ESPN Dropping "The Sports Reporters"

ESPN is canceling the long-running, round-table sports talk show in May, according to The NY Post.

According to the report, ESPN will replace the show with an extended version of “E:60,” the Emmy award-winning show that specializes in investigative reporting and athlete profiles, among other stories outside the mainstream. The Worldwide Leader also expects “Outside The Lines,” the network’s version of CBS’ “60 Minutes,” to have an expanded role in “E:60.”

“The Sports Reporters” first aired in 1988, initially hosted by Gary Thorne. Famed sportswriter Dick Schaap replaced Thorne and hosted the program from 1989 to 2001. Following Schaap, late ESPN personality John Saunders took over, holding the role until his death last year. Sports media members such as John Feinstein, Bob Ryan and Tony Kornheiser have appeared frequently on the program.

“The Sports Reporters” became the template for today’s popular sports-talk shows like “First Take,” “Pardon the Interruption” and “Around the Horn,” where media personalities often argue with one another about a sports topic.

Despite ESPN’s ever-changing structure, the show survived nearly 30 years and remained one of the network’s only programs that focused on analysis rather than entertainment.