NFL and NBA coverage on the self-proclaimed Worldwide Leader in Sports is about to look a whole lot different.

On Friday, ESPN conducted its latest wave of its layoffs, eliminating the jobs of about 20 on-air personalities — including big names such as Jalen Rose, Max Kellerman, Todd McShay, LaPhonso Ellis, Keyshawn Johnson, and Steve Young.

Perhaps most startling are the layoffs of prominent NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy and Suzy Kolber, a 27-year veteran of ESPN and a fixture on network tentpoles such as “Monday Night Countdown” and coverage of the NFL Draft.

The front-facing staff cuts fundamentally reshape the on-air presentation of two of ESPN’s most high-profile sports. The network is tied to the NFL through 2033 and seeks to renew its existing NBA rights.

The staff cuts have devastated the morale at the company, with the Bristol, Connecticut, campus described by one staff employee as “like a morgue.”

“This is an extremely challenging process, involving individuals who have had a tremendous impact on our company,” the network said.

Cord-Cutting Fallout

The staff reductions arrive as ESPN, like so many other U.S. cable outlets, struggles with ongoing cord-cutting by consumers and the massive financial challenges they present. ESPN is now in 72.5 million homes, according to Nielsen, down 28% from a peak of 100.1 million in 2011 — and the yearly subscriber losses are accelerating.

Overall, parent company Disney is eliminating 7,000 jobs — about 3% of its global workforce — as it cuts at least $5.5 billion in costs.

More than three years after his death, Kobe Bryant will again be the center of a signature shoe line.

Nike president and CEO John Donahoe announced during a quarterly earnings call that the company will revive one of the most popular shoe lines ever among general consumers, sneakerheads, and NBA players this summer.

“It’s going to be an exciting summer, as we set the stage to relaunch the Kobe brand in advance of Kobe Day on Aug. 24,” Donahoe said, referencing the annual commemoration of Bryant corresponding to his jersey Nos. 8 and 24.

Donahoe didn’t provide further details about Nike’s plans with the Bryant line, but the move is a significant step following prior acrimony between Nike and Bryant’s widow, Vanessa. 

After a nearly 20-year relationship between Nike, Bryant, and then his estate ended in 2021, the parties struck a new pact the following year to continue the Kobe line — and also honor late daughter Gianna.

Mixed Earnings Report

Nike also delivered a mixed earnings report for its fiscal fourth quarter and full year. The company posted revenue of $51.2 million for its fiscal year 2023, up 10% and above $50 million for the first time, boosted by a 29% sales surge for its Jordan brand.

Net income for the year sagged 16% to $5.1 billion, missing expectations for the first time in three years as Nike grappled with increased inventory levels, tighter margins, and higher tax rates. 

On Friday, Nike stock opened trading down more than 2%, extending a yearlong decline.

Los Angeles Dodgers controlling owner Mark Walter is consolidating the top women’s professional hockey in North America into a new, unified league with substantial support from the NHL.

For the past several years, two entities had been vying for premier status after top players broke away from the Premier Hockey Federation — formally the National Women’s Hockey League — and formed the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association.

The Mark Walter Group and Billie Jean King Enterprises had been supporting PWHPA efforts that included event collaborations with NHL teams. The PHF boosted teams’ salary cap to $1.5 million this past season, had a media rights deal with ESPN, and also worked with NHL teams.

Now, Walter and his wife Kimbra have acquired the PHF and will shutter that league’s operations, preparing to fund and launch a new unified women’s hockey league in January 2024. Board members will include King, her wife, former tennis star Ilana Kloss, and Dodgers President Stan Kasten.

The NHL told Front Office Sports it congratulates the PWHPA and PHF on their agreement.

“We already have initiated discussions with representatives of this unified group regarding how we can work together to continue to grow the women’s game,” a league spokesperson told FOS. 

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman had long stated his desire for a unified women’s game that the league can support rather than choosing from multiple entities. The development will bring PWHPA stars like Team USA’s Hilary Knight together with PHF standouts including MVP Loren Gabel and many other international players. 

Financial details of the acquisition are not available, but the deal will void current PHF contracts — some in the six figures — and provide a minimum salary of $35,000 through 2031, according to the Associated Press.