When History Meets Backlash: Doris Burke’s Changing Role at ESPN

The End of an Era and a Shift in Sports Media

It’s been long whispered about and finally reported: Doris Burke has been demoted from the lead NBA ESPN broadcast and Tim Legler has been elevated. ABC/ESPN’s top crew going forward will be Legler, play-by-play legend Mike Breen and Richard Jefferson. Legler is, I’d argue, an incredible analyst who should have been promoted years ago.

Burke getting bounced down was actually a storyline back in June, when the rumored demotion inspired Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle to show support for her in a Finals press conference. He said:

I just want to say thank you to Doris for the example she has put forth for young women.

ESPN advanced a similar case when elevating the veteran broadcaster in 2023, claiming that she “made history by becoming the first woman to serve as a television analyst for any major American men’s sports championship event when she called the NBA Finals on ABC.” Now, they’re demoting a Hall of Fame member who’s been calling games for the network since 1991. For reasons unspecified, it’s time to stop making history.

A climb down from this sort of history making used to be rather controversial. Today, I’m not sure there’s much backlash to ESPN’s maneuver. And if it does exist, I don’t think ABC/ESPN cares about such pressure as much anymore. We are in a different moment now, as culture has shifted from tailwinds for Burke to headwinds for Burke. Here we can at least be a little honest about what’s happening.