Ok, I will make this as un-political as possible.
What is going on with ESPN is due to cord cutting, not to any type of ideology .
They have lost over 30 Million subscribers, ESPN gets $9 a month per sub, ESPN Two $2.
So at $11 times 30 million is $330 a month, $3.96 Billion a year they are no longer getting, if cord cutting never happen, no one would say anything about ESPN.
But it is increasing every year, this year 7-8 million leaving, next year, 8-10 million, so, roughly, another billion gone in money every year now.
The other problem is advertising, which has been switching to online, for cheaper rates and targeted ads, that is why ESPN ( and all the other channels) are discounting their ad shots.
Now, no more politics here.