Linda Cohn says ESPN anchors were ‘up in arms’ when ‘SportsCenter’ introduced the BottomLine

For decades, ESPN’s BottomLine ticker has been a staple of the network, providing viewers with real-time updates on scores and news happening throughout the sports world. Now, as ESPN gets set to remove the ticker from its college football broadcasts, former ESPN anchor Linda Cohn has revealed that the original SportsCenter anchors never wanted it in the first place.

In a statement confirming the move, ESPN said that the network is removing the BottomLine to create “a cleaner presentation” and eliminate distractions to keep the focus on the game. Cohn found this explanation rather amusing.

“ESPN says the idea is to create a cleaner presentation, keep the focus on where it belongs – on the field. And I have to admit, when I heard this, I laughed about it. Why? Because I have a little history with a bottom line,” Cohn said on The Linda Cohn Show on Friday.

Cohn explained that the SportsCenter anchors were not happy with the change because it would be too much of a distraction.

“I was at ESPN when it was introduced back in 1995, first on ESPN2 before eventually it spread across ESPN and onto SportsCenter. And when they decided to put that ticker at the bottom of SportsCenter, many of us SportsCenter anchors, we were up in arms,” Cohn said.

“Remember, we wrote our own shows. We put a lot of time and effort into those on-camera lead-ins. This information, the setup, and hopefully a clever line or two. Then suddenly, while we’re talking, scores and breaking news were moving at the bottom of the screen. That’s a distraction. You’re not going to pay attention to us,” she continued. “We were upset. They’re all going to stare at the ticker at the bottom of the screen.”

Obviously, Cohn and her colleagues lost their battle with the network, and the BottomLine became a staple at ESPN.

“We complained. We made our case. And spoiler alert, we did not win our case,” Cohn said. “The BottomLine stayed. It became part of ESPN’s identity. And eventually, hey, it changed the way sports TV looked everywhere. Everybody was copying it.”

After ESPN’s decision to move away from the BottomLine, citing the exact reason the SportsCenter anchors complained about initially, she’s feeling a bit vindicated.

“Now, more than 30 years later, how about that? ESPN is removing it from its college football broadcast because, wait for it, it can be distracting,” Cohn said. “So apparently we SportsCenter anchors were right way back then. It just took ESPN a few decades to admit it.”