Zach doesn't have many real points he just kinda talks in a cirlce but he at least tries to present facts based on data and engage actual nba idea topics even if he has no real subtance point at the end instead of just hot takes so...
ESPN is continually dumbing down all it's commentary.... But none moreso than their NBA talk.... Watch a football show and they're talking cover 2 and route trees.... A basketball show is talking about tweets, fashion and who is next to go in free agency.... Zach was the best because he was talking ball.... The Screaming A Smiths have won🙄🙄🙄🙄
Most people in this inflation can't even afford to do this betting nonsense that ruins people's lives. Respect to Zach for not pretending to be about it. The hoop collective is mostly betting free thank you.
The crazy thing is Zach Lowe JUST got the 1st JJ Redick interview as the Lakers head coach and NOW the fire him. Talk about trash leadership at ESPN...
Disney writers hated the fact that a white male was being heralded by the masses, and now they want to replace him with a DEI-checklist approved individual that can appeal to a demographic that doesn't care. I wish they understood the demographic for basketball talk is "basketball fans", not some obscure racial or gender-denominated demographic.
@@ricosolomon Replaced by who? Another Kendrick Perkins or Monica McNutt clone? Doesn’t BSPN already have enough angry former athletes to push the narrative?
@@ricosolomonif you are interested in basketball without all the bells and whistles. Just pure basketball talk. Zach is a legend. But as your comment shows. Most people aren't into that. They want two dudes yelling about how some player need to get it done. 😂
@@ricosolomonzach lowe has been my source of NBA deep dives for about 15 years now. Just thoughtful articles and knowledge with the right amount of Humor by one of the Most Genuine down to earth, can laugh about my self dudes you can find.
The fact that ESPN is laying off Zach Lowe but keeping Kendrick Perkins is all you need to know. They're not about too content, they're targetting the "shock value" audience.
Thats what espn is now. Theyre trying to cut back but they dont keep the people who are way more qualified. Perkins obviously played but has so little experience doing tv/journalism. At least zach lowe has enough of a following now that he will probably do fine on his own. Simmons getting fired by espn did not hurt him much.
I’m in my 20s and the ESPN direction is just not for me. I’d much rather listen to or read Lowe than see the hot take machine. Truly a misfire by ESPN letting a talent like him go.
ESPN is just clown show for caricature idiot characters, like SAS. Lowe being part of their portfolio never made any sense to begin with. Zach will be fine, I am excited to know he will land on something more watchable (anything is more watchable than ESPN USA)
Don’t forget Monica McNutt and her constant whining about, “Muh equity! Muh entitlements! Muh Caitlin Clark is bad for the W!”. If that’s the future of ESPN, they might want to start lowering the lifeboats, now.
One thing to note: Bill mentions that he is curious why ESPN is outsourcing everything. My guess is that they're trying to keep "fixed costs" (economics term) low. Companies that are about to be bought/sold typically do that. My $0.02, Disney is molding ESPN into a sellable product
He didnt mention "he is curious why ESPN is outsourcing everything". He said they are outsourcing a lot of stuff. They pay Pat McAfee $17m / year, SAS $12m
As I recall reading, McAfee is a contractor. He produces the show and ESPN licenses it. I’m not sure why they do it that way - some kind of accounting chicanery perhaps? SAS is not worth $12m a year. Lots of other people could scream about the Cowboys, Deion Sanders, and the Lakers while claiming to be a close personal friend of everyone in sports. I could do that for $100 a pop. No problem.
Tim Bontemps is still employed. You haters are annoying, always contradicting yourselves, Never wanna hear about the Lakers but you always bring them up.
As you guys were discussing this, I think you touched on the new direction. They have more games and they are in the gambling space now. They are willingly cutting writing and analysis talent because their focus is on driving bets and eyes on their games.
ESPN tried to shoehorn Stephen A Smith and hot takes into live MMA coverage and neither MMA fans nor fighters were having it. He basically disappeared immediately. There's a model for technical, knowledgeable coverage of sports along with sports entertainment. This is not it.
Yeah we were conditioned a certain way by the same company we now bash because they dumbed down. Growing up we had to catch up they didn’t dumb everything down to cater to us.
ESPN is giving up on intelligent sports coverage…if Bill doesn’t hire Zach, at least give him one of those weekly pod spots. ESPN doesn’t care about quality
They don't want educated opinions, they want loud opinionated people who do what they are told. Zach cares about basketball too much to do that's first take type media
Really? I thought Zach was doing decent. I will say this, I cannot think of a worse broadcast than that Stephen A, Wilboun, Bob Meyers. That shit is awful.
@@schuylerkrizay6192 Hah you’re a Warriors fan (Terrible). But, no. He is very insightful and displays a clear understanding of the NBA, I’ve watched him speak many times. I don’t think ESPN is going to keep him either, he’s much too good for them & should be a GM right now
Back in the olden days I remember when Stephen A. and JA Adande were the two big NBA guys at ESPN. ESPN obviously went all in on Stephen A., so it's pretty clear they went for clickbait and hot takes a long time ago.
