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In a blow to popular ESPN sports analyst Bomani Jones, HBO has decided not to renew his show, Game Theory with Bomani Jones, for a third season. The news was reported by OutKick and later confirmed by Awful Announcing.
Game Theory with Bomani Jones, which debuted in 2022, had garnered critical acclaim during its first season. However, despite the positive reviews, the show struggled to attract a significant viewership.
This trend continued into its second season, even as TNT began airing the previous week’s episode leading into the NBA Doubleheader. Despite the additional exposure, the ratings failed to pick up, and the show often failed to register on the top 150 cable chart.
According to Bobby Burack’s report, each season of Game Theory lost an average of over 80% of its lead-in viewership, a discouraging trend for HBO and the network’s advertisers.
The sports-themed program was positioned after HBO’s popular shows, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Real Time with Bill Maher during its second season.
Throughout its run, Game Theory covered a wide range of topics, including player empowerment, Brett Favre, the “woke” NFL, Overtime Elite, Sports Washing, NIL deals in college sports and more.
The show invited a diverse group of guests, including sports personalities and celebrities, to provide insights and perspectives on these subjects. Notable guests from the second season included Nick Wright, Kyle Brandt, Jake Paul, Taylor Rooks, Gilbert Arenas, J.R. Smith, and Cam’ron.
Jones, who survived ESPN’s recent round of layoffs, will undoubtedly be exploring other opportunities to continue sharing his sports insights and analysis with his dedicated fan base.