Thanks to digital media, ESPN stars create their own empires, wielding more power than ever

Before ESPN allowed Pat McAfee, Stephen A. Smith, and Peyton Manning to produce their own content, there was “The Decision.”In the summer of 2010, super agent Ari Emanuel pitched ESPN exec John Skipper on a TV special where LeBron James would announce where he was headed in NBA free agency. When the special aired that July, it took about 20 questions over 30 minutes for a dawdling Jim Gray to ask the one query fans wanted to know: Where was James headed after seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers? “Thi ...