The fact that Dan Orlovsky is spewing absolute garbage hot takes and getting headline posts on ESPNs RUclips page but they don’t have time for Zach Lowe says a lot about where that network is.
Not surprised, over the last 20 years ESPN has gone from actual journalism to yelling idiots like Colin Cowherd, Skip Bayless, Steven A, McAfee, etc. Their next transition is to just be a gambling site.
They want big time stars who have built big followings on RUclips augmented by cheap ex players who will say humiliating stupid stuff. They don’t want good content
Seriously, who the hell watches Greenie. Mad Dog, Stephen A. or any of the other ESPN swill in the morning? I don't even watch the NBA pregame on ESPN. With TNT, you keep watching after the game is over. With ESPN, as soon as the game ends, the channel changes. '
i've always found Zach to be quite boring. (no offense). Kendrick Perkins is even worse though. Jalen Rose was better than both of those guys. Ric Bucher and Marc Stein were my more favorite NBA journalists back in the day. Woj was never a natural on TV, better on twitter / as a columnist.
It’s supposed to be boring except editorial pieces. The product should speak for itself and it should be reports nationally from an unbiased standpoint. Local news whatever, be homers. That’s cool. But on a national level it should be reporting on a product people love that sells itself
You would think so. But that is what The Athletic was going to be, ans then they sold out too and are not nearly as good as they used to be. The Ringer is excellent in a few niche areas but is not at all comprehensive.
The NBA Finals were awful this last year without the main broadcast team. And this is just more of the same: getting rid of iconic media personalities. And it's ridiculous.
I have a feeling Woj saw the writing on the wall and quit before he got sacked. Zach did not fit whatever vision ESPN has and it's also likely he doesn't have any patron behind the scenes. I hope he lands squarely on his feet and hit the ground running. He could set up his own company, he has enough credibility to do so. It would be nice if he moved to the Ringer, but I doubt it.
Woj was a reporter and not a sportswriter, the difference being the connections with front offices and ability to keep your ears open for breaking news. Zach never broke any stories as far as I know
American corporate culture is the same now as it was with the Robber Barons. They feel soulless because Disney Entertainment's largest shareholders are Vanguard, State Street, and BlackRock. Private equity ruins everything because it legally requires corporations to focus solely on profits.
It is true that the shareholders only care about growth, but it is not clear how firing journalists is helping ESPN or Disney grow. If they don’t want to do journalism, just shut down the website. That would save a lot of money. They are trying to half-ass many things instead of whole-assing one or two things.
@shahherwan93 Tell me again how you don't understand corporate board structure. Then search "Vanguard, State Street and BlackRock are the largest investors at Disney, making them key votes to court as Wednesday's shareholder meeting nears." You should find information about their April 2024 meeting.
@ReedMiller-z6n When lazy investment bankers get involved, they do the only thing they know how to do: cut labor costs, buy back stock, and raid the retirement fund. You can't pay the suits multimillion dollar bonus without looting the treasure chest.
I’m surprised so many people care about espn content. There are so many other places for sports content. Get an athletic sub or just listen to podcasts. Capitalism at its finest is choice.
That's not even close to what capitalism is? If that were the case the market would react and ESPN would be crushing it on every level. They are not and have in fact been in decline for years. That's why Disney had a chance to purchase ESPN. The decline will continue. I'm guessing you're a clueless college kid.
ESPN is trying to pull the super team with no depth model with Shannon, Stephen a, and McAfee and whoever else. There's still some good reporters over there but they are really leaning into the hot takes side rather than actually news and analysis
ESPN is no longer serious about sports. Once, they curated a love and delight for all kinds of sports. Now, all that exists is football, basketball and social justice - w a huge focus on a few teams and personalities. It lacks vision. By cultivating a love of sports, they give themselves a long term platform.
Spot on. I don’t care for hockey personally, but it’s never mentioned like it was before. Baseball is only talked about during the playoffs. Golf, tennis, everything is gone.
@@T92ification I learned to appreciate different sports and athletes through ESPN. Now, it’s nonstop Laker drama in the spring and QB tiers in the fall.
@@T92ification Yes. They stopped talking about hockey when they stopped showing it. A while back, the NHL made the questionable decision to go with NBC/Universal, hoping that because they had fewer other properties, they would promote the NHL more. That did not really work, so the NHL is back on ESPN, but ESPN does not really support it much. McAfee is their only “personality” that shows the slightest interest in it. That’s ok. In this day and age, it is easy to access a ton of great hockey info and analysis from Canada.
Zach is a serious journalist not a hot take guy. That means no place for him at ESPN! But I'm sure the Podfather will make him an offer he can't refuse!
Referring to Stephen A as the “high-end talent” is painful. I get that he must get the best ratings for them, but he’s also the guy that makes people like me immediately turn off the channel.
