It\u2019s a changing of the times at ESPN. The company is undergoing a transformation with the impending launch of its DTC service and its investment in big-name personalities that are sometimes licensed to appear on the network. And Sarah Spain has questions about what it means for ESPN\u2019s reputation and credibility.<\/p>\n
Spain worked for ESPN for several years as a writer and television personality, most prominently as a regular panelist on\u00a0Around the Horn. She\u2019s also established herself as an author and podcast host since leaving the network with her\u00a0Good Game women\u2019s sports podcast receiving honors and accolades<\/a>. She has also spoken out about her former network\u2019s decision-making, recently around ATH\u2019s cancellation<\/a>.<\/p>\n This week, Sarah Spain appeared on the Rapid Response podcast.<\/a> In answering a question from host Bob Safian about ESPN\u2019s new DTC service and the shifting landscape of the network\u2019s programming strategy, Spain commented on the new realities she sees in Bristol. And she called out Pat McAfee and Stephen A. Smith for doing possible harm to the journalistic reputation of the network.<\/p>\n @rapidresponseshow<\/a>Sarah Spain, host of the podcast Good Game with Sarah Spain, longtime ESPN personality and sports journalist, joins Bob Safian to unpack the credibility challenges facing ESPN \u2014 from factually shaky takes to on-air conflicts of interest. As the sports media landscape shifts, trust and transparency matter more than ever. Catch the full conversation on the business behind the game, from the WNBA\u2019s rise to the future of college athletics at the link in our bio.\u266c original sound \u2013 Rapid Response<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIf you look at ESPN\u2019s decision-making around more influencer-type and former athlete-type content as opposed to journalistic content, that is unfortunate reacting to the world\u2019s, I guess, demands and the speed and desires for the current younger consumer,\u201d Spain said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I do worry about how that impacts ESPN\u2019s position in the industry. Because what separates them from everyone else is they\u2019re the worldwide leader. If it\u2019s on ESPN, it\u2019s right. It\u2019s accurate. It\u2019s vetted. It\u2019s journalistically sound. When you\u2019ve got a Pat McAfee, who the show is produced elsewhere and dropped onto ESPN airwaves and they sort of wash their hands of the production and creation side of it. And they tell you it\u2019s a little bit different but the viewer doesn\u2019t know that. So when he goes on and says things that are factually incorrect, does stories that are, for instance, one he\u2019s now being sued now for, for libel essentially, that aren\u2019t vetted and aren\u2019t sourced before he takes them in front of millions, that I think impacts how people view everything else on the network, even if it\u2019s just subconsciously, right?\u201d Spain added.<\/p>\n Pat McAfee has had numerous controversies in his short time on ESPN through the licensing of\u00a0The Pat McAfee Show. But he also brings in a huge audience that skews younger and extends beyond linear airwaves to digital, social, and more. McAfee was sued for defamation by Brett Favre, although that was dropped in 2023<\/a> before he even made it to ESPN.<\/p>\n What Spain may be referring to is the controversy around his comments regarding Ole Miss student Mary Kate Cornett. Although Cornett\u2019s side has hinted at a lawsuit coming in McAfee and ESPN\u2019s direction<\/a>, there has been nothing filed publicly. And neither ESPN nor McAfee have commented on it since.<\/p>\n