Similar to what we see in the days following the last NFL preseason games, we have been down this road before.
2015--over 350 people saw their jobs axed, as viewers heard a very classy statement made by Suzy Kolber at end of the former NFL Insiders show:
https://awfulannouncing.com/2015/suzy-kolber-pays-tribute-to-the-men-and-women-laid-off-from-espn.html
2017--upwards of 100 people in front of the camera plus hundreds more behind the scenes. A handful of reporters would wind up at The Athletic:
https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/confirmed-espn-layoffs-constantly-updated.html
And it prompted the website Awful Announcing to create a Layoff Survival Guide at the start of 2018:
https://awfulannouncing.com/orig/2018-s ... guide.html
Looking back at that, those statements are oh so true.
More of the same statements came from so many familiar names both past and present today:
https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/stunning-layoffs-sports-media-reacts.html
We know one thing is for sure, expect a bunch of the personalities who were laid off on Friday to maybe appear on a few podcasts in the coming weeks--namely the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch (where he had an excellent interview with Kenny Mayne shortly after he was let go in 2021).
Another podcast to check out is the Last Word on Sports Media podcast with T.J. Rives--who ironically enough, "Around the Horn" panelist and NBA PBP'er/sideline reporter Jorge Sedano was a guest on the Announcer Schedules feed with Mike Gill and Phil de Montmollin talking about his career and how he got to ESPN from first Miami and later in Los Angeles.
Shows how cutthroat the world of working in media, especially in sports media can be so unforgiving sometimes--even if you are doing your best work. But it is true, life isn't always fair. And that is the hardest thing to swallow.
Sure hope everyone has a safety net. We know that Suzy Kolber has something in mind already.