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Are sports television networks listening? When CBS pulled the plug on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, it ended a franchise player of the network for over 30 years—a direct head-to-head competitor that the network created to challenge its rival at NBC and their Tonight Show franchise. For generations, the back-and-forth ratings battle was intense, as every night seemed like must-see television with the two sides doing anything to entertain audiences to grasp the biggest number of viewers possible.

Does the cancellation of The Late Show serve as a warning shot to professional sports networks such as ESPN and FOX Sports?

Many will scoff at the idea of sports television networks canceling shows surrounding their sports programming. I get it. However, the reasoning CBS gave behind the cancellation should be heard loud and clear by everyone, including sports television networks.

Political leanings aside, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert cost a lot to produce. Reportedly, the price tag to create the program was near $100 million a year, with advertising revenue reportedly down over 50% compared to 2018. The show may have had the highest viewership of the competing late-night programs currently, but the amount of viewership compared to 2018 had also dwindled.

The Old Model Is a Formula for Disaster

Reduced revenue, ratings, and high expenses spell a formula for disaster in any type of media—especially in Colbert’s case, where a media company on the brink of being sold was looking to cut expenses and improve its bottom line in preparation for sale.

Isn’t this exactly what FOX Sports just went through with Breakfast Ball, The Facility, and Speak? High expense, low viewership, and limited revenue?

What is happening to The Late Show franchise is exactly the same as what happened with FOX Sports last week, which resulted in a phone call to Barstool Sports.

FOX Sports decided to license out their programming time slots in a partnership with the digital sports content hub, where Barstool (not FOX Sports) will produce a two-hour program to air on FS1 in the mornings to compete with ESPN’s Get Up. The show will then (reportedly) repeat from 10 a.m.–12 p.m. to go head-to-head against ESPN’s First Take.

In FOX Sports’ mind, why pay the massive freight for talent, staff, and production if you can pay someone else to do it for you? What’s to say CBS doesn’t follow that model for their coveted 11:35 p.m. time slot in May—replacing a personality-driven talk show with one that already thrives digitally that the network doesn’t have to invest in like the current Colbert model?

ESPN Programming Questions To Ponder

Could ESPN be next?

The simple question all these networks need to ask when it comes to programming is: Is the juice worth the squeeze? Is the amount of money any network (sports or non-sports) is shelling out to produce its own programming worth the investment? Is the product driving influence, viewership, and revenue enough to keep around?

Let’s look at a couple of examples with ESPN.

Was Tony Reali too expensive to keep around at ESPN? They canceled Around the Horn and have yet to give a reason why. Assuming each of the four panelists were compensated in some fashion, the network was compensating five talents per day, five days a week, for nearly 5,000 episodes. The network also siloed Reali from any other ESPN programming focusing his talents only on Around the Horn.

Was the juice worth the squeeze? Reali is now the most-sought after free-agent in sports television.

Dan Le Batard hinted the other day that Michael Wilbon’s contract runs up in August. Tony Kornheiser and Wilbon have been hosting Pardon The Interruption for nearly a quarter-century. Both are among the highest-paid talents at ESPN—but are they drawing more than a million viewers per episode? Not necessarily.

Is PTI’s juice worth the squeeze? Was their lead in a sign of things to come?

Stephen A. Smith is the highest-paid talent at ESPN, having just signed a reported 5-year, $100 million contract. Quick math: that’s about $20 million a year, which is more than Kornheiser and Wilbon combined. Using Colbert as a reference point, if The Late Show cost $100 million annually to produce, Stephen A. Smith’s contract would account for 20% of that cost by itself. Sure, First Take is number one in sports programming during that time slot—but its viewership isn’t anywhere near what The Late Show was doing. Then add in the compensation for the rotating cast of characters like Shannon Sharpe, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, Molly Qerim, and others. Pretty pricey—averaging around half a million viewers.

Is First Take’s juice worth the squeeze? Maybe this is why Stephen A. Smith is everywhere at all times, to ensure the lemonade still has taste.

ALL Networks Are Playing Catch up for Lost Opportunity

If your program is making more money than you’re spending on it, you’re safe. If not, heed the warning of what happened to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

With changing times come changing dynamics—and rising production costs. Talent is not going to magically become cheaper. Nor will the costs to create and distribute content.

While many believe sports content networks have a shield of Teflon from the struggles of network television, the challenges remain the same.

Sports rights agreements are more expensive than ever. Sports networks need those rights as the industry continues to face hurdles from cord-cutting and the fragmentation of live sports. It’s a proven fact that appointment television lives, breathes and survives on live sports play-by-play. Nothing else comes close, and nothing else may ever again.

