ESPN scored a season-high audience for its presentation of the MLB Little League Classic while also averaging more viewers than MLB at Field of Dreams game on Netflix. However, the viewership still fell below NBC's Sunday Night Baseball average.
Sunday's Atlanta Braves-Milwaukee Brewers game in the Little League Classic averaged 2 million viewers across ESPN and ESPN2. Viewership was up 19% from Seattle Mariners-New York Mets in last year's edition (1.70 million).
The game was also ESPN play-by-play man Karl Ravech's final MLB ******* ignment for ESPN after he was laid off by the network.
Viewership peaked at 2.2 million viewers during the 9:45 p.m. ET quarter-hour. It was the most-watched MLB broadcast of the year on ESPN and the second-most-watched Little League Classic ever, behind New York Yankees-Detroit Tigers in 2024 (2.2 million).
ESPN's previous most-watched broadcast was St. Louis Cardinals-Chicago Cubs last weekend on ABC, which averaged 1.99 million.

#espn #league #classic #york

Why Karl Ravech is calling Little League World Series games despite layoff from ESPN originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Since 1987, those tuning into the Little League World Series have turned to the same network: ESPN.
First televising a LLWS game in 1983 and broadcasting the tournament full-time for nearly 40 years, ESPN has become the home of the beloved event every summer. For half of that time, the same play-by-play voice has called the games.
Karl Ravech was reportedly part of ESPN's layoffs earlier in the summer, but when fans watch the 2026 Little League World Series, he'll still be on the call throughout the tournament.
Here's why Ravech is still broadcasting the Little League World Series despite being laid off by ESPN.

#little #sporting

One of the most high-profile ESPN employees to fall victim to the network's latest round of layoffs this summer was Karl Ravech.
Ravech had been with the network for over 30 years. He was first an anchor on SportsCenter before he shifted over to being a prominent figure in ESPN's baseball coverage.
For the first time since he was laid off, Ravech touched on his ouster in an interview on "Westwood One Sports Night" with Josh Graham.
Ravech said he doesn't have any hard feelings toward ESPN while also noting the layoffs in general and outpouring of support he has received since have been "surreal."
MORE: Laid-off Karl Ravech still calls MLB game for ESPN

#espn #karl #westwood

For the last three months, Alex Cora has been in limbo.
For the first time since 2020, he is not a Major League manager. The Boston Red Sox fired him and several of his ******* istants in late April amid the team's historically bad start.
Since then, the Red Sox have taken off, surging into playoff contention with a historic turnaround.
Meanwhile, Cora has been enjoying his time off, spending much of it with his fiancée and two sons in Puerto Rico. He even turned down an offer to manage the Philadelphia Phillies days after his dismissal.
What's next for Cora? During his recent appearance on Karl Ravech's "Dirt From The Dugout" podcast, he opened up about his managerial future.

#puerto

ESPN talent changes continued this week, with NFL **** yst Damien Woody reportedly parting ways with the network.
Andrew Marchand was first to report the news for The Athletic, reporting Woody's contract was not renewed. Woody will, however, continue contributing to ESPN's NFL coverage for the remainder of this month, which he told Marchand was his choice.
Karl Ravech, who was unceremoniously laid off this summer after 33 years with ESPN, will similarly continue working this month, calling Wednesday night's New York Yankees-Seattle Mariners game before returning to his post as the voice of the Little League World Series one last time. In contrast, Ryan Clark was laid off and forced off NFL Live during a commercial break.
Several years ago, ESPN made a big contract offer to keep Woody from going to FS1, who sought to pair him with Craig Carton. At the time, Woody still had a year left on his contract, allowing ESPN to keep him from making the switch. Carton has since returned to WFAN in afternoon drive after his FS1 show was ultimately canceled.
Woody's media career has surpassed his NFL one in longevity, having played 12 seasons with the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions and New York Jets before retiring in 2011. From there, Woody immediately transitioned into broadcasting with ESPN, where he became synonymous with the network's NFL coverage.

#york

Karl Ravech is an ESPN legend with decades at the Worldwide Leader while doing SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight and play-by-play on the air for baseball. But earlier this month, he was among those laid off by the company.
Yet there he was on Thursday night, calling a game on the network between the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves. What's up with that? USA TODAY Sports has an answer.
"Despite Ravech being part of the latest round of layoffs at ESPN, a person with knowledge of his status with the network told USA TODAY Sports Thursday evening that Ravech was given the option to call a few select MLB games this summer," wrote John Leuzzi and Kristie Ackert.
There's your answer. And you'll see Ravech more throughout the summer with him calling the 2026 Little League World Series.
Hopefully the confusion has been cleared up here.

