ESPN reviews

4.0

79% would recommend to a friend

(1,301 total reviews)
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James Pitaro

93% approve of CEO

69% positive business outlook

ESPN has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 1,301 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The ESPN employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Media & Communication industry (3.9 stars).

Reviews by job title

1K reviews
2.0
Feb 20, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Interesting subject matter, the four letters look great on a resume. Was a good place to start your career.

Cons

Obviously, Bristol. A huge amount of incompetence at the director/vp level which makes everyone's life hell. I left because my boss was so bad. Lots of 70 hour weeks at terrible pay. They will pay you nothing because there are a line of thousands of other people who want to work here behind you. You are on a need-to-know basis about anything. Curiosity and new ideas are not welcome. Richard Deitsch/Jim Miller tell you if you're going to be fired and if the product/show you work on is going to be abandoned. I once asked my boss for sports tickets and thought I was going to get fired for even thinking of such a thing. He then went to MNF two weeks later. Their incentive/bonus structure (long-term incentive cash) rewards time, not performance. Reorg every six months. Layoffs every year. This is just what came to the top of my head. Don't work here.

3.0
Nov 27, 2017

Be realistic

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You're working at the World Wide Leader. If you're hourly on the studio or dot com side, the opportunities for OT and holiday pay are plentiful. You can meet your sports heroes. End-of-year bonus. 401k company match. Free Disney passes, and discounts at the hotels. On-site gym and cafeteria. You have the opportunity to learn a lot if you are proactive.

Cons

Review process is convoluted-- you're expected to write goals regarding things that you have no control over (like assignments) and then held to them. You have zero control over the direction of your career (they put you on the track that they want you, not necessarily where your strengths/interests lie). It's hard to get promoted if you aren't friends with management. People who do go out of their way to learn new skills are put in positions to use them with more responsibility but management is shocked when you also ask for more pay or a promotion. In studio production positions it's really hard to get holidays or weekends off. Having seniority no longer means anything. Perception is more important than reality.

3.0
Nov 21, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There are numerous benefits and I miss working there as I grew in my profession and had the opportunity learn every day.

Cons

Favoritism runs rampant. There are people there who only given opportunities to excel as long as two things happen; you consistently agree with their decision and consider that person infallible. If you do not agree with these two points, you quickly fall behind.

Viewing 31 - 33 of 1,301 Reviews

Glassdoor has 1,720 ESPN reviews submitted anonymously by ESPN employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if ESPN is right for you.