Merril Hoge slams ESPN’s strategy: ‘All you have to know is how to debate and argue’

It’s been more than eight years since Merril Hoge last worked at ESPN.

But when it comes to the Worldwide Leader in sports, the former Pittsburgh Steelers running back has some thoughts.

Earlier this week, Hoge joined the Kansas City Chiefs-focused Arrowhead Allies podcast. And when the subject of his former employer was brought up, the NFL analyst didn’t mince words.

“They did a great job of building population that built ESPN. And that was by entertaining, educating and informing the viewer, and that was our goal and that was the objective and, that’s why they hired me,” Hoge said. “After about 21 years there, they changed — then they doubled down. And this is when they completely committed and changed, and they talked about, ‘we want to debate and argue.’

“That has been their goal for nearly a decade, debate and argue. All you have to know is how to debate and argue. Do you have to have know your information? No, actually, the more ignorant you are, probably the better you are gonna be in debating and arguing. And so they chose that.”

@starcademedia Merril Hoge talks about what has gone wrong at #ESPN and why the ratings are so low #fyp #sports #nfl #football ♬ original sound – Starcade Media

According to Hoge, he isn’t the only person to have taken note of the apparent shift in strategy. The former Idaho State standout even went as far as to blame the “Embrace Debate” era for an unspecified decline in ratings.

“At some point, it’s not gonna be what they signed up for. It’s not gonna be what they want to see,” he said. “It’s not what they came here for, and they’re not getting that in return. And and I think the ratings alone tell you that. If you like debate and argue, watch it, go ahead and watch it. I mean, but a lot of people that used to watch ESPN, that’s not what they watched ESPN for.”

While it’s hardly a secret that ESPN’s approach has evolved over the years, the connection between such strategy and declining ratings doesn’t carry much weight. In fact, ESPN recently celebrated record September viewership for Get Up, First Take and The Pat McAfee Show — the six-hour block that embraces debate the most.

In fact, compared to most of television (and especially its competitors), ESPN’s viewership is actually pretty strong. And while the content certainly isn’t for everyone, it seems like a safe bet that the network won’t be deemphasizing arguments and debates anytime soon.