#today #sports

ESPN's coverage of Major League Baseball continued Thursday, July 31 with the Washington Nationals visiting the Atlanta Braves.
But when host Kevin Connors sent the network's coverage from ESPN's studios in Bristol, Connecticut to Truist Park in Atlanta, a familiar name was included in the send-off: Karl Ravech.
Despite Ravech being part of the latest round of layoffs at ESPN, a person with knowledge of his status with the network told USA TODAY Sports Thursday evening that Ravech was given the option to call a few select MLB games this summer. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the details of his contract publicly.
MLB trade deadline LIVE updates: Rumors, news, deals as clock ticks
The 61-year-old Ravech is also expected to once again call the Little League World Series for ESPN; he has served as the main play-by-play voice for the tournament since 2006. The Little League World Series gets underway on Wednesday, Aug. 19 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

#ravech #league #thursday

Many viewers who tuned in for Thursday night's Major League Baseball game between the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves were surprised to see who was in the ESPN broadcast booth.
Karl Ravech had the play-by-play duties alongside color commentator Eduardo Pérez.
The supposedly laid off Karl Ravech is in the booth calling Braves-Nationals for ESPN tonight
pic.twitter.com/HieiM61kgE
— Awful Announcing (awfulannouncing) July 30, 2026
This comes just over a week after Ravech was reportedly part of the layoffs at ESPN. Ravech has been an ESPN anchor, play-by-play announcer, and a huge part of the Worldwide Leader's baseball coverage for 33 years. He learned he was being laid off by a reporter, a tactic that former SportsCenter anchor Dan Patrick called out.

#ravech #Baseball #part

It's been a tumultuous week for ESPN following the company's string of layoffs, and Ryan Clark is finally setting the record straight about his departure from the sports media giant.
The former NFL star's layoff comes at the same time as several ESPN veterans like Karl Ravech and David Lloyd. However, Clark's exit continues to draw major blowback from several high-profile figures like Stephen A. Smith.
MORE: Trey Wingo shows 'NFL Live' viewership receipts after Ryan Clark's ESPN layoff
Clark re-joined "The Pivot" podcast this week to express his disappointment with ESPN's decision. Meanwhile, the former Pittsburgh Steelers player takes several shots at ESPN throughout his emotional endeavor.
The ex-LSU Tigers standout spent over a decade with ESPN with various TV roles, including appearances on "First Take," 'Get Up" and most notably "NFL Live."

#espn #clark #like #karl

Ryan Clark, one of ESPN's most recognizable NFL ****** ysts, reportedly learned he was fired while he was still at work. Karl Ravech, the steady voice of ESPN's baseball coverage for more than three decades, was gone too. Just like that, two familiar faces disappeared. Social media reacted the way it always does when a network parts ways with people viewers have welcomed into their living rooms for years.
How could ESPN do this? What are they thinking? Doesn't loyalty count for anything anymore? Those are understandable questions. They're also usually asked by people who don't work in the business. I've been there.
KNBR, the iconic San Francisco Bay Area sports radio station, let me go in November 2024 after nearly a decade. We had strong ratings. We were reading plenty of live commercials. By every meaningful business metric, the show was successful. I didn't suddenly forget how to do radio, and listeners didn't suddenly stop listening. The station simply decided it could create a similar product for less money.
That isn't bitterness. It's business.
Fans often ****** ume talented people lose their jobs because they stopped being talented. That is almost never how it works. Ryan Clark is talented. Karl Ravech is talented. Sports media is full of people who are very good at what they do but no longer work where they built their reputations. They didn't all suddenly become worse at their jobs.

#talented #ravech

KANSAS CITY, MO - OCTOBER 26: Karl Ravech of ESPN speaks on set the day before Game 1 of the 2015 World Series between the Royals and Mets at Kauffman Stadium on October 26, 2015 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Maxx Wolfson/Getty Images)
For more than three decades, Karl Ravech became one of the most recognizable voices in baseball broadcasting, anchoring “Baseball Tonight” and serving as ESPN's lead MLB play-by-play caller.
His broadcasts spanned virtually every high-profile baseball event at the network, making him synonymous with the sport for many viewers. But that iconic run came to a sudden end on Monday night, when Ravech called the nationally televised matchup between the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers. At the time, though, he and his colleagues were unaware that it would be their last time working for the broadcaster together.
FORBES | By Peter Chawaga
Cubs’ Craig Counsell Sends Front Office Message Shortly Before Trade Deadline
The stunning layoffs that swept through ESPN this week caught many employees off guard, including Ravech himself.

