard hitting stories, and molded the industry of sports reporting. Over the last decade we have seen that integrity and dedication for the truth wain. ESPN has devolved to talking heads arguing the same regurgitated speaking points. The relationship between the NFL and ESPN was always symbiotic, but this current deal feels like the beginning to lines being blurred.
Those of us old enough can remember when ESPN dabbled at attempts of producing shows more similar to what you find on CBS or ABC. The most successful attempt coming in the form of their show “Playmakers” and after pressure from the NFL ESPN discontinued the show completely. The fictional show sensationalized the life of professional football players. Admittedly the show was a bit over the top, but nothing within the show was far off the mark from real life occurrences. Foresight is 20/20 and this was possibly the beginning to the downfall that was the golden-age of ESPN.
The current climate of journalistic reporting in this country is at an all-time low. As traditional and long-standing media outlets struggle to survive in a world where information is sourced digitally, more and more we have seen this sources make drastic cuts, or have folded completely. The ethical drive to provide the truth has been replaced with precipitous keyboard fingers in the hunt to be first. Tossing aside almost all obligations to the truth or being correct, click-bait, and plenty of other tactics the public is subjected to through social media. As accredited sources for news either fade away or give way to the new-age muckraking that is journalism, the public is forced to find new sources. As we dive deeper into the digital-age we see society becoming molded by technology at levels never before seen. Podcasters are a dime a dozen in today’s world, all offering information, yes, information can be powerful, but that power is limited by the legitimacy of the source. Being able to trust the information you are being presented without double-checking is very powerful. In America we take that for granted because of such things as freedom of the press. Unfortunately that freedom has led to levels of oversaturation that drown out genuine sources. In a world where terms like “fake news” exist, though crassly intended when used, we see trust of the media entering dangerous areas.
These political and social blights that have become a mainstay among most forms of media had finally breached sports media. Sports fans in many ways are the perfect consumer. They only care about the final product and sports teams do their best to dangle that carrot to keep fans entertained. A commonly shared belief among fans is that ownership and the league organizations goals are one in the same. The truth is more dirty than that, an overwhelming number of owners of professional sports teams in this country only offer illusions, preying on the gullible nature that is being a fan, perpetuating the belief that winning is the driving factor, and dollar signs often accompany many of the driving forces in these leagues. An organization such as the National Football League has the influence and money to do something much worse then trying to cover up bad press. They can encourage you not to report it entirely. Year after year there are instances of improprieties committed by NFL owners, whether that involve breaking bylaws of the current collective barging agreement with the NFLPA, or matters in the legal realm. We see these stories streamlined through the media cycles expeditiously, if reported on at all.
We stand on what is a very slippery slope for what the future could hold. With information sources becoming less trustworthy, and staples like ESPN being a shell of their former self, providers of news and media content will become sourced more from the freelance form that is podcasting by the public, and ultimately could lead to us seeing ESPN devolve into a broadcaster of sports instead of sports reporting. The digital foot traffic to places like ESPN.com and the ESPN app is not for hard hitting journalism of the sports world. Outside of live up-to-date stats and game info there are a great deal less people turning to these sources for actual sports-related news then ten years ago. With ESPN and the NFL literally getting into business together, criticism of the NFL might reach new lows in the near future. The legacy of what ESPN was may become something we only speak of as old-timers reminiscing. On the surface there is little to cite any nefarious foretelling, but then I’m reminded of the swindling and corruption committed by NFL owners and the league itself.
