ESPN’s theory behind “Get Up” had some merit, but this venture was risky from the start. Executives must have believed that Mike Greenberg had the type of on air presence that could anchor a “Today” type morning show for ESPN, yet they had to break up the incredibly successful “Mike & Mike” duo to make it happen. We won’t rehash all of that drama, but it now appears that this experiment is doomed to fail.
Michelle Beadle is leaving the program on August 29th, as she declared she will no longer watch college or pro football. She’s certainly entitled to her opinion on recent scandals, but this isn’t the type of attitude that could work for an ESPN morning show that needs to draw football fans to survive.
With her departure, the hoped-for on-screen chemistry among Beadle, Greenberg and Jalen Rose won’t have a chance to materialize. That may be a blessing in disguise for ESPN, as the show has failed to develop a loyal following with these three hosts. All are pros and bring a lot to the network, but Greenberg in particular comes across as much less interesting without Mike Golic as his sidekick.
With Beadle leaving and critical football season about to begin, ESPN had an opportunity to re-imagine this struggling show. Yet they chose to replace Beadle with a rotating cast of Maria Taylor, Laura Rutledge, Jen Lada, and Dianna Russini. This makes little sense unless you’ve decided that “Get Up” cannot exist without a female host. Does anyone really think football fans will be anxious to hear what these hosts will say on Monday morning about the games? Each of these hosts has talent, but what do they bring to a conversation about football? What about betting fans who obsess about odds and look for serious betting info like they might find online at Novibet live betting. It’s hard to imagine serious sports and betting fans sticking with this show.
I’m betting that more fans will be happy to tune into Golic & Wingo over this failed experiment.
