After NFL RedZone announced some unwelcome news on Wednesday, many fans pointed the finger at ESPN for being behind the decision, even though it is not the case.
RedZone host Scott Hanson confirmed Wednesday that the popular channel will include commercials this year, a break from how it has been presented since its inception. The change was hugely unpopular with fans, many of whom blamed ESPN after the network recently agreed to purchase NFL Media.
Scott Van Pelt, one of ESPN’s most prominent on-air personalities, came to the network’s defense as criticism of the decision mounted. Van Pelt reposted a note pointing out that ESPN’s deal has yet to even be approved, and that even once it is, the NFL will still have control of RedZone. In other words, the league has decided to insert commercials into the channel, but ESPN has not.
“Nobody cares. Just yelling about us,” Van Pelt wrote on X.
Van Pelt doubled down in a reply to a user who argued that it was a logical conclusion for fans to draw in light of the high-profile business deal.
“We don’t own it nor will we control it when we do – but keep going,” Van Pelt posted.
ESPN catches a lot of heat from sports fans for some of its decisions, and they are often warranted. In this case, however, Van Pelt is correct. ESPN bears no responsibility for the changes RedZone is making. In fact, the league already toyed with eliminating the commercial-free format last year, long before ESPN had entered the picture.
At this point, ESPN is used to being called out publicly, whether it is fair or not. This one is not on them, even though they’ll understandably get blamed for it no matter what.