However, could we see a day where sports networks battle each other for streamers, influencers, and podcasters to fill programming space at a cheaper rate?

It may already be here—for all we know.

Simply put, sports fans can now find entertainment far beyond just the television. The days of appointment viewing for shows like Around the Horn, Get Up, Pardon the Interruption, First Take, and others are over. With the click of a button, sports fans can access a buffet of content options on any app, website, or social network to get the entertainment value they desire. The old way of doing business and generating audience has shifted dramatically, and networks are pivoting their strategies as only they know how.

The eventual fall of late night television was not in the strategy of content direction, it was in the strategy of networks not adapting to changing viewing habits and where audiences are going.

Let’s hope sports networks don’t follow the same formula, before it’s too late.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

John Mamola is the sports editor and columnist for Barrett Media. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success.  Honored to be a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Media and honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL). Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.

MINNEAPOLIS — USA Volleyball has announced the 12 athletes chosen to represent the United States at the 2025 NORCECA Women’s U21 Pan American Cup, July 22–27, in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Included in that group is Gophers redshirt freshman setter Stella Swenson. Swenson redshirted in her first year on campus in 2024 to develop behind redshirt senior Melani Shaffmaster. She is set to take on the starting role for Minnesota in 2025.

The 12 athletes were chosen from the 18 members of the Women’s U21 National Team who participated in a training block from July 13-19 at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

BYU women’s head coach Heather Olmstead is leading the team in Costa Rica, assisted by TCU’s Keith Smith and Olympian Megan Hodge Easy (Penn State).

The team features nine athletes with previous age-group national team experience for the U.S. The three newcomers are setter Stella Swenson, opposite Jadyn Livings and setter Taylor Parks. All three have been part of the NTDP Training Series.

2025 Women’s U21 National Team for U21 Pan American Cup

Name (Pos., Height, Birth Year, Hometown, School, USAV Region)

1 Lizzy Andrew (MB, 6-5, 2005, Ridgefield, Wash., Stanford University, Columbia Empire)

4 Blaire Bayless (OH, 6-2, 2005, Plano, Texas, University of Pittsburgh, North Texas)

5 Favor Anyanwu (MB, 6-3, 2006, Rowlett, Texas, Southern Methodist University, North Texas)

6 Ayden Ames (MB, 6-4, 2006, Prosper, Texas, University of Texas, North Texas)

7C Brooklyn DeLeye (OH, 6-2, 2005, Auburn, Kan., University of Kentucky, Heart of America)

8 Stella Swenson (S, 6-2, 2005, Wayzata, Minn., University of Minnesota, North Country)

11 Ramsey Gary (L, 5-7, 2005, Pendelton, Ind., University of Texas, Hoosier)

12 Noemie Glover (OPP, 6-2, 2005, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., Arizona State University, Southern California)

13 Kamryn Gibadlo (OH, 6-1, 2005, Cave Creek, Ariz., University of Utah, Arizona)

14 Jadyn Livings (OPP/OH, 6-1, 2006, Dallas, Texas, Southern Methodist University, North Texas)

16 Taylor Parks (S, 5-11, 2006, Clearwater, Fla., University of Florida, Florida)

19 Abby Vander Wal (OH, 6-3, 2006, Elmhurst, Ill., University of Texas, Great Lakes)

Coaches

Head Coach: Heather Olmstead (BYU)

Assistant Coach: Keith Smith (TCU)

Assistant Coach: Megan Hodge Easy (Penn State)

Performance Analyst: Jimmy Kim (NTDP)

Athletic Trainer: Britta Pestak (Hawken School/University Hospital)

Team Lead: Kyle Thompson (Maryland)

Schedule

All times Central (Match Streams Linked)

July 22: USA vs. Canada, 6 p.m.

July 23: USA vs. Puerto Rico, 4 p.m.

July 24: USA vs. Chile, 6 p.m.

July 25: Quarterfinals

July 26: Semifinals

July 27: Medal Matches

The list includes 30 players from 20 different schools, featuring some of the best talent in the nation. The names will be revealed in groups of 10 over three days, from June 22-24. 

A 2024 third-team All-American, Shelton had a breakout junior season as she led the team with 455 kills and 4.38 kills/set. She ranked second on the team in digs with 204 and in blocks with 93.

The junior tallied double-digit kills in every meet of the season, including a season-best 27 against Texas. She recorded 20-plus kills on nine occasions and notched eight double-doubles on the year.

Shelton reached the 1,000-kill mark in 2024, the 15th Sooner to achieve the feat. Her 1,118 career kills are good for 14th all-time. Her 455 kills in 2024 place her second all-time for kills in a single season.

