ESPN staffers try to get ahead of layoffs

Thanksgiving week is here, and many inside ESPN are giving special thanks for jobs they hope will last past the holidays.

In the next few weeks, the Worldwide Leader is expected to undergo another round of massive layoffs — Sporting News cites 40-60 layoffs coming, with Sports Illustrated reporting the number will exceed 100 — and the next wave of who’s-next worry has many scanning their options.

According to a Sporting News report on Monday, which cited a source at a rival network, some ESPN staffers already are sending out “just-incase” résumés to competitors such as FS1, NBCSN and Turner Sports.

“The narrative from many long-timers still there is: ‘I know my day is coming. It’s not if. It’s when,’” another source told the site.

In this round of cuts, according to the report, an estimated $80 million will be slashed from the budget.

“SportsCenter” will be particularly hard hit, its relevance fading in the internet age, and the report said more than backend and front-facing talent on the show will be in trouble. With less “SportsCenter” comes less management over “SportsCenter,” so suits, too, are in danger.

These will only be the latest round of layoffs for ESPN, which cut about 100 staffers in late April in firings that gained extra attention because on-air personalities were lost. In 2015, the company laid off about 300 employees, and ESPN still is trimming costs to find how it should operate in 2017, when more and more are ditching cords. ESPN also is coping with live-sports contracts that cost billions — $1.9 billion annually for “Monday Night Football,” $1.4 billion for the NBA — in deals that looked a lot easier to swallow before traditional TV began its downturn.

The company is taking risks — like splitting up “Mike & Mike” — to try to find how to succeed in an evolving ecosystem. Those within it are just hoping for survival.