ESPN employees are said to be ‘upset’ over The Walt Disney Co. announcing Pat McAfee as it’s newest major hire following the massive layoffs at the company, according to Front Office Sports.
The ‘worldwide leader in sports’ is said to be preparing for their second round of layoffs after Disney chief executive officer Bob Iger stated a wish to slash 7,000 jobs worldwide and $5.5 billion in costs.
‘Too soon was the reaction I got from a few friends. Some that were let go are still working there until June,’ one ex-ESPN employee said to Front Office Sports.
‘You are coming to grips with your departure, and then you see a big money signing. It’s not anti-McAfee…it’s your ex getting engaged a month after the breakup.’
Reports have stated that ESPN gave McAfee an eight-figure annual contract after he walked away from his four-year, $120m contract with FanDuel, bringing his famed ‘The Pat McAfee Show,’ along with him.
ESPN employees are ‘upset’ with the eight-figure annual salary given to new hire Pat McAfee
McAfee is set to rip his four-year, $120million FanDuel contract, which he signed in 2021
ESPN’s parent company Walt Disney Co. is currently in the midst of thousands of lay offs
ESPN’s first wave of layoffs took place on April 24, and saw well respected names like John Dahl, the executive producer of the famed documentary ‘The Last Dance’, as well as communications specialist Mike Soltys and Nate Silver.
Howie Schwab who once hosted ‘Stump the Schwab’ on ESPN said that his former co-workers have been closely watching the salary gaps between the most popular on-air talent at the company and everyone else.
‘There are some people who are upset. The timing of it is curious. They’re paying [Troy]Aikman, [Joe]Buck, Stephen A. Smith, and McAfee. And then you’re going to lay people off? Kind of weird,’ Schwab said.
‘Nothing against Pat McAfee. Obviously, he brings Aaron Rodgers to the table. He’s already there because he does ‘College GameDay.’ They’re looking to hit another home run. Meanwhile, their singles hitters are going to be fired.’
Aikman makes $18 million, Smith and Buck both make $15 million annually.
There is also said to be a large since of resentment for Disney due to the fact that they own 80 percent of ESPN and the driving force behind the layoffs.
The next set of layoffs is said to include off-air members of the production and camera staff, along with high-salaried executives.
Some employees are said to feel that they are being forced to pay for the poor decisions of former Disney CEO Bob Chapek, which took place in Burbank, California which is about 3,000 miles away from ESPN’s base of operations in Bristol, Connecticut.
Ex-ESPN personality Jemele Hill said that behind-the-scenes workers are the most affected
McAfee has been able to bring multiple big-name guest to his show like Jets QB Aaron Rodgers
Former employee Jemele Hill recently spoke on the layoffs when she not only noted how hard it was to say goodbye to some of her former colleagues, but also how much harder they are on the behind-the-scenes employees compared to the much higher paid on-air-talent.
‘Many of them, especially at ESPN, have been there for years because it’s one of those places that’s considered to be a destination job,’ said Hill.
‘So, when these layoffs come, the people that will be primarily affected are the people whose names you don’t know.’
ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro had the honors of introducing McAfee when he said in a statement: ‘Pat is a proven talent. He and his team have built ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ into one of the most engaging programs in sports and all of media.’
ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro called The Pat McAfee Show ‘one of the most engaging programs in sports and all of media’
Pitaro is also said to be in the running to replace Iger as the next CEO of Disney.
Despite the clear feelings of uneasiness amongst it’s workforce ESPN had four different well known on-air personalities take home 2023 Sports Emmy Awards. Peyton Manning, Ryan Clark, Mike Breen, and Lisa Salters all took home awards.
The four Sports Emmys likely only mean so much however to the employees who are fearing for their jobs at the moment however.
‘Morale, in general, is awful,’ said one former talent.