ESPN has poured significant resources into building and backing its marquee personalities. Think about names like Troy Aikman and Stephen A. Smith. But according to former ESPN analyst Cris Carter, that same commitment to established stars can make it challenging for emerging voices within the network to rise through the ranks. Hear it from him.

“ESPN’s philosophy, business-wise, is pay the Eagles, starve the turkeys,” he mentioned on the Fully Loaded YouTube show last week.

He added that beyond its biggest personalities, ESPN is often comfortable bringing in journeymen only to round out its programming schedule. Carter, who left the network in 2016, compared that approach with NBC, which has opted to stack its studio coverage with high-profile former stars such as Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, and Carmelo Anthony as part of its revamped lineup.

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“Most of the people that ESPN is hiring now, outside of Randy Moss, they’re all like journeymen. Their hiring practices and the economics of it are totally different,” Carter added. “Now the pay in TV is like doing radio. So when you see the faces, it’s not the faces they hire for NBC. You get Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Reggie Miller.”

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Carter has a point. Considering the direction ESPN has taken in recent years, heavily centering its strategy around high-profile figures like Pat McAfee and Stephen A. Smith, it’s difficult to dismiss his opinion. Smith, specifically, finalized a five-year deal with ESPN valued at no less than $100 million last year. Under the agreement, he will remain the face of ‘First Take’ while reducing some of his other on-air obligations across the network.

All that said, with YouTube channels and podcasts emerging as financially sustainable platforms, more former insiders have begun openly scrutinizing ESPN and other traditional media companies.

But some of Cris Carter’s thoughts might not be accurate

He further argued that landing a spot on ESPN programs such as SportsCenter no longer carried the upward mobility it once did, suggesting the network’s flagship show has drifted far from the prominence it previously enjoyed.

“If you’re doing SportsCenter, you’re trying to use that as a stepping stone to go way up. SportsCenter is not the stage it used to be. Look at the names on there, you don’t know any of those people. Hannah Storm does it every once in a while, and the news is already late.”

That’s where Carter’s claims faltered. There are SportsCenter anchors who have climbed the ladder, and Storm is a regular host, too.

But Carter still pulled back the curtain on the harsh realities of corporate sports media, proving the glamour doesn’t extend to the bottom of the call sheet. He is the right person to talk about such issues. After ESPN, he joined Fox Sports, but he couldn’t keep that job for long.

As per reports from 2019, he was escorted from the building by security. He was fired after a fallout with his boss.

Regardless, his fight against the “pay the eagles, starve the turkeys” mentality isn’t just restricted to multi-billion-dollar television networks. He sees that same financial disparity playing out at the grassroots level of the sport, and he’s taking it directly to state lawmakers.

Cris Carter is fighting for the Rank-and-File in Florida

Last Wednesday, the NFL legend teamed up with former college head coach Jimbo Fisher to tackle a massive crisis in the Sunshine State: the poverty-level pay of Florida high school coaches.

Currently, Florida coaches are among the lowest-paid in the country, often receiving stipends of only $3,000 to $6,000 per year. For Carter, this mission transcends state lines. He credits his own high school coach at Middletown High School in Ohio, Bill Conley, for altering the trajectory of his life. During the visit, Carter highlighted that universal impact.

“Bill Conley, wherever you are, you are responsible for Cris Carter making it through the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” he said.

The push for better pay centers on two main pieces of legislation, SB 538 and HB 731. These bills aim to give school districts the flexibility to use booster club donations to increase coaching salaries. While the bills allow for higher pay, they strictly prohibit using those funds for severance packages. Another related bill, SB 178, would allow head coaches to spend up to $15,000 of their own money to support their players with essentials like food, transportation, and recovery services.

The movement gained significant momentum on Thursday when the Senate passed SB 538 with a unanimous 38-0 vote. Despite this victory, some goals remain unfulfilled. The Florida Coaches Coalition had hoped to secure a guaranteed minimum wage of $15 per hour for coaches, but that specific pay requirement was not included in the final versions of the bills.

The next steps for these changes will occur in March, when the House and Senate are expected to give their final approval. If the bills pass those hurdles, they will head to Governor Ron DeSantis’s desk for signature into law. If successful, these measures could fundamentally change how high school sports are funded and supported across the Sunshine State.