They are beyond cooked. That pop-up timer popped a looooong time ago. The only reason I even bother to watch these days is for live events and most of the time, I mute all the BSPN commentary/play-by-play and listen to live feeds from people who actually know and care about sports.
You know how much I cared about listening to the Zach Lowe Podcast?? Now what am I going to listen to? Are we cutting the Hoop Collective soon? What is going on
Hoop Collective is my only remaining ESPN program and honestly it's starting to feel at times like it's run its course. Bontemps is insufferable and some of their gags are played out. Windy is getting really high on the horse.
Good thing Zach's phone is probably blowing up. It's a very important time to own your content. Similar deals like Ariel did with Yahoo will be available for Zach.
Not sad about Zach Lowe because that means places like the ringer and the athletic are just gonna get better if he goes to one of them. He’s great to listen to so someone’s getting a gem. My money is him joining the ringer. Him and Simmons would be great together (used to be at Grant land too). Jeez ESPN is such a joke now 🤦🏽♂️
Kind of funny how the world turns full circle. I bet that when Bill was making a lot of sports reporting obsolete with Page 2 back in the day and lots of "real reporters" were losing their jobs he wasn't worried about the "purity of the craft". (Note - not saying he should have been. Our perspectives are based on our experiences and Bill's been a huge force for change in the sports media landscape. Just interesting that Bill has become the "old guy shouting at cloud" in this scenario). Zach is incredibly knowledgeable about the NBA - but how many people watch full NBA games now? Most "fans" would be watching highlights, and that group is definitely more into's someone's hot take on why the current NBA is the best than understanding the in-depth intricacies of the game. Zach is playing 4D chess with the NBA while people are looking for checkers content.
ESPN Plus is decent for the three Grand Slams and some Spanish and German soccer games, but that's about it currently. I didn't like how they got rid of their best announcing booth for NBA games and got rid of their only semi-enjoyable show in Jalen and Jacoby.
ESPN has been awful for a long time now. The best thing that I did was unsub from their YT and not recommend any of their channels that pop up in my feed. Once they went all-in on this absurd troll hard take/Skip method, I bailed and did not look back.
I stopped watching ESPN a while ago. The problem is that all the NBA youtubers spend too much time reacting to the ESPN hottakes, so I still can't escape it.
ESPN is a great legacy company that dominated the world of cable television and they're obviously making some huge missteps trying to forecast how to translate their business model to the internet. My two cents is they aren't too big to fail, letting Zach go It's hard to believe it was a money decision and certainly wasn't a merit-based decision. It honestly gives me hope that all the ringers et al. and the competition can provide a better service because there's certainly a need for that and we're ready for it! ESPN no longer deserves its monopoly.
Every year I patiently wait for the 5on5 article on EPSN when the playoff arrive. I started to notice they were no more 5on5 articles anymore broke my Heart to pieces.. no more creative stories anymore
Zach Lowe is too good for ESPN. ESPN has the brand name but have let go numerous heavyweights over the years. This is a blessing for Zach and we are excited to see him flourish.
I never heard SAS or Barkley actually talk about basketball. They come on TV and say this guy or that guy has to play better. But yet they get paid the most money. So why do you think Zach got fired?
RE: ESPN capitalizing on podcasts/other stuff. I have a 9 to 5 job. I used to record and watch PTI and Around the Horn most every day. I cut the cord on cable 10 years ago. I stopped watching those afternoon shows about a year before that. To this day, I have zero idea why they don't release these things in youtube form or some kind of streamable option. FUCKING BAFFLES me. I would still consume that content if they made it accessible to me, its not even on ESPN+, for the love of all things good and holy why. Why do I have to have a network login (meaning cable service) to watch most everything that you stream, when presumably you own the streaming rights for it. WHY in the year of our lord 2024 must you force me to buy into this "have to watch it as it happens" paradigm. Please, I beg you, put your stuff in some kind of consumable format that lets me choose the time and method of consumption. THIS is why you fail.
Because they are getting about $10 from every cable subscriber, even the ones who do not watch sports. They can only continue to get that much from the cable providers by offering a lot of content that is exclusive to the cable channel. But that will change soon. They are going to offer a full “over the top” version of ESPN next year. It will be expensive, but cheaper than getting cable just to see sports.
Zach's problem is that he actually writes stuff that is not just targeted click-bait
Problem is he not on show with click baiter to get views
His articles are soooo good
@@pjx607As is his is Podcast.
“Problem” for ESPN. Not anything to actually be ashamed about. Lowe is one of the best for the NBA. I hope Bill brings Lowe home to The Ringer.
He might have the most boring podcast of all time
Hate to hear it about Zach, but I am excited because Bill has to hire him for the Ringer!!
Zach is big enough to create his own thing if he wants to
I thought Jalen Rose would get hired by the Ringer, so can’t say for certain
They can’t afford him
dont get your hopes up. Bill still hasnt hired Todd Mcshay yet
@@KevinSebastianJalen is a good on air personality. The Ringer hire writers and podcasters and that’s what Zach is
Bill, please, hire this man immediately!