The list will be narrowed down to semifinalists in November, after a midseason addition in October. The names of the finalists will be released in December, with the AVCA Player of the Year announcement occurring on Dec. 19 at the AVCA Awards Banquet in Kansas City.

FOLLOW THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS

For updates, follow @OU_Volleyball on Twitter and Instagram, or like Oklahoma Volleyball on Facebook.

 

WASHINGTON – Georgetown University’s volleyball team was recognized with the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award sponsored by INTENT, as announced by the governing body this week.

“I’m incredibly proud of our team’s accomplishments in the classroom this past year.” said Head Coach AJ Bonetti. “Earning the AVCA Team Academic Award is something we pursue every year because it reflects the kind of program we are building, one that values excellence on the court and in the classroom.”

The Hoyas have won 13 AVCA Team Academic Awards in program history, including five times in the past seven seasons. This year, ten of the 11 BIG EAST programs were recognized this season.

To earn the accolade, a program must have maintained a year-long grade-point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale), to earn the award for their classroom excellence during the recently completed academic year.

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IRVINE — The warm feelings of friendship and redemption embraced Gavin Conant on a sunny, mid-summer afternoon and drove away a cold and somber fall once and for all.

Conant and North Irvine’s “Beast Boys” lived up to their nickname by defeating two-time defending champion Newport Beach 9-5 in the 18-and-under boys final at the USA Water Polo Junior Olympics on Tuesday.

Before a packed crowd at Woollett Aquatics Center, Conant earned MVP honors with a match-high four goals, two field blocks and two steals.

The USC-bound attacker delivered the performance after missing his senior season at JSerra in the fall because of a back injury.

“This is fate, so it was fun,” Conant said after leading North Irvine’s to its first 18s title. “I was out for about six, seven months and that was really hard. But I got back in January and started training … (and) bounced back.”

Conant said he suffered a stress fracture in his back at the 18-and-under World Championships last summer in Argentina from “over training.”

The injury didn’t require surgery but he missed JSerra’s runner-up finish in the CIF-SS Open Division and title in the SoCal regional.

Conant made up for lost time Tuesday by uniting with an all-star cast of friends to avenge a 12-9 loss to Newport Beach on Monday.

“A lot of these guys (on North Irvine) are national team buddies,” explained Conant, who played at JSerra for two years after transferring from Cathedral Catholic. “We’re all best friends from different clubs and we came together.”

North Irvine’s inspiration, Conant explained, was the Cozy Boys, another “super team” that won the boys 18-and-under crown in 2018.

“I always looked up to the Cozy Boys,” Conant said. “Beast Boys was kind of our thing. It was pretty special. We made the (swim) suits and got the Instagram. It was really fun.”

Beast Boys’ chemistry showed as the No. 5 seed converted all three of its chances on the man-advantage in the first period.

Former JSerra center Colt Bradley (USC) drew two of the exclusions while former Mater Dei left-hander Kyson Becker (UC San Diego) had a goal and assist.

North Irvine finished 5 for 7 with the extra attacker.

“The team came together with some (North Irvine) alumni who just wanted to run in with their friends, and their friends all happened to be really, really good,” North Irvine coach Ed Carrera said.

Former Newport Harbor All-County goalie Luke Harris (USC) made 12 saves to help anchor North Irvine’s defense. Harris and his field blockers held Newport Beach to a 2 for 10 effort on the extra man.

“The game plan (Monday) was just play them straight up and see what they got,” said North Irvine coach Steve Carrera, whose son Jacob (Archie Williams/UC Davis) scored a goal.

“(Newport Beach) played a good game. We just had a little more hustle in us today.”

North Irvine also received two goals from Milan Sumich (Cal) and one from Camden Kocur (Oaks Christian/USC).

Sean Anderson paced Newport Beach with two goals while goalie Connor Clougherty added six saves.

The squad lost Tyler Anderson, an All-County center at JSerra last season, to a game misconduct in the second period.

The ratings for Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game on ABC were down 36 percent from the previous year but still drew the second-most viewers in the showcase’s history.

The contest in Indianapolis drew 2.19 million viewers according to Front Office Sports, down from a record 3.44 million last year. It still was the most-watched program of the night across the television landscape, per ESPN.

One glaring reason for the discrepancy is that Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark was on the court for the 2024 All-Star Game and on the bench with a groin injury this year.

Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier scored a record 36 points Saturday to lead her Team Collier to a 151-131 victory over Team Clark.

This is the third straight year ABC aired the All-Star Game in primetime on Saturday. The 2023 game drew 850,000 viewers.

All-Star weekend’s other events were a hit. Friday’s WNBA Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest drew an average of 1.3 million viewers on ESPN, up a whopping 89 percent over last year.

–Field Level Media