#Baseball #city #espn #many

NFL ******* yst Ryan Clark was among many employees to exit ESPN in the mass layoffs following the NFL Network acquisition. The details surrounding Clark's exit, specifically when he was notified, has been a hot topic, and Clark decided to share the truth Wednesday.
In a post quoting a TMZ report suggesting he wasn't forced off the NFL Live set upon his dismissal, Clark wrote, "I wasn't forced? 'I ask, should I be done now?' The answer was 'yes.'"
TMZ is reporting that Clark was going to be notified of his role in the mass layoffs Tuesday, but ESPN got word of a report announcing Clark's exit was coming out imminently, so the company decided to notify Clark immediately. Clark learned the news during a commercial break, according to TMZ, and he did not return to show.
Along with Clark, the following employees reportedly got laid off from ESPN: Karl Ravech, Stephania Bell, Tom Pelissero, Cam Newton, Bart Scott, Charles Davis and David Lloyd.
Here's what Clark had to say about the layoffs.

#layoffs

ESPN and the rest of the sports media industry were left reeling Tuesday as the Mothership ejected approximately 10 on-air talents, while pink-slipping a large contingent of behind-the-scenes staffers at NFL Network.
After speaking with multiple sources, here are my five takeaways from the layoffs, which included ESPN dropping talents such as Ryan Clark, Karl Ravech, David Lloyd, Tom Pelissero, Cam Newton, and Bart Scott:
Chairman Jimmy Pitaro made it clear that ESPN's biggest round of layoffs in three years was tied directly to Disney's acquisition of NFL Network. Anytime two companies merge, the bean counters look at who's doing what. When they find two people doing the same job—or close to it—one goes out the door.

That's what's happening as ESPN absorbs a network it competed with for over 20 years. ESPN has made "significant progress" integrating NFLN, Pitaro wrote in an internal memo obtained by Front Office Sports. But as always with mergers, it "had to make some difficult decisions," added Pitaro.
ESPN will broadcast its first-ever Super Bowl from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Feb. 14, 2027. Televising a Super Bowl has been a corporate dream of ESPN's since its founding as a scrappy wannabe in 1979. ESPN management and parent company Disney are laser-focused on creating the best, most thorough Super Bowl coverage ever. Anybody on-air during what ESPN is humbly calling its "Year of the Super Bowl" will go down in company history. The competition for those choice on-air slots will be brutal.
The game announce team of Troy Aikman, Joe Buck, Lisa Salters, and Laura Rutledge are locks. Ditto for Sunday NFL Countdown regulars Mike Greenberg, Rex Ryan, Randy Moss, Alex Smith, Tedy Bruschi and Adam Schefter. And look for legendary anchor Chris Berman to play a major role as the living embodiment of ESPN's 47-year history.

#espn #network #sports #talents

Cam Newton doesn't sound like a man nursing a grudge.
Hours after ESPN cut ties with him in the same round of layoffs that ended Ryan Clark's 11-year run at the network, the former Carolina Panthers quarterback framed his brief run at First Take as something closer to an internship than a second career.
"Working alongside some of the most talented journalists and sports individuals that cover sports was something that got me to realize I have a newfound respect for the skill," Newton said. "You can't make me hate ESPN. What I've learned, it was an internship. I am a former athlete that did not study journalism, so now when you see how production actually works, you'll be a fool not to take your notes."
Newton signed a multi-year deal with ESPN last August to expand his role on First Take, stepping into the seat vacated after Shannon Sharpe's departure amid a ***** ual ***** ault lawsuit and settlement. From there, Newton became a fixture alongside Stephen A. Smith through the football season, a run that included a manufactured feud with New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and widely criticized comments about women's value being tied to how many children they have. Criticism even came from colleagues within ESPN after he had Stephen A. Smith's arch-enemy, Jason Whitlock, on his podcast. In response, Smith stated that there were a number of reasons why Newton's First Take presence could be questioned, but that he was still supportive of his appearances on the program.
And yet, Newton's time with ESPN and First Take is now surprisingly over before the beginning of the 2026 football season, as he was one of several names caught in a wave tied to the network's absorption of NFL Network, a list that also included Karl Ravech, Charles Davis, Tom Pelissero, and Clark, who learned of his firing while on-air.

#espn #newton #first #year

Cam Newton and Karl Ravech are among the major stars exiting in the latest round of layoffs at ESPN, sources told The Athletic Tuesday.
Ravech, a 31-year veteran of the network, served as ESPN's lead MLB play-by-play announcer, covered college basketball and anchored SportsCenter. He called the Dodgers-Phillies game Monday before reportedly learning his position was in jeopardy. When contacted by The Athletic Tuesday, Ravech said he had not yet been informed of his status.
NFL MVP Newton, longtime SportsCenter anchor David Lloyd, injury ***** yst Stephania Bell, former All-Pro linebacker and studio host Bart Scott and NFL Network ***** yst Charles Davis are also being impacted by the cuts at ESPN and NFL Network, according to The Athletic.
Newton joined ESPN as an NFL ***** yst in October 2024 after an 11-season NFL career that included a Super Bowl run with the Carolina Panthers. After initially appearing on First Take, he signed an expanded contract with the network in August 2025.
On Monday, ESPN announced it was parting ways with NFL ***** yst Ryan Clark and additional cuts are expected among behind-the-scenes staff.