The dumbing down of basketball continues. All hot take bullshit now.
Legler is still there. For now.
Zach doesn't have many real points he just kinda talks in a cirlce but he at least tries to present facts based on data and engage actual nba idea topics even if he has no real subtance point at the end instead of just hot takes so...
Zach Lowe breaks down basketball???? Since when
@@realtalkfbs More like the looting of American corporations by private equity continues.
ESPN is continually dumbing down all it's commentary.... But none moreso than their NBA talk.... Watch a football show and they're talking cover 2 and route trees.... A basketball show is talking about tweets, fashion and who is next to go in free agency.... Zach was the best because he was talking ball.... The Screaming A Smiths have won🙄🙄🙄🙄
Been making the same comparisons for awhile.
Skip and SAS ruined ESPN for me.
@@holstorrsceadus1990 Oh, they are the absolute worst.
Legler took his spot
Their NFL stuff is crap too…just less crap
"Kendrick, say really dumb stuff really loudly and we'll pay you."
Kendrick: "EZ"
Kendrick Perkins can barely formulate sentences.
I think many casuals overlooked this. He is mentioned in half the comment section in every video. It's insane.
what is espn thinking? are they trying to crumble faster firing all the good employees?
He’s trash. My dog’s tail is smarter than Perkins. You loose brain cells Listening to him talk
Perk is barely in studio and does the show in the bathroom of his house! 🤦♂️😂
“Kendrick Perkins over me!!”
Please bring the Lowe podcast to the ringer he was of the few remaining real analysts and actually knew hoops on espn
Zach too good for the Ringer.
Zach doesn’t talk betting and ESPN is deeply integrated with the gambling industry now.
Preach
Agree. He has said it on his podcast once and then began talking gambling garbage. Same w hoop collective.
Again for the folks in the back.
Boom truth. Zach isn't a betting shill
Most people in this inflation can't even afford to do this betting nonsense that ruins people's lives. Respect to Zach for not pretending to be about it. The hoop collective is mostly betting free thank you.
The crazy thing is Zach Lowe JUST got the 1st JJ Redick interview as the Lakers head coach and NOW the fire him. Talk about trash leadership at ESPN...
espn fired zach to talk more about bronny
he was laid off not fired
@@DaMeaun same thing, no?
Bill just hire Zach and make the ringer the biggest media monster in basketball
Biggest media monster 😂😂😂😂😂 The Ringer $ucks lil bud. They couldn’t afford KOC, you think they can afford Zach?! 😂😂😂
Epsn is owned by Disney and right now they are great at giving us stuff we don't want.
Not to mention having a hiring bias SPECIFICALLY against white men.
Last I checked, Zach Lowe looks a bit too pale for Disney...
Disney writers hated the fact that a white male was being heralded by the masses, and now they want to replace him with a DEI-checklist approved individual that can appeal to a demographic that doesn't care. I wish they understood the demographic for basketball talk is "basketball fans", not some obscure racial or gender-denominated demographic.
It's Disney's reason for being right now.
@@dandyman7819the same white men who are the big bosses and make the big money.
ESPN would rather have SAS, Shannon and Perkins argue about LeBron shoe color than actual coverage
Zach is a legend, can't wait to see him working for the ringer in the future!
he was okay.... not outstanding. Will be missed and quickly replaced.
"a Legend ?" nowhere near that level
@@ricosolomon Replaced by who? Another Kendrick Perkins or Monica McNutt clone? Doesn’t BSPN already have enough angry former athletes to push the narrative?
@@ricosolomonif you are interested in basketball without all the bells and whistles. Just pure basketball talk. Zach is a legend. But as your comment shows. Most people aren't into that. They want two dudes yelling about how some player need to get it done. 😂
@@ricosolomonzach lowe has been my source of NBA deep dives for about 15 years now. Just thoughtful articles and knowledge with the right amount of Humor by one of the Most Genuine down to earth, can laugh about my self dudes you can find.
@@KIDKorRupt24a white guy who never played …. Nvm
wtf, zach lowe is their best journalist hands down
ESPN doesn't want journalists. They want robots like Malika Andrews.
Espn doesn’t care about journalism.
@@Joeschmoe8930exactly, Espn is awful
Legler took his spot, like shams took woj
And they clearly enjoy SAS, SHanno,Malika, Chiney and Perk making a circus then the real guys trying to teach what to look fot in basketball games.
The fact that ESPN is laying off Zach Lowe but keeping Kendrick Perkins is all you need to know.
They're not about too content, they're targetting the "shock value" audience.
Thats what espn is now. Theyre trying to cut back but they dont keep the people who are way more qualified. Perkins obviously played but has so little experience doing tv/journalism. At least zach lowe has enough of a following now that he will probably do fine on his own. Simmons getting fired by espn did not hurt him much.
I’m in my 20s and the ESPN direction is just not for me. I’d much rather listen to or read Lowe than see the hot take machine. Truly a misfire by ESPN letting a talent like him go.
