The big ESPN layoffs that everyone knew were coming finally arrived today, and the culling has been as brutal as anyone could have expected. Though the final number isn’t in yet, various reports have around 100 people losing their jobs, and many of the people who have been fired so far aren’t just long-time, front-facing employees, but those who, like Jayson Stark and Jane McManus, represent what ESPN is at its best: wired, experienced, deeply knowledgable, enthusiastic. 
 
 
 
 The impetus behind these layoffs is not mysterious (and has nothing to do with the network’s purportedly liberal politics). ESPN has been hemorrhaging subscribers for some time now as a result of cord-cutting, which hurts them much more than other networks given that they charge vastly higher carriage fees. With ESPN having to pay billions of dollars to sports leagues for the right to broadcast the must-see live events that allow it to charge those fees, the network is uniquely ill-equipped to deal with the sudden decline in revenue that comes with the loss of 10 million subscribers over the course of three years. 
 
 And so today’s layoffs seem to follow a kind of logic: If ESPN is bleeding money from subscriber losses, they need to offset the damage by making cuts elsewhere in the company. That doesn’t, though, really follow, mathematically. Look at the people who have been laid off today. Sure, it’s possible that veterans like McManus and Stark and Ed Werder were carrying hefty salaries, but no amount of fired reporters and columnists is going to put even the tiniest dent in ESPN’s rights fees. Add up all the salaries of the people who lost their jobs today, and how much of a single Monday Night Football broadcast does it buy? Ten minutes? Fifteen? 
 
 So, then, what was the point? The memo released this morning by ESPN president John Skipper is instructive. It was hollow and buzzword-laden in the precise way that is meant to speak to Disney investors who want to be assured that ESPN is still capable of “navigating changes in technology and fan behavior in order to continue to deliver quality, breakthrough content.” That’s what today appears to have been really about—assuring Disney stakeholders that ESPN is taking things very seriously and is prepared to keep itself lean and competitive. Don’t think too much about how we’re going to continue to pay rights fees with sustained subscriber loss! We’re making cuts! We have a handle on things! 
 
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 In the end, the real solution to ESPN’s problems will involve much more severe changes than were made today. Perhaps the network will work in closer partnership with leagues and even competitors; perhaps it will find a way to offload deals it can no longer afford; perhaps it will seek some way to simply outgrow its present structural issues, with aid and backing from Disney and even cable carriers who are quite aware of just how much their industry looks right now the way newspapering did 15 years ago. Whatever it is, it won’t have much to do with cuts that amount to rounding errors in the books. 
 
 And that’s the truly tragic thing about today’s layoffs, that those who lost their jobs were essentially symbolic sacrifices. ESPN may have bought itself a little more slack from investors today, but its future remains just as uncertain as it was yesterday. Meanwhile, good writers and reporters like Doug Padilla, Mike Goodman, Ethan Sherwood Strauss, and many others—people who were not on million-dollar contracts but nevertheless did quality work on important beats, providing the depth and texture that make the network something more than just a lot of branded content and screaming dullards—are jobless. A lot of good people lost their jobs today, and ESPN got a lot worse, and all of it was probably for no good reason. ||||| “ESPN was wrapped in Teflon for many years, but big payouts for rights fees plus significant losses in their subscriber base were like punches to the gut and head, and now the company is trying to make sure they are strong enough to fight in the future,” said James Andrew Miller, who wrote a book on ESPN and has contributed to The New York Times. “They’ve decided one way to do this is to change their approach to content and rely more heavily on digital; this has enabled them to let go of a big chunk of their talent base.” 
 
 In October 2015, ESPN laid off about 300 people, most of whom were not on camera. The network has been periodically culling its staff as it searches for ways to cut costs and adapts to changing consumer habits, with fans increasingly watching video clips on their smartphones at the expense of traditional highlight shows like “SportsCenter.” With ESPN locked into long-term contracts for programming rights with various sports leagues, savings must primarily come from a reduced staff. 
 
 In a letter to employees on Wednesday, ESPN’s president, John Skipper, acknowledged the “difficult decisions” ahead and suggested what the network was looking for as it reshapes itself. 
 
