Poll reveals what Republicans think of ESPN

Amid the ongoing wake of the layoffs ESPN handed down to about 100 high-profile employees last week, many claimed ESPN's business was suffering from becoming too left-leaning and political.

I wrote at the time about why that argument was slightly overwrought; the first, second and third reasons for layoffs at ESPN concern its business model, which has been heavily disrupted by the internet.

But according to a newly-published YouGov poll - a leading polling firm in the UK - there is evidence that the network's view among more Conservative-leaning audiences has declined in recently, from "32 in 2013 to just above 16 in 2017."

The YouGov graph:

The poll's conclusion:

Whether ESPN's programming has become more liberal in recent years or not is beside the point; the figures suggest that enough Republicans believe it has, and this belief has ostensibly contributed to their diminished view of the sports network.