SerpApi.Org
An enormous bloodletting at the Worldwide Leader in Sports reportedly will include one of MLB‘s most recognizable voices.
Karl Ravech, the longtime baseball host and announcer, is expected to be among the layoffs at ESPN, according to The Athletic. Ravech’s departure would end three-plus decades of calling baseball for the network, which included calling Monday night’s game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The layoffs, the latest in a series at ESPN over the past decade, are part of a broader strategy among parent company Disney and sister property NFL Network. NFL analyst Ryan Clark reportedly was let go Monday, and Tom Pelissero is expected to be laid off as well, according to The Athletic.
The bulk of the cuts appear to be happening behind the scenes. The most recent few rounds of layoffs likely have been necessitated by the massive contracts given to on-camera personalities such as Pat McAfee, who reportedly earns $17 million per year for “The Pat McAfee Show” and his numerous appearances on other programs. Fellow ESPN shock jock Stephen A. Smith signed a reported $20 million per year deal last year.
ESPN seemed to be caught flat-footed by reports of the layoffs on Monday. The network reportedly hadn’t intended on informing Clark on Monday until it received media inquiries, and Ravech was not aware he was being let go when he was reached by The Athletic on Tuesday morning. ESPN was expected to make a formal statement sometime Tuesday.
More MLB: No Good News on MLB Labor Front: ‘Hope Has All But Evaporated’
Related Articles