#Athletic #analyst

Karl Ravech, as well as a slew of other ESPN broadcasters and **** ysts, are expected to be impacted by the network's latest round of layoffs, sources told The Athletic Tuesday.
Ravech, a 31-year veteran of the network, served as ESPN's lead MLB play-by-play announcer, covered college basketball and anchored SportsCenter. He called the Dodgers-Phillies game Monday before reportedly learning his position was in jeopardy. When contacted by The Athletic Tuesday morning, Ravech said he had not yet been informed of his status.
The reported list of cuts extends across ESPN and NFL Network, reportedly including NFL MVP Cam Newton, longtime SportsCenter anchor David Lloyd, injury **** yst Stephania Bell, former All-Pro linebacker and studio host Bart Scott and NFL Network **** yst Charles Davis, according to The Athletic.
The layoffs follow ESPN's decision Monday to part ways with NFL **** yst Ryan Clark , with additional cuts expected among behind-the-scenes staff. Many of the reductions are reportedly connected to ESPN's integration with NFL Network, including the expected departure of NFL insider Tom Pelissero, one of the network's top reporters, according to the outlet.
A memo from ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro to employees Tuesday morning, obtained by The Independent, did not identify those impacted by the layoffs but said the cuts followed a review of the company's teams, resources and structure after integrating acquired NFL **** ets.

#espn

Former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark being laid off by ESPN sent shockwaves into the NFL world, but he apparently isn't the only big name being cut by the sports juggernaut.
According to a new report from The Athletic, top NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero is joining Clark and Karl Ravech among a growing number of employees being laid off by ESPN.
"Karl Ravech, one of ESPN's most prominent on-air voices for more than three decades, and NFL insider Tom Pelissero were laid off as part of the network's latest round of cuts Tuesday, according to sources briefed on the moves," Marchand wrote.
Pelissero, who worked for the NFL Network since 2017, has been quoted by us at Steelers Wire more times than we can count. We wish him, Clark, and Ravech the best as they navigate this tough situation.
For up-to-date Steelers coverage, including any offseason moves, follow us on X TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like.

#steelers #clark #ravech #network

ESPN parted ways with Ryan Clark on Monday in an awkward on-air dismissal during "NFL Live." On Tuesday, more layoffs swept through Bristol, and former NFL MVP Cam Newton was among those let go.
The move sparked an immediate pile-on from the NFL community on X, with fans and media personalities believing that firing Newton was the right decision, and some even brought up his viral comments on Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman from the 2025 season.
Newton wasn't the only recognizable face to get fired on Tuesday. NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, longtime **** yst Charles Davis, NFL **** yst Bart Scott, SportsCenter anchor David Lloyd, injury and fantasy expert Stephania Bell, and MLB play-by-play announcer Karl Ravech were all let go as part of the cuts.
Before his dismissal, Newton had served as Stephen A. Smith's primary Monday co-host on "First Take" during the football season, replacing Shannon Sharpe in that role last year.
With both Newton and Clark gone, Smith now enters the 2026 football season without either of his primary debate partners on the show's highest-rated day of the week. ESPN has said it will look for a permanent replacement for Newton on Mondays, though no candidates have been named.

#analyst

Karl Ravech, as well as a slew of other ESPN broadcasters and ***** ysts, are expected to be impacted by the network's latest round of layoffs, sources told The Athletic Tuesday.
Ravech, a 31-year veteran of the network, served as ESPN's lead MLB play-by-play announcer, covered college basketball and anchored SportsCenter. He called the Dodgers-Phillies game Monday before reportedly learning his position was in jeopardy. When contacted by The Athletic Tuesday morning, Ravech said he had not yet been informed of his status.
The reported list of cuts extends across ESPN and NFL Network, reportedly including NFL MVP Cam Newton, longtime SportsCenter anchor David Lloyd, injury ***** yst Stephania Bell, former All-Pro linebacker and studio host Bart Scott and NFL Network ***** yst Charles Davis, according to The Athletic.
The layoffs follow ESPN's decision Monday to part ways with NFL ***** yst Ryan Clark , with additional cuts expected among behind-the-scenes staff. Many of the reductions are reportedly connected to ESPN's integration with NFL Network, including the expected departure of NFL insider Tom Pelissero, one of the network's top reporters, according to the outlet.
A memo from ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro to employees Tuesday morning, obtained by The Independent, did not identify those impacted by the layoffs but said the cuts followed a review of the company's teams, resources and structure after integrating acquired NFL ***** ets.

#network #ravech #tuesday #reportedly