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There was a time where the Syracuse Orange were one of the predominant programs in all of men’s college basketball.
That time, however, is long gone.
Which is why the Orange recently parted ways with legendary coach Jim Boeheim, who has since confirmed that he is, in fact, retired.
Boeheim and the Orange made a surprise run to the Sweet 16 in 2021, but they’ve largely struggled since moving from the Big East to the ACC in 2013.
ESPN Radio Syracuse host Brent Axe was keenly aware of this, as well as other struggles among Cuse’s athletic programs. Axe routinely discussed the matter on his show, “On the Block with Brent Axe.”
ESPN Radio Syracuse Cans Show Host Due To Criticism Of School’s Athletic Programs
Now it appears Syracuse wasn’t too happy with his tone, as Axe has been given the axe by Galaxy Media Partners, which owns the local ESPN Radio network.
Galaxy President and CEO Ed Levine said he fired Axe because he believes the content of Axe’s show had become too negative toward Syracuse University sports.
…
“I had a problem with the content of the show,” Levine said. “I’m an SU fan. I’m sorry, but I bleed Orange (and) I’m not going to apologize for that, and I think a fair reading of the Orange is appropriate. I understand (Galaxy has) a business relationship (with Syracuse), that Coach (Jim) Boeheim and I are personal friends and he’s an investor in my company. – via Syracuse. com
Axe, meanwhile, told Syracuse.com that he felt the move was unjust.
“I had a responsibility to give an honest, fair and thorough opinion to my audience,” Axe said. “I certainly wasn’t perfect, but I don’t regret anything about the approach of the show. We put listeners on the air, and we gave them the opportunity to say what they needed to say. I don’t have any regrets.”
Fans and fellow media members flocked to Axe’s defense.
Pure 🗑️ from Galaxy.@BrentAxeMedia is a pro’s pro and knows SU better than almost anyone. What a sorry excuse for doing this to the best sports talk host in the market.
Also, how can you objectively view the last few years of SU FB, MBB, WBB, and MLAX in a non-negative light? https://t.co/L5PfNWvQsL
— Brandon Ross (@BrandonRoss99) March 13, 2023
You can not make this up. SU and Galaxy look awful here. https://t.co/eBxLzWVYOU
— JOHN JOHNSON II (@TheJJohnsonTV) March 13, 2023
https://twitter.com/HoyaSuxa/status/1635324038506758144?s=20
The most objectively hilarious quote from the messed-up CEO:
"I believe https://t.co/0Sl6FEYn0Y has an agenda in regards to Syracuse University. I don’t know what that agenda is." https://t.co/LfKxxfBbjJ
— AJ Feldman (@AJFeldmanTV) March 13, 2023
Embarrassing. Somewhere along the line, people decided that the job of a reporter was to tell readers/listeners "everything is going to be ok." with the hometown team.
Sadly, there's money to be made in doing so, so guys like Brent, who want to do real work, are pushed out. https://t.co/aWNTffvMma
— Rob Cassidy (@Cassidy_Rob) March 13, 2023
Sadly, it doesn’t appear Levine is going to change his mind. But it doesn’t sound like Axe will be out of work for too long if he wants to look elsewhere.