At some point, ESPN concluded that strong opinions and impassioned arguments made for the most cost-effective programming, and Pardon the Interruption begat Around the Horn, which begat Stephen A. Smith, Colin Cowherd, Skip Bayless, Bill Simmons . . .
When your “beat” shifts from offering in-depth coverage of sports to offering controversial (“hot take”) opinions on sports, the tone will shift and the previous audience will grow irritable.