After 5 years and helping create @ESPN_Esports from day one, I've been informed that this year will be my last
— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) November 6, 2020
I promise I tried my best. Thank you all for your support on this crazy adventure that has changed my life
For the first time since 2014, I'm officially a free agent
Hi all, I've just received word that my contract with ESPN will not be renewed for 2021. I'm sad for all of my colleagues at ESPN who have also been affected by this round of layoffs and additionally thankful for the opportunity to have worked with such amazing people.
— Emily Rand (@leagueofemily) November 6, 2020
— Jacob Wolf (@JacobWolf) November 6, 2020
ESPN is doing more Layoffs, sad to see people lose their jobs but this is what happens when you are an ultra traditional company failing to transition into the digital age. Along with behind the scenes and other on air talent ESPN Esports is being affected.
I like video games so I’m the de facto “video game guy” among all the olds here and that is why I get screwed by Stevie Stats on Brain Fry but that is neither here nor there. As I said I don’t want to see people lose their job, the following those three have accumulated over the years I’m sure they’ll find something quick.
I will say if ESPN is going to stay successful and stay the sport juggernaut that they have been all our lives they need to become internet people. Traditional media and traditional media personalities are dying if not dead. Emily, Jacob and Tyler were your typical ESPN employees. There’s no X factor, nothing special. They do their job, they do their job well but they aren’t personalities and that is what the internet makes you become. Jacob Wolf is pretending to be the internet Woj, the problem is video games and sports are different. So the breaking news and scoops that Woj and Schefter get aren’t there for video games. Emily is a great writer but she mostly covers Asian League Of Legends, which is a huge fan base but not in America. Don’t get me wrong, people in the States and around the world watch and are interested in Korean and Chinese LOL but not at the rate you need to survive at ESPN. She does a great job but the audience isn’t there. Listen I’m a Boston sports fan who writes about video games for a Philly website, I understand the audience not being there. And Tyler, I’m sure he’s a great guy, he does more long form stories but this is ESPN and Twitter not the Washington Post. One 10,000 word story every 8 months isn’t gonna get it done, clearly.
Hardcore esport fans want the recognition and acceptance from an ESPN type because they’ve been told no one cares about them by ESPN types for 25 years. Esports is a billion dollar industry and growing, doing what ESPN tried to isn’t what works, doing what Wicked Good Gaming does is how it works.
BREAKING: Not Another Gaming Podcast Has Broken Into Apple Podcasts Top 100 Chart For Gaming 🚀🌕https://t.co/4b7hFWEkPk (via @UncleDommy)
— WGG 🔜 PAX East (@WickedGoodGames) November 6, 2020