ESPN has spent a lot of time and money investing in its biggest stars. And according to former ESPN analyst and NFL legend Cris Carter it means hard times for anyone else at the network trying to work their way up the ladder.
Carter left ESPN in 2016 after being one of the top NFL analysts at the network for several years. He then went on to serve at FS1 for a few years before reportedly having a falling out with his bosses and moving on.
In recent years, Carter has offered plenty of commentary on the sports media industry and what he sees on television at his former stops.
On his Fully Loaded YouTube show, Carter talked about the harsh reality that faces some of the rank and file NFL analysts at ESPN. He said that he is not interested in returning to the company, saying television analysts today are not getting paid what they used to, comparing it to past radio salaries. And the Hall of Famer also said that outside of the network’s biggest stars, ESPN is content to hire journeymen to fill out hours of airtime. He compared ESPN’s hiring practices to NBC bringing in top star players on television like Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, and Carmelo Anthony who make up their new studio lineup.
“Most of the people that ESPN is hiring now outside of Randy Moss, they’re all like journeymen. They’re hiring practices and the economics of it are totally different,” Carter said. “Now the pay in TV is like doing radio. So when you see the faces, it’s not the faces they hire for NBC. You get Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Reggie [Miller].”
Carter summed up ESPN’s philosophy as “pay the eagles, starve the turkeys.” If you look at how ESPN has evolved their business model in recent years, pouring all their eggs in the baskets of Pat McAfee and Stephen A. Smith, it’s hard to argue against him.
He also said that anyone at ESPN hoping to work their way up at the network is facing a steep uphill climb. And that appearances on programs like SportsCenter amounts to a dead end given how far the flagship program has fallen from the spotlight.
“ESPN’s philosophy business wise is pay the eagles, starve the turkeys. They told me that. Pay the eagles, starve the turkeys,” Carter explained. “If you’re doing SportsCenter, they know. It’s not Rich Eisen. It’s not like these guys are leapfrog, coming off that show, no, no, no.”
“If you’re doing SportsCenter, you’re trying to use that as a stepping stone to go way up. SportsCenter is not the stage it used to be. Look at the names on there, you don’t know any of those people. Hannah Storm does it every once in a while and the news is already late.”
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