ESPN is just clown show for caricature idiot characters, like SAS. Lowe being part of their portfolio never made any sense to begin with. Zach will be fine, I am excited to know he will land on something more watchable (anything is more watchable than ESPN USA)
Both make sense. One balances the others.
Amen brotha!
Gotta keep Perkins and his moronic hot takes.
Oh geez, forgot about him. Said SAS and Bayliss were the worst...Perk is just as bad.
He pays ESPN to work there.
Him and RJ are just, let's bounce back and forth and see who can say the dumbest shit possible.
Time for them to hire Gilbert Arenas.
Don’t forget Monica McNutt and her constant whining about, “Muh equity! Muh entitlements! Muh Caitlin Clark is bad for the W!”.
If that’s the future of ESPN, they might want to start lowering the lifeboats, now.
Keeping Stephen A over Zach is like selecting me over Lebron for a run at the YMCA.
No it's not. It's not even a good comparison. There was room for both since they do different things.
Stephen brings in the numbers and views tho. Maybe you can compare it to keeping Richard Jefferson or Kendrick Perkins lil man 😂😂
I believe in you!
@@user-kt4cg2fn7l I mean he even got cheerleaders 🤣🤣🤣
van gundy n mark jackson was a bigger loss imo
ESPN is basically for only watching games now. I consumed very little ESPN content after they got rid of all the people I liked.
Luckily a lot of people are moving to independent content creation on RUclips where they have full control
i honestly can't believe PTI even lasted this long - every time i see them i cherish it because i know they're not long for EPSN anymore
One thing to note: Bill mentions that he is curious why ESPN is outsourcing everything. My guess is that they're trying to keep "fixed costs" (economics term) low. Companies that are about to be bought/sold typically do that. My $0.02, Disney is molding ESPN into a sellable product
that at least makes some sense because if not i dont understand their actions last 10yrs
He didnt mention "he is curious why ESPN is outsourcing everything". He said they are outsourcing a lot of stuff. They pay Pat McAfee $17m / year, SAS $12m
@@roycedot he literally asks "why aren't you producing your own shows"
As I recall reading, McAfee is a contractor. He produces the show and ESPN licenses it. I’m not sure why they do it that way - some kind of accounting chicanery perhaps?
SAS is not worth $12m a year. Lots of other people could scream about the Cowboys, Deion Sanders, and the Lakers while claiming to be a close personal friend of everyone in sports. I could do that for $100 a pop. No problem.
@@sashaman14I think it was a rhetorical question.
He is right though, Bill got suspended for way less stuff than people are getting away with today lol
If you don't pick the Lakers to win the NBA Finals every year, then you're fired.
LETS GO LAKERS 💛💜
Stop reaching, haters are pressed my God
Tim Bontemps is still employed. You haters are annoying, always contradicting yourselves, Never wanna hear about the Lakers but you always bring them up.
@@siba2379 They have the Lakers in their throat 24/7 but always complaining with the Lakers get so much attention 🤣🤣🤣
@@siba2379 Haters so pressed bro. Just annoying LeHater trolls
Give Zach Lowe one dollar more than Russillo and call it a day. But fr tho, imagine Lowe joining the Bill and Russillo Sunday pods. 95-96 Bulls vibes.
Nah Rusty Buckets crew would sweep these honkeys
Espn is going down the shitter. Have been for awhile.
In terms of quality, yes, but they'll get their views because in reality, what else is there?
As you guys were discussing this, I think you touched on the new direction. They have more games and they are in the gambling space now. They are willingly cutting writing and analysis talent because their focus is on driving bets and eyes on their games.
Laying Zach off is actually crazy. ESPN quality taking another hit
ESPN tried to shoehorn Stephen A Smith and hot takes into live MMA coverage and neither MMA fans nor fighters were having it. He basically disappeared immediately. There's a model for technical, knowledgeable coverage of sports along with sports entertainment. This is not it.
everything in ESPN coverage is so hyperbolic. Every week is armageddom, for good or bad. I miss good, balanced and fearless coverage.
I could never have imagined ESPN getting this far into tabloid BS after what we all loved in the 90s and 00s. Insaneeeee.
Yeah we were conditioned a certain way by the same company we now bash because they dumbed down. Growing up we had to catch up they didn’t dumb everything down to cater to us.
I'm in my 30s and I'm nostalgic for the previous eras. Pretty sure people in their 20s do, too.
ESPN is giving up on intelligent sports coverage…if Bill doesn’t hire Zach, at least give him one of those weekly pod spots. ESPN doesn’t care about quality
They don't want educated opinions, they want loud opinionated people who do what they are told. Zach cares about basketball too much to do that's first take type media
And here comes Gil...
ESPN now fully subordinate to Klutch Sports. What a joke.
Bruh wtf…. ESPN needs to get their shit together
Really? I thought Zach was doing decent. I will say this, I cannot think of a worse broadcast than that Stephen A, Wilboun, Bob Meyers. That shit is awful.
