ESPN used to be the crown jewel in the Disney Corporation’s portfolio. It was thought to be the network cable subscribers couldn't - and wouldn't - live without, so it was a perennial cash-cow. Even if the movies, toys, and theme parks underperformed, ESPN could be counted on to generate mountains of Mouse-moolah.
Maybe that's why Keith Olbermann's twice-former network thought infusing sports coverage with ever-increasing levels of left-wing political content was a good move. After all, if the ratings are bulletproof, why not let the biased, poorly-informed, political opinions fly?