I think you're giving ESPN far too much credit. They have repeatedly shown a failure to maintain journalistic independence by allowing license-holders and advertisers to influence their content choices & editorial stances. Also, ESPN may have been successful in the past, but not so much anymore.
ESPN may be a notch or two above the usual homerism coverage of local sports talk radio, but that's about it. They employ some respected journalists (esp. 'Outside The Lines'), but the network's reputation for integrity within the profession as a whole is nearly non-existent.
This isn't merely my opinion - it's the accumulation of ESPN's business practices over decades.
goreyfantod's comments