Bob Myers is an incredible basketball mind, don’t know what you’re talking about there he’s great.
The rest, sure
Stephen A provides absolutely 0 insight into anything
@@pleasedonttemptme5963 oh man bob myers has been fuking awful whatre you saying!?! im a warriors fan too
@@schuylerkrizay6192 Hah you’re a Warriors fan (Terrible). But, no. He is very insightful and displays a clear understanding of the NBA, I’ve watched him speak many times.
I don’t think ESPN is going to keep him either, he’s much too good for them & should be a GM right now
Bob Myers has been the worst addition in some time
ESPN used to be neutral and unbiased. Now it’s full of yes men and hype men. All sauce and very little substance.
This makes Woj's departure a LOT less confusing. Woj beat the to the cut and anyone making 7 figures is targeted.
Back in the olden days I remember when Stephen A. and JA Adande were the two big NBA guys at ESPN. ESPN obviously went all in on Stephen A., so it's pretty clear they went for clickbait and hot takes a long time ago.
The fact that Dan Orlovsky is spewing absolute garbage hot takes and getting headline posts on ESPNs RUclips page but they don’t have time for Zach Lowe says a lot about where that network is.
Not surprised, over the last 20 years ESPN has gone from actual journalism to yelling idiots like Colin Cowherd, Skip Bayless, Steven A, McAfee, etc. Their next transition is to just be a gambling site.
I agree but Cowherd aint so bad
Cowherd hasn’t worked for espn for 10 years
Sounds like you’re not really paying attention. Colin hasn’t worked for espn for a while. And he’s not a yeller
💯🎯
You may not “just turn on ESPN” any more in the day, but at work it’s just as good if not better to “just throw on” a 2 hour Lowe Post episode.
Zach Low is the best NBA writer in America but he was only ‘fine’ on tv. The word ‘milquetoast’ comes to mind…
They want big time stars who have built big followings on RUclips augmented by cheap ex players who will say humiliating stupid stuff. They don’t want good content
Seriously, who the hell watches Greenie. Mad Dog, Stephen A. or any of the other ESPN swill in the morning? I don't even watch the NBA pregame on ESPN. With TNT, you keep watching after the game is over. With ESPN, as soon as the game ends, the channel changes.
'
Never fun getting laid off... but Grantland 2.0? Jalen and Jacoby vs bill and zach Dont get Fired all stars???
i've always found Zach to be quite boring. (no offense). Kendrick Perkins is even worse though. Jalen Rose was better than both of those guys. Ric Bucher and Marc Stein were my more favorite NBA journalists back in the day. Woj was never a natural on TV, better on twitter / as a columnist.
It’s supposed to be boring except editorial pieces. The product should speak for itself and it should be reports nationally from an unbiased standpoint. Local news whatever, be homers. That’s cool. But on a national level it should be reporting on a product people love that sells itself
Come on bill! If you value zach match his salary from espn! Talk is cheap! Put your money where your mouth is!
There is a HUGE opportunity for a new national sports syndicate. Someone is about to make a lot of money over the next 10-20 years. The door is open.
You would think so. But that is what The Athletic was going to be, ans then they sold out too and are not nearly as good as they used to be.
The Ringer is excellent in a few niche areas but is not at all comprehensive.
The NBA Finals were awful this last year without the main broadcast team. And this is just more of the same: getting rid of iconic media personalities. And it's ridiculous.
Doris Burke is unlistenable
I have a feeling Woj saw the writing on the wall and quit before he got sacked. Zach did not fit whatever vision ESPN has and it's also likely he doesn't have any patron behind the scenes. I hope he lands squarely on his feet and hit the ground running. He could set up his own company, he has enough credibility to do so. It would be nice if he moved to the Ringer, but I doubt it.
NBC or Amazon will hire him. NBC can utilize him like Mike Florio. or Amazon can use him for TV spots and podcasts.
Woj was a reporter and not a sportswriter, the difference being the connections with front offices and ability to keep your ears open for breaking news. Zach never broke any stories as far as I know
@@coopercourtney6459 Zach broke a lot of stories. He shared bylines with Woj a lot.
it just wasn't his focus.
Comparing Zach Lowe to Florio is like comparing Wagyu beef to dog food
Honestly there needs to be a balance between stat lords and eye test lords in nba coverage. Right now it's all hot takes
American corporate culture is the same now as it was with the Robber Barons. They feel soulless because Disney Entertainment's largest shareholders are Vanguard, State Street, and BlackRock. Private equity ruins everything because it legally requires corporations to focus solely on profits.
That seems like a stretch. They don't have any say in how it's run. Firing Zach Lowe doesn't change the course.
It is true that the shareholders only care about growth, but it is not clear how firing journalists is helping ESPN or Disney grow.
If they don’t want to do journalism, just shut down the website. That would save a lot of money.
They are trying to half-ass many things instead of whole-assing one or two things.
