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Around 20 on-air hosts have been let go by the media company ESPN, including famous boxing commentator Andre Ward and host of the Daily Wager show Doug Kezirian. Recently, the information was confirmed the layoffs supposedly occurred last week.
Andre Ward has announced his resignation on social media, but Doug Kezirian has not spoken up—at least not in public. In a statement, ESPN explained why certain events had forced the Walt Disney-owned company to move forward with these terrible layoffs.
Kezirian is not just a boxing expert, but he also hosts ESPN’s renowned Daily Wager program on ESPN2. One of ESPN’s early shows, Daily Wager, had a strong focus on sports betting. It helped to normalize the topic by bringing talks about it to cable TV.
The company explained, “This exercise will include a small group of job cuts in the short term and an ongoing focus on managing costs when we negotiate individual contract renewals in the months ahead.”
Along with Andre Ward and Doug Kezirian, the list of allegedly laid-off talent also reportedly includes NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy, former NBA star Vince Carter, NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay, and a number of NFL players who have moved to network analysis.
There has been much speculation on the factors that led ESPN to part ways with some of its finest analysts who make quite substantial money. One argument centers on Pat McAfee’s recent hiring, which may have needed substantial resources that ESPN is presently having trouble allocating.
ESPN is reportedly paying Pat McAfee as much as $17 million over a five-year period, while the exact sum is yet unknown. Even while this sum is sizable, it is still less than the money McAfee reportedly made at FanDuel before joining ESPN.
Pat McAfee has a devoted fan base and a well-established on-air character, which makes it simpler for him to keep and expand his audience on ESPN despite the financial issue.