Every good conclusion, so the saying goes, is unexpected and yet inevitable. When the NFL's plan to sell NFL Media finally falls through and Disney's attempt to give some of its sports league partners a stake in ESPN finally dies, many will be startled.
According to New York Post reporter Andrew Marchand, "advanced talks" between the NFL and ESPN are underway, which may lead to the NFL acquiring an ownership share in ESPN and ESPN assuming control of NFL Media.
The discussions have progressed to the point where the NFL Players Association and club owners have been briefed, according to Marchand. (The NFLPA must be engaged and will most likely give their approval to the arrangement because the NFL and the NFLPA split profits about evenly.)
Closing the sale might yet take "months" according to the article. The NFL Films, NFL Network, NFL.com, Red Zone, and NFL+ are all parts of NFL Media.
Over the past few years, the NFL has made several attempts to find a media partner with whom it might outsource its media operations.
It is possible that the NFL is the first major sports league to reach an agreement with ESPN. In addition to the NBA and MLB, ESPN reportedly spoke with them last year, according to CNBC.
This change would undoubtedly make it more difficult for ESPN to provide critical, unbiased, and objective coverage of the National Football League, its clubs, and their owners. Even though the NFL owns and manages NFL Media—a news outlet that skirts the edges of controversial topics—few have voiced concern about this for over 20 years.
The NFL has high expectations due to ESPN's status as a broadcast partner. Assuming a wall existed at all, it would fall after the NFL acquired a stake in ESPN and ESPN began operating NFL Network.