@shahherwan93 Tell me again how you don't understand corporate board structure. Then search "Vanguard, State Street and BlackRock are the largest investors at Disney, making them key votes to court as Wednesday's shareholder meeting nears." You should find information about their April 2024 meeting.
@ReedMiller-z6n When lazy investment bankers get involved, they do the only thing they know how to do: cut labor costs, buy back stock, and raid the retirement fund. You can't pay the suits multimillion dollar bonus without looting the treasure chest.
ESPN sure did wait until that exclusive JJ Reddick interview hit before they fired him. Cold work.
Yea super sick work smh
Bryan Curtis looks like he stole Woj and Lowe from ESPN and morphed into a composite of them
😂😂😂
The people they have hired all across ESPN are horrible. Younger, cheaper, less qualified people have been hired. Capitalism at its finest.
I’m surprised so many people care about espn content. There are so many other places for sports content. Get an athletic sub or just listen to podcasts. Capitalism at its finest is choice.
@@spolThose sites don’t got Stephen A Smith and Shannon Sharpe tho 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼
That's not even close to what capitalism is? If that were the case the market would react and ESPN would be crushing it on every level. They are not and have in fact been in decline for years. That's why Disney had a chance to purchase ESPN. The decline will continue.
I'm guessing you're a clueless college kid.
Agree with Bill. I don't watch ESPN anymore. It's just hot takes and yelling. But I enjoy some of their podcast. Including Zach's podcast.
ESPN is trying to pull the super team with no depth model with Shannon, Stephen a, and McAfee and whoever else. There's still some good reporters over there but they are really leaning into the hot takes side rather than actually news and analysis
I mean... "super team" refers more to celebrity than actual talent, let's be very clear about that.
ESPN is no longer serious about sports.
Once, they curated a love and delight for all kinds of sports. Now, all that exists is football, basketball and social justice - w a huge focus on a few teams and personalities. It lacks vision. By cultivating a love of sports, they give themselves a long term platform.
Spot on. I don’t care for hockey personally, but it’s never mentioned like it was before. Baseball is only talked about during the playoffs. Golf, tennis, everything is gone.
@@T92ification I learned to appreciate different sports and athletes through ESPN. Now, it’s nonstop Laker drama in the spring and QB tiers in the fall.
Very well said.
@@T92ification
Yes. They stopped talking about hockey when they stopped showing it. A while back, the NHL made the questionable decision to go with NBC/Universal, hoping that because they had fewer other properties, they would promote the NHL more.
That did not really work, so the NHL is back on ESPN, but ESPN does not really support it much. McAfee is their only “personality” that shows the slightest interest in it.
That’s ok. In this day and age, it is easy to access a ton of great hockey info and analysis from Canada.
Zach is a serious journalist not a hot take guy. That means no place for him at ESPN! But I'm sure the Podfather will make him an offer he can't refuse!
Referring to Stephen A as the “high-end talent” is painful. I get that he must get the best ratings for them, but he’s also the guy that makes people like me immediately turn off the channel.
ESPN has become buzz feed for sports. Few real writers and journalists
God bless everyone.
ESPN done it again. Yelling Smith stays
I stopped watching espn for a couple years now, best decision I’ve ever made
Ringer would be great but I'd also l😮ove to see Zach Lowe lead the Old Man and the Three
Zach Lowe gets fired but people like Malika Andrews still have a job. They 100% deserve the decline in viewership
ESPN is so cooked
Nobody ever went to espn to see what Zach said
@@Atribecalledsuccess I must be nobody then
They are beyond cooked. That pop-up timer popped a looooong time ago. The only reason I even bother to watch these days is for live events and most of the time, I mute all the BSPN commentary/play-by-play and listen to live feeds from people who actually know and care about sports.
@@desertedham37 correct
@@desertedham37 they’re losing sleep over your one view
You know how much I cared about listening to the Zach Lowe Podcast?? Now what am I going to listen to? Are we cutting the Hoop Collective soon? What is going on
Hoop Collective is my only remaining ESPN program and honestly it's starting to feel at times like it's run its course. Bontemps is insufferable and some of their gags are played out. Windy is getting really high on the horse.
ESPN is too focused on trying to capitalize on every trend rather than having a core business with a clear business model. 🤷🏻♂️🙄🤦🏻♂️
Nobody will say it but ESPN and NBA are embracing ghetto/childish clickbait. That is all it is.
Not sure why you chose the word ghetto
Ghetto? Please explain and the folks that liked that comment feel free to chime in too
Exactly lol no use for a sportswriter when your target audience can’t read
@VRKyurem they are racist.
@@paulpsycho78 dont call me racist saltine
Good thing Zach's phone is probably blowing up. It's a very important time to own your content. Similar deals like Ariel did with Yahoo will be available for Zach.
He’s the best, more passionate (yet not hyped) basketball journalist. This is supremely dumb.
Bill Simmons doing a podcast with Woj about Zach Lowe's layoff from ESPN is crazy 😂
That's not Woj
you think that's Woj????
