Although layoffs were ‘very disappointing,’ Mike Soltys thinks ‘future is still bright for ESPN’

A lot of things changed at ESPN between 1980 and 2022. One thing that didn’t change was Mike Soltys, who started with the company as an intern and worked his way up to Vice President of Corporate Communications for the Worldwide Leader.

That finally did change, however, earlier this year when the 43-year ESPN veteran was included in the first round of extensive layoffs that are still ongoing. Given his role and standing, he had the opportunity to comment on behalf of ESPN about himself.

My final statement as ESPN Spokesperson: “43 Amazing Years. Wow. We wish him well.” https://t.co/qaWi807zBR

— Mike Soltys (@MichaelJSoltys) April 24, 2023

In speaking with Alex Putterman of The New Haven Register in May, Soltys did what he does best, offering a bright outlook for the future of the company, though he couldn’t help but add a note of disappointment.

Asked about the network’s future amid yet another round of layoffs, Soltys excitedly praises the company’s ability to adapt in the social media age, reeling off stats on how many followers its accounts have on Snapchat, TikTok and other platforms. It may sound like he’s selling a company line — the way a good PR professional is supposed to — but these days he has little reason to lie.

Then he pauses, and it seems there’s a “but” coming.

“Showing this amount of people the door, not for performance reasons,” he says, “is very disappointing.”

Soltys sat down with News 8’s Dennis House over the weekend, at a replica of the original SportsCenter set, to discuss his legendary career with ESPN.

As for the end of his time at ESPN, he mentioned what it was like to have to send out a statement about his own layoff.

“The morning that my round of layoffs was announced, I heard from all sorts of media looking for comment because that’s who they’ve called during previous rounds of layoffs and [I] got to send them to some of my colleagues. So that was particularly awkward.”

As for what it’s been like since finding out the news, Soltys admits that it was “sad” news but he’s appreciative of the decades of opportunities he’s gotten through the job.

“It’s sad,” said Soltys. “It has given me the opportunity in the last few months just to think back on all the amazing experiences that I’ve had, and all the great people that I’ve gotten to know.”

However, beyond the aforementioned disappointment, Soltys remains a good company man and still sees a bright future for the Worldwide Leader.

“I think the future still is bright for ESPN,” Soltys said. “It still goes back to that basic premise that we’re providing sports all the time and people are still looking for sports all the time. Where there’s a streaming universe and everything else, we’ve shown it that we can do multiple cable channels, we can do broadcast, we can do streaming, we can do social. We can do all that. So I think that the future still is bright.”

[WTNH]