For years, Americans were told that “cutting the cord” would be the cheaper, freer alternative to cable. Pay for what you want, cancel when you want, and finally escape the bloated bundles that padded your bill with channels you never watched. That was the sales pitch. But as ESPN and FOX both rolled out their new standalone streaming services in August 2025, the pitch looks more like a bait-and-switch.
The reality: sports fans are paying more for less.
The ESPN Grab: $29.99 for What Used to Be Standard
Disney’s new ESPN Unlimited plan costs $29.99 per month for access to its 12 networks, ESPN+, and ESPN on ABC. That’s $360 a year just to get what was already standard in most cable packages.
There’s also a stripped-down option, ESPN Select, at $11.99 per month. But that’s basically just a rebranded ESPN+, missing the main ESPN and ESPN2 broadcasts that make the brand worth watching. In other words: a cheap plan that isn’t really ESPN, and a premium plan that locks casual fans out unless they fork over big money.
FOX One Joins the Party: Another Bill in the Mailbox
Not to be outdone, FOX launched FOX One for $19.99 per month. It includes Fox News, Fox Sports, FS1, FS2, and the Big Ten Network. On its own, maybe that looks fair. But stack it next to ESPN’s offering and you’re already at $50 a month just to cover the basics of what used to come with a single $70 cable subscription.
The supposed “fix” is bundling. ESPN and FOX will sell you a combo package for $39.99. Disney, meanwhile, is rolling out a Disney/Hulu/ESPN Unlimited bundle at $29.99 for the first year—but that jumps up to $35.99 with ads, or $44.99 ad-free after 12 months. Translation: what looks like savings today will bleed you dry tomorrow.
The Great Streaming Shell Game
For hardcore sports fans, the real kick in the teeth comes when you add in the extras. NFL+, NBA League Pass, MLB.TV, or Peacock (for Premier League) aren’t included in these shiny new ESPN and FOX packages. That means another $10 here, another $20 there. Before long, you’re spending well over $100 per month for the “privilege” of piecing together what used to come in a single cable bill.
This isn’t innovation—it’s nickel-and-diming with a new coat of paint.
Who Wins? Not the Fans
The winners here aren’t consumers. It’s the corporate giants—Disney, FOX, and the leagues themselves—who now control the paywalls, bundle structures, and price hikes. They’ve effectively recreated cable, only with more fragmentation, more sign-ups, and less transparency.
Americans already deal with inflation in gas, groceries, housing, and healthcare. Now even the “escape” of sports and entertainment is becoming another pocket-draining bill. The idea that streaming would free fans from cable’s monopoly has collapsed into yet another monopoly—just one divided between a few tech-savvy giants.
The Right Lesson: Competition, Not Consolidation
This is the logical outcome of media consolidation. When a handful of corporations own the leagues, the rights, and the distribution, the “choice” consumers are promised becomes an illusion. Conservatives have long warned about concentrated power in media and entertainment—whether it’s Disney buying half of Hollywood, or big tech platforms deciding what speech is allowed online. The same principle applies here.
If government really wants to help consumers, it shouldn’t subsidize these bloated corporations with sweetheart deals or look the other way as they carve up sports fans like a holiday turkey. Real competition—not backroom bundling—is the only way to keep costs down.
Final Whistle
Cord-cutting was supposed to be liberation. Instead, it’s become a racket. Fans are being forced into bundles, subscription stacking, and creeping price hikes that make cable look like the good old days.
Sports may be America’s pastime, but watching them has become a rich man’s game. Until consumers push back—or until regulators remember antitrust law—ESPN, FOX, and their corporate peers will keep treating your wallet like the ball.
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