[Straight Vermonter]

ESPN may need to cut costs because they have recently gotten rights to several live events (like the US Open Finals) which are very expensive.

I never understood this line of reasoning. Were these people simply being paid without doing anything productive? If so they should have been laid off long ago. Whether or not you bought rights to an event has no bearing on if these employees were creating profit for the company.

[qam1]

I never understood this line of reasoning. Were these people simply being paid without doing anything productive? If so they should have been laid off long ago. Whether or not you bought rights to an event has no bearing on if these employees were creating profit for the company.

Well if ESPN is like 95% of other American companies then actually the productive people will be laid off first.

Most likely ESPN hired a lot of MBA positions like "Senior vice president for global support services”, “Director of Communications for the East Coast”, “Vice President of Mission Related Services”, “Vice President of Administrative Services”, "Director of Diversity Affairs", etc.

The 1st rule MBAs learn is to protect their own, Unfortunately it is SOP of business to first lay off the productive workers while holding on to the high salary but produce little MBAs. American companies will continue this practice pretty much right up until they go out of business I'm afraid.

[JimRed]

Were these people simply being paid without doing anything productive? If so they should have been laid off long ago.

Brings to mind those in government employment during times of weather crisis. Nonessential personnel are directed not to come to work. If they're nonessential, why are they employed?