ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro made it clear this week he’s not seeking to succeed Bob Iger as Disney CEO.
Pitaro told The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, “I’m passionate about sports. I’m in my dream job.” That seems pretty straightforward, but Marchand offered some further insight into the matter Thursday with co-host John Ourand on The Main Event podcast.
“Couple of things I think you have to ask yourself if you’re Jimmy Pitaro,” Marchand said. “Do you want to be at theme parks, or do you want to be at ballparks? He said the other day … how much he loves being in charge of ESPN, he wakes up with this mandate and he knows he has to do well.”
After explaining how Pitaro is a huge Yankees fan, Marchand dropped a player analogy that the ESPN executive would likely appreciate.
“Humongous Yankee fan,” Marchand said. “I think if you ask me, of any executive I’ve ever covered in media, he’s the biggest baseball fan and Yankee fan, that I’ve ever met or encountered. … So he loves sports.
“It’s a different job. Obviously, it’s an historic job. I’m not saying this was in his thinking, but if I’m him, I’m looking at Disney and it could be really successful. It’s still one of the great companies in the world.
“But are you taking over, to use a Yankee analogy, after the [Derek] Jeter-Mariano [Rivera] years, and you’re getting the Didi Gregorius years — who was a good player, but not a great player — of the Yankees?
Disney shareholders hope the company does not perform like Gregorius (career 95 OPS+) under the next CEO. Disney’s Chairperson of Parks and Resorts Josh D’Amaro, Co-Chair of Disney Entertainment Dana Walden, and Disney executive Alan Bergman have been identified as the three internal Disney candidates to succeed Iger.
Industry insiders have offered several possible motives for Pitaro’s decision to stay at ESPN. Ongoing projects such as the upcoming DTC launch and a possible equity deal with the NFL are huge and exciting opportunities.
Then again, it could be as simple as Pitaro is a huge sports fan and Yankees lover who would rather be at the ballpark instead of a theme park.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.