ESPN was already the Worldwide Leader in Sports.
Now it’s getting a bigger piece of the pie.
Earlier this week, the Disney-owned cable channel announced its new NFL partnership, an agreement to air WWE’s’ Premium Live Events and an extension of its NFL Draft rights — and that was just Wednesday morning alone. But while ESPN has already possessed a hefty portfolio, the network’s recent moves clearly don’t sit well with Barstool Sports’ Brandon Walker, who discussed the subject on Thursday’s episode of Mostly Sports with Mark Titus and Brandon Walker.
“This is a f*cking disaster. Have you guys not been looking around? Have you guys not been paying attention?” Walker said. “Hey, ESPN has sucked ass for two decades. It’s been terrible. A slow descent into hell. Inside the NBA was the most beautiful ESPN-free zone that we had. And they snuck that one away from us about six months ago. They got that one.
“And now they go after and they get RedZone and they get the whole NFL Network. Now they got WWE pay-per-views. Our pet’s heads are falling off. They ruined their own network. Now they’re going to ruin everything else.”
ESPN is swallowing the sports world whole @BFW pic.twitter.com/GntJHYdzQI
— Mostly Sports With Mark Titus & Brandon Walker (@mostlysports) August 7, 2025
Titus, meanwhile, is opting for a more wait-and-see approach. Well, kind of.
“You’re overreacting. Let’s just wait and see,” the former Ohio State basketball walk-on said. “And then we’re gonna wait and see, it’s gonna be dog sh*t, and then you just slowly get used to it.”
While ESPN’s track record with The Pat McAfee Show might indicate a more hands-off approach than Walker is suggesting, the reality is that all of the aforementioned properties possess a higher profile than the network’s weekday 12 p.m. ET timeslot. And although the NFL deal won’t be finalized until it receives regulatory approval — which likely won’t be until the end of next year — that will call for ESPN to own and operate assets as opposed to just licensing them.
Regardless of the validity of Walker’s concern, he’s hardly the first person to express such a sentiment. Whether its reputation is deserved or a matter of perception, the reality is that ESPN has some trust to repair among sports fans as it continues to expand its already massive footprint.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.