ESPN started doing celebrity segments on Sportscenter and having shows where sportswriters and ex-athletes yelled at each other. 1 This worked really well. People do get hooked on personalities and conflict, so Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon can shout at each other about high school field hockey, and people would still watch.
https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/1bnh681/what_even_is_sportscenter_and_espn_anymore/