ESPN might not have a huge presence in Saskatchewan. Now it’s even smaller.
The premier cable sports network laid off 100 employees in an ongoing effort to trim the financial losses being felt across all media companies. On-air personalities Trent Dilfer and Dottie Pepper are among the casualties.
Several of their website’s top writers, who covered Major League Baseball, college basketball and the NFL were also let go. And ESPN basically withdrew completely from covering the National Hockey League.
Pierre LeBrun and Scott Burnside informed their Twitter followers they were among the laid-off employees. LeBrun and Burnside wrote exclusively about the NHL. They broke stories, provided context and expressed their opinions as cutting-edge reporters. They’re tremendous guys and superb reporters. Many hockey fans clicked onto ESPN for their reports, but after reading the sparse coverage provided on that website of the Vancouver Canucks hiring a new coach, it’s no longer worth bookmarking.