@@minaguta4147you don’t say
I mean he can be Woj in the Woj Biopic but nah 😭
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 maybe they are long-lost cousins
It might be hard, but i believe in Bill. He'll find a way to name the celtics/tatum in a espn personel convo
Not sad about Zach Lowe because that means places like the ringer and the athletic are just gonna get better if he goes to one of them. He’s great to listen to so someone’s getting a gem. My money is him joining the ringer. Him and Simmons would be great together (used to be at Grant land too).
Jeez ESPN is such a joke now 🤦🏽♂️
If Zach goes to the Ringer, he instantly becomes part of the Big 3 with Bill and Ryen.
Kind of funny how the world turns full circle. I bet that when Bill was making a lot of sports reporting obsolete with Page 2 back in the day and lots of "real reporters" were losing their jobs he wasn't worried about the "purity of the craft". (Note - not saying he should have been. Our perspectives are based on our experiences and Bill's been a huge force for change in the sports media landscape. Just interesting that Bill has become the "old guy shouting at cloud" in this scenario).
Zach is incredibly knowledgeable about the NBA - but how many people watch full NBA games now? Most "fans" would be watching highlights, and that group is definitely more into's someone's hot take on why the current NBA is the best than understanding the in-depth intricacies of the game. Zach is playing 4D chess with the NBA while people are looking for checkers content.
ESPN Plus is decent for the three Grand Slams and some Spanish and German soccer games, but that's about it currently. I didn't like how they got rid of their best announcing booth for NBA games and got rid of their only semi-enjoyable show in Jalen and Jacoby.
ESPN has been awful for a long time now. The best thing that I did was unsub from their YT and not recommend any of their channels that pop up in my feed. Once they went all-in on this absurd troll hard take/Skip method, I bailed and did not look back.
I get all my sports from RUclips. Sadly Google gives RUclips more freedom of speech to their content creators than ESPN.
I stopped watching ESPN a while ago. The problem is that all the NBA youtubers spend too much time reacting to the ESPN hottakes, so I still can't escape it.
I can't watch anything on ESPN mornings anymore, once kellerman left first take I couldn't stomach it anymore. Nick's show is enjoyable.
ESPN is a great legacy company that dominated the world of cable television and they're obviously making some huge missteps trying to forecast how to translate their business model to the internet. My two cents is they aren't too big to fail, letting Zach go It's hard to believe it was a money decision and certainly wasn't a merit-based decision. It honestly gives me hope that all the ringers et al. and the competition can provide a better service because there's certainly a need for that and we're ready for it! ESPN no longer deserves its monopoly.
They're laying off all the good sportswriters so Stephen A. Smith can get his $20 million per year contract yelling about Kawhi 😂
Every year I patiently wait for the 5on5 article on EPSN when the playoff arrive. I started to notice they were no more 5on5 articles anymore broke my Heart to pieces.. no more creative stories anymore
Tough truth is that Tatum is not an alpha 😂
The world needs a better replacement for ESPN. Why is it taking so long?
Who cares about ESPN? Seriously
Crazy! He's great at his job!
Zach Lowe is too good for ESPN. ESPN has the brand name but have let go numerous heavyweights over the years. This is a blessing for Zach and we are excited to see him flourish.
I never heard SAS or Barkley actually talk about basketball. They come on TV and say this guy or that guy has to play better. But yet they get paid the most money. So why do you think Zach got fired?
Zach Lowe was making 7 figures ?!?!?!?! DAMN !!!!!
Stephen A's impending contract is killing ESPN talent.
RUclips Algo finally figured out I never want to hear about/from SAS Perkins or LeBron ever again
Zach failed because he didn't have Rodgers on every week to spew conspiracies or attack company execs
"At least they still have Mina ..."
Woj clearly trolling.
It was long overdue with his 7 figure salary.
RE: ESPN capitalizing on podcasts/other stuff. I have a 9 to 5 job. I used to record and watch PTI and Around the Horn most every day. I cut the cord on cable 10 years ago. I stopped watching those afternoon shows about a year before that. To this day, I have zero idea why they don't release these things in youtube form or some kind of streamable option. FUCKING BAFFLES me. I would still consume that content if they made it accessible to me, its not even on ESPN+, for the love of all things good and holy why.
Why do I have to have a network login (meaning cable service) to watch most everything that you stream, when presumably you own the streaming rights for it. WHY in the year of our lord 2024 must you force me to buy into this "have to watch it as it happens" paradigm. Please, I beg you, put your stuff in some kind of consumable format that lets me choose the time and method of consumption. THIS is why you fail.
Because they are getting about $10 from every cable subscriber, even the ones who do not watch sports. They can only continue to get that much from the cable providers by offering a lot of content that is exclusive to the cable channel.
But that will change soon.
They are going to offer a full “over the top” version of ESPN next year. It will be expensive, but cheaper than getting cable just to see sports.
We need a weekly, Simmons, Rassilo, Nicholes, Lowe TV show/podcast during the nba season, modeled after the old NBA today show.
The Jump?