OutKick not too long ago credited ESPN for its turnaround. Its day by day studio lineup was up 14% yr over yr in the course of the first quarter of 2026. The community has additionally slowly parted methods with most of its far-left race idolaters.
Nevertheless, the chief behind the turnaround is leaving. On Thursday, the network announced that Govt Vice President David Roberts will retire on the finish of August.
“This has been each an actual honor and a blessing to work for and with essentially the most gifted folks within the business,” Roberts stated in a press launch. “I’m extraordinarily humbled and grateful to have had the alternatives afforded me as a member of the ESPN management crew. It has been merely an superior 22 years.”
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David Roberts attends ESPN’s Sports activities Humanitarian Awards on the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles, Calif., on July 15, 2025. (JC Olivera/Selection)
For background, it was Roberts who canceled many of the politically and racially pushed programming that sank ESPN’s repute lately. He was behind the cancellations of “SC6” with Jemele Hill, “The Proper Time” with Bomani Jones, “Excessive Midday” with Bomani Jones, Clinton Yates’ little radio present, and “Across the Horn.”
Roberts can be the rationale ESPN didn’t re-sign Hill, Bomani, Yates, Mark Jones, Sarah Spain, Max Kellerman, Jalen Rose and Keith Olbermann.
(For these seeking to mock the particular person behind re-signing Olbermann, search for the title Norby Williamson.)
Whereas the White bosses at ESPN ruled with a deep concern of baseless racial backlash, Roberts didn’t. As a number of on-air skills have advised OutKick over the previous 4 years, Roberts didn’t care what colour somebody was or how they leaned politically. He put the perfect folks on tv and eliminated the folks the viewers rejected.
Sadly, judging expertise by their, effectively, expertise is a uncommon trait in administration.
Roberts let the viewers determine who can be a star and who wouldn’t. His predecessors, like Connor Schell, let social media and CAA make these choices for them.
ESPN listed a few of Roberts’ accomplishments within the announcement:
- The 6 p.m. ET version of SportsCenter, SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt and the Saturday morning version all had their highest first quarter viewership ever in Q1 2026.
- Launching of the two p.m. and 5 p.m. editions of SportsCenter, with the two p.m. version having its finest Q1 viewership ever this yr.
- SportsCenter 50 States in 50 Days, which introduced ESPN’s signature information and data present to all 50 states in the course of the summer time of 2025.
- Wealthy Eisen’s return to ESPN together with his weekday program on ESPN+, Disney+ and ESPN Radio, and internet hosting particular editions of SportsCenter.
Fox Information’ newly launched “The Will Cain Present” averaged 2.1 million viewers throughout Might because the community outdrew ABC in weekday primetime and led different cable information shops. (Fox Information Media)
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In one of many riskier strikes of his tenure, Roberts made a star out of Will Cain. In 2016, he put Cain on tv reverse Stephen A. Smith on “First Take” to supply a conservative steadiness to the dialog. It labored.
Cain is now one of many highest-rated speak present hosts on tv with a day by day Fox Information program, “The Will Cain Present”. He landed a one-on-one interview with Vice President JD Vance this week. That will not have occurred if Roberts had not first put him in a high-profile position. Roberts put Cain on the radar of Fox Information and others.
And once more, he didn’t favor Cain as a result of he was conservative. He did it as a result of Cain was good on tv. Sources say Roberts additionally championed personalities like Stephen A. Smith, Michael Wilbon, Shannon Sharpe, Wealthy Eisen, Brian Windhorst, and Mike Greenberg, none of whom share many political views with Cain.
We might argue that the Stephen A. experiment ought to finish at this level. First Take is the solely present a part of ESPN’s day by day lineup not experiencing important progress. Most of the people seems sick of him. Jason Whitlock has raised legitimate questions on the legitimacy of the tales Smith tells in his memoir. He has been unable to defend his tales in opposition to Whitlock. Nonetheless, Stephen A. was finally the most important draw on the community for many of Roberts’ run.
Stephen A. Smith falsely claimed the Warriors have not made the playoffs since 2022, however Golden State reached the second spherical in each 2023 and 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Photos)
With out Roberts in cost, anticipate the political and racial buffoonery to creep again into the dialog at ESPN. Commentators like Ryan Clark and Kendrick Perkins will really feel freer to push extra irresponsible, divisive rhetoric. They know their bosses can be too fearful to cease them.
Whereas Roberts might have already made up his thoughts, ESPN ought to have tried tougher to maintain him, not less than for some time longer. Not having him on employees with the 2026 midterms approaching can be troubling.
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ESPN says Mike Foss will fill Roberts’ duties. Prediction: he’ll cave the second he’s tasked with asking somebody to take down a political tweet or cease referencing Trump on tv.
Discovering competent tv executives with a spine is not any simple job. Most of them simply need to slot in and keep away from confrontation. They lack imaginative and prescient. They’re followers by nature. Have a look at the state of CNN and MSNBC. Have a look at the mess ESPN made below the steerage of former president John Skipper.
Dave Roberts is a giant loss for ESPN. We suspect viewers will discover a change, one that can break many of the newfound momentum ESPN is experiencing.
Observe Bobby Burack on X.
