So Brian Windhorst is going to keep showing up on ESPN. Question is, where is ESPN going to show up? The fans are the biggest losers of the feud between Disney/ABC and YouTube. Their favorite destination to catch up on Windhorst, Stephen A. Smith and the other ESPN talking heads was YouTube TV. Till that blackout. Because of the ugly situation unfolding in the streaming space, the news of Windy’s contract has not been welcomed.

According to the ESPN press release, the network reached a multi-year agreement with the veteran sportscaster. The exact value of the deal and the duration is not reported. But given Stephen A. Smith’s $100 million contract recently, it might not be small.

Windy’s contination as ESPN’s senior writer – his official designation alongside chatting up NBA personalities on air – is polarizing by itself. He has both fans and haters. It’s just the timing of it has set a different tone.

Since October 30, ESPN and other Disney-owned properties aren’t available on YouTube TV. This is when NBA viewing is split up across multiple platforms. Fans wanted to hear that ESPN – with or without Windy – is back on YouTube more than his extension.

The mismanagement, as fans called it, has sort of dampened the news of Brian Windhorst’s contract extension. Or even overshadowed it because they hardly care who will and will not be on ESPN if they can’t access ESPN. He’s now the collateral in fans’ anger towards ESPN and Disney/ABC.

Fans direct their anger at Brian Windhorst’s bosses

ESPN said in a statement that Brian Windhorst will “continue to provide insights and analysis across ESPN platforms.” Would’ve been helpful if the ‘platforms’ included YouTube TV. Windy and the usual suspects are going to be missing a huge chunk of their usual viewers who lost access to ESPN, ESPN2, SEC Network and ESPNU in a larger contract dispute.

His career news was met with responses like, “ESPN employees posting about themselves signing multi-year extensions while holding the rest of the country hostage,” and “Not the ESPN deal we wanna hear about.” 

The entire situation was summed up in that famous ‘why would they do that’ Windy meme as they called out the parent network. “None of us want to hear about ESPN reaching a deal with anyone except YoutubeTV.”

YouTube and Disney’s contract extensions broke down when both sides disagreed on the financial terms. YouTube TV endeared itself to customers by offering a compensation. That made the fans redirect the anger to the House of Mouse side and urged them, “ANNOUNCE YOUTUBETV AGREEMENT OR WE DONT CARE.”

There was even mild threatening like, “NOBODY CARES MAKE GOOD WIT YTTV OR WE RIOT.” Others are optimistic like, “Can he get ESPN back on YTTV?” with hopes that Windhorst & Co. could mediate.

If filtered out, fans are sort of congratulating him. It’s just the irony that they can’t watch Windhorst and other ESPN shows online that is making it hard for fans.