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It is no secret that ESPN programming looks a lot different now than it did even 10 or so years ago.
A network that constantly flooded viewers with some of the best highlights from the day before has turned into lots of talking-head shows like “First Take,” “Get Up,” “NFL Live” and “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Such changes have even grabbed former first lady Michelle Obama’s attention, who said she cannot help but feel like she is watching reality television when she turns on the channel.
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Former First Lady Michelle Obama on the set of her podcast in June. (Michelle Obama YouTube channel)
“It’s all a sociological study. They think that sports is better reality TV, I’m like, ‘it’s the same thing.’ If I listen to ESPN for an hour, it’s like watching the ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta,’ you know?” Obama said on her brother Craig’s “IMO” podcast. “It’s the same drama, and they’re yelling at each other, and they don’t get along, you know? I mean, Stephen A. Smith, he’s just like every other…”
Two of the hosts then joked that he’d be a perfect fit for the show.
“So that’s why I’m like, ‘what’s the difference?’ It’s just, you know, it’s just sociological drama,” added Obama. “I mean, the fact that people over seasons of working still can’t get along. They still have the same arguments, you know, and it’s not just women. But this happens in sports, too. I find it fascinating.”
Former first lady Michelle Obama attends opening night celebrating “50 years of equal pay” during Day One of the 2023 US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 28, 2023. (Jean Catuffe/GC Images)
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ESPN did recently cancel “Around the Horn” after over 20 years, with one of its former analysts, Jay Marriotti, claiming it had gone too woke.
In one of its final episodes, a former panelist making a return, Kate Fagan, said “trans kids deserve to play sports.”
Michelle Obama compared watching ESPN to watching “Real Housewives of Atlanta.” (Youtube Screenshot/IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson)
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In the show’s final episode, longtime “Around the Horn” guest Tim Cowlishaw took a shot at the network for “hiring athletes instead of journalists.”
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