In what was a surprise to many in the boxing industry last week, it was announced that Showtime?s Ken Hershman would replace the departed Ross Greenburg as the president of HBO Sports. Hershman is reportedly set to begin at his new post in January. Greenburg ?resigned? after 30 years with the company, largely in part to how badly its boxing franchise had suffered during his decade-long run as the head man of the department. He won many Emmys but lost the faith of his subscribers and ultimately, higher-ups like Michael Lombardo and Richard Plepler.
There are many hats Hershman will wear in his new role but like how an athletic director at the University of Alabama or USC will ultimately be defined by how his football program performs, boxing is the most important entity under the HBO Sports umbrella. While the network has quality programs like ?Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel? and regularly produces award-winning documentaries, many of you pay 15 dollars a month, in large part, because of boxing. And as of now, it?s HBO?s only live sports programming.
Hershman, who did an admirable job in playing the conductor of ?The Little Engine that Could? at Showtime versus the monolithic locomotive that was HBO, has a daunting but not impossible task in rebuilding this brand that has come under such disrepair from the previous leadership.
