Mike Lupica is one of the most famous personalities associated with the long-running ESPN show The sports reporterswhich was recently relaunched by the global market leader. But while the 72-year-old former New York Daily News Although the columnist still has many strong opinions on the sport and is busy as a writer, he will not commit to a return to the popular show unless the new producers “respect” her and her legacy.
“If they bring it back, they have to respect it,” Lupica said on Wednesday at The Michael Kay Show.
For Lupica, it’s the show’s informative nature and respectful tone that make it special and help it contribute to ESPN’s history over its nearly three decades of run.
“We didn’t count, it wasn’t a shouting show,” Lupica said. “We got upset at times… but if they bring it back, they’ll do it right, not half-heartedly.”
Lupica also seems to still have a grudge against ESPN because The sports reporters ended in 2017 after the death of host John Saunders. For Lupica, ESPN had no reason to cancel the show.
“Why was it canceled, Michael? Because some fool named John Skipper from ESPN canceled it, that’s why,” Lupica told Kay. “We didn’t lose a single rating point, we didn’t lose a single sponsor. To this day, nobody (knows).”
Lupica is not the most respected ESPN personality of all time, to say the least.
Page Six reported in 2017 that Lupica’s behavior was the reason Skipper quit the show after Lupica replaced Saunders as host. In a statement to Awful Announcing at the time, Skipper and ESPN denied these rumors.
Therefore, it remains questionable whether Lupica would be invited back to the restart, even if he were interested.
If The sports reporters is returning, but Lupica doesn’t want the series on YouTube, where it is currently rumored to be broadcast. He wants it back on its old slot, no matter how the viewing figures change.
“I just don’t want it to be a reboot that doesn’t work,” said Lupica. “And if they The sports reporters back on TV, I’ll tell them what to do. Put it on Sunday morning at 9:30, the time they should never have turned it off.”
As proof of why the show deserves to be back on the air on Sunday mornings, Lupica pointed to ESPN’s many star talents who have been The sports reportersfrom Adam Schefter to Sorry for the interruption Duo from Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser to Stephen A. Smith.
Lupica called the show the “gold standard” of ESPN content. And even though that “dumb ass” skipper is no longer in charge, it doesn’t sound like it will be easy for Lupica to return to the new incarnation of the legendary program.
(The Michael Kay Show on YouTube)