 “Dynamic change demands an increased focus on versatility and value, and as a result, we have been engaged in the challenging process of determining the talent — anchors, analysts, reporters, writers and those who handle play-by-play — necessary to meet those demands,” Mr. Skipper said in the statement. 
 
 In the most recent quarter, Disney’s cable networks division reported $864 million in operating income, an 11 percent drop from the same period a year ago, with ESPN the reason for the entire decline, Disney said at the time. The company blamed higher N.B.A. and N.F.L. programming costs and lower ad sales for the weak results. ||||| CLOSE ESPN was expected to cut around 100 employees on Wednesday. USA TODAY Sports 
 
 ESPN's staff underwent layoffs on Wednesday. (Photo: Mike Windle, Getty Images) 
 
 Former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer was among the dozens of recognizable personalities laid off Wednesday as ESPN underwent a round of cuts that hit several high-profile contributors. 
 
 “A necessary component of managing change involves constantly evaluating how we best utilize all of our resources, and that sometimes involves difficult decisions,” ESPN President John Skipper said in a memo to ESPN staffers. “. . . These decisions impact talented people who have done great work for our company. I would like to thank all of them for their efforts and their many contributions to ESPN.” 
 
 The cuts were expected to number around 100 as ESPN deals with a decline in subscribers amidst paying billions per year in rights fees for professional and college sports. Disney’s cable networks division had an 11% drop in operating income driven by a decline in ad and subscriber revenue at ESPN, Disney announced in its most recent quarterly report in February. 
 
 Ed Werder, a Dallas-based NFL reporter who had been at the network since 1998, was among the first staffers to announce via Twitter that he’d been laid off. Later Wednesday, Dilfer said he also had been laid off. 
 
 Dilfer joined ESPN in 2008 after a 14-year NFL career that included winning a Super Bowl title with the Baltimore Ravens. He was one of ESPN's most high-profile NFL analysts, working on NFL Live, NFL PrimeTime and SportsCenter. 
 
 Laid off by ESPN today.Although sad cause I loved my job, mostly filled w/gratitude & appreciation for the 9 years #GreatFriendsAndTeammates — Trent Dilfer (@TDESPN) April 26, 2017 
 
 Jayson Stark, who had been at ESPN since 2000, and former Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden also said on Twitter that they had been among the cuts. 
 
 For 17 yrs I've had a dream job covering baseball for ESPN. Today is my last day. Thanks to all the great people at ESPN, MLB & all of you! — Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) April 26, 2017 
 
 Three longtime NHL reporters (Scott Burnside, Pierre LeBrun and Joe McDonald) confirmed on Twitter they had been let go. 
 
 After 13 years of sticks and pucks can share that as of today my tenure at ESPN is at a close. I look forward to the next adventure. — Scott Burnside (@OvertimeScottB) April 26, 2017 
 
 ESPN's college ranks also were hit hard as the network laid off several journalists focused on the sport, including Brett McMurphy, Jeremy Crabtree and Danny Kanell, who also had a daily ESPN radio show. 
 
 Host Jay Crawford, who joined ESPN in 2003, also announced his departure on Twitter.
– ESPN has lost more than 10 million subscribers in recent years as more and more people are going without cable, the New York Times reports. That decline had major consequences Wednesday when the sports network laid off about 100 of its on-air talent and journalists. Just a few of those cut loose by ESPN, according to USA Today: Ed Werder, Trent Dilfer, Jayson Stark, Jim Bowden, Scott Burnside, Pierre LeBrun, Danny Kanell, and Jay Crawford. In a memo to staff, ESPN President John Skipper called the layoffs "a necessary component of managing change." ESPN's problem is that while it's losing subscribers, it's also paying billions for the rights to broadcast pro and college sports—and those rights are only getting more expensive. The network currently pays $15.2 billion to the NFL, $12 billion to the NBA, and $7.3 billion for the college football playoffs, just as a start. Deadspin argues Wednesday's layoffs aren't really meant to be a permanent fix for ESPN's problems but to act as "symbolic sacrifices" to buy "a little more slack from investors." This past quarter, ESPN parent company Disney blamed the network for the entirety of the 11% decline in its cable network division's operating income.