Sports coverage, like sports itself, relies on one crucial intangible- team chemistry. The longer a core can ‘play’ together, the more chances they have of adapting to each other’s styles. While the drama and coverage of the NBA see multiple forms, the success of Inside the NBA is unparalleled. An NBA staple since 1989, the current core was formed after Shaquille O’Neal became a full-time member in 2011. Prior to him, the last big-time addition was Charles Barkley in 2000. While this helps the TNT program flourish, it is also what negatively affects certain ESPN shows and star man, Stephen A. Smith.

In a bid to save money, the Disney-owned sports conglomerate laid off some of their highest-earning contracts. Since then, consistency on the crew has been hard to come by. According to a former ESPN employee, this is one of the main reasons why the network cannot replicate TNT’s success.

Inside The NBA featuring Charles Barkley is inimitable

A media veteran, Michelle Beadle has been in the world of journalism since the start of the century. However, she truly took off after joining the ESPN family in 2009. During a 10-year long run with the company, including a brief pit stop at NBC, Beadle was on multiple programs. Whether it be Sports Nation or Sportscenter, she took up many roles within the company. However, her most prominent was her time as the main host for NBA Countdown.

But, in a recent interview, Beadle revealed ESPN’s true intention of shaping it in the mold of Inside the NBA.

But, that wasn’t feasible, according to Michelle. “I think if given time with a crew…I don’t even know what the longest-term group has been on that show (NBA Countdown). It doesn’t feel like very much, but it’s a constant rotating cast. That’s really hard to build anything.” 

Her point does stand as perfectly valid as currently 37 individuals have contributed to the show in some capacity. It’s like paying for stars in the off-season versus drafting and developing talent over time. Chemistry counts, and Inside the NBA is just proof of that.

According to Beadle, it is the chemistry and continuity that have made the show so successful. Due to ESPN’s propensity for change, it seems unlikely that the show will feature a long-standing group for a show.

Read More: “ESPN Lost $5.5 Billion”: Days After Surviving the Massive Layoffs, Stephen A. Smith Reflects on Losing Millionaire NBA Colleagues

Just take into account the multitude of changes to their premier figure Stephen A. Smith’s shows.

The revolving door at ESPN

Due to the mass downsizing at the company, a ton of NBA millionaires were out of jobs.

These include some high-profile names like Jalen Rose and Jeff Van Gundy. However, the tradition of ESPN constantly switching around employees is a long-standing one. While Charles Barkley has criticized the company’s work environment, Stephen A has spoken at length about the layoffs from the past summer.

However, his show had to undergo major changes several times during its run. Nowadays, the show has a constant revolving door of secondary and tertiary characters whose allotment is on a day-to-day basis.

With ESPN opting for quantity over chemistry, can they find a different way to replicate the success of TNT?

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