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Norby or Not to Be

Inside the drama surrounding the Bristol defenestration.

Norby Williamson espn
Norby Williamson told me he’s confident that his sport-specific production arrangement will preserve the hometown terroir of each broadcast—a tough needle to thread in a media environment that’s predicated on both platform economics and customization. Photo: Yana Paskova/For The Washington Post/Getty Images
John Ourand
April 9, 2024

Even before Pat McAfee elevated ESPN executive Norby Williamson to the heights of national criticism some weeks ago on his show—uncharitably labeling him a leaker, portraying him as a disloyal corporate stooge, calling him a rat, etcetera—the knives were out for the once-revered Bristol executive. In fact, ESPN’s decision to defenestrate Williamson last week was merely the latest iteration of a time-worn corporate tale of competing philosophies and personalities. And at the end of the day, modern ESPN was only big enough for one of them.