Many big-name, on-air personalities were fired from ESPN in what is turning out to be perhaps the most notable round of layoffs for the Worldwide Leaders in Sports.
Among those who have lost their jobs today are Jalen Rose, Jeff Van Gundy, Max Kellerman, Steve Young and Suzy Kolber.
On a day when it seemed like no one was safe at ESPN, it was later revealed that there were in fact three big names who were not on the chopping block.
One of them was Stephen A. Smith, who many recognize as the hardest working man at ESPN. When you tune into the Worldwide Leader in Sports, there’s always a good chance that you’ll see Stephen A’s face on your television screen.
When word broke that ESPN would be laying off at least 20 on-air personalities today, many sports fans on Twitter came to the conclusion that this would only lead to even more work for Stephen A. Smith.
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Others saw all the firings as a sign that ESPN was “clearing cap space” to sign Stephen A. Smith to a max deal.
Stephen A. Smith’s currently salary at ESPN pays him $8-million per year. And he makes another $4-million per year in his production contract. Despite making $12-million per year, the popular host still believes he is overpaid, as he stated in an interview less than a year ago.
ESPN likely knows they’ll have to give Stephen A. a raise somewhere down the line if they want to keep him around. Perhaps all of these firings are part of their effort to clear their books so that they can afford to pay the man when the time comes.
