If we needed further confirmation that following and opining about the sports media has become a major spectator sport unto itself, consider the prism through which we have come to view ESPN, especially over the last few weeks.

When the topic of the network has come up in my conversations and social-media interactions recently, it rarely has to do with its sports coverage or programming, and almost always about its personalities and personnel.

I’m not precisely sure when the scale tipped and ESPN — or the perception of ESPN — became about making news rather than breaking news, but here we are now. So let’s catch up on some ESPN roster moves and headlines that have drawn recent attention . . .

¦ Where’s Schilling?

ESPN got caught in a maelstrom of controversy Sunday night when Curt Schilling’s iconic Game 6 performance in the 2004 American League Championship Series was edited out of a rebroadcast of the “30 for 30’’ film “Four Days in October’’ on ESPN2 earlier in the day.

It did not take much dot-connecting or a graduate degree in conspiracy theories to suspect that ESPN was up to some pettiness in the editing room. Schilling was fired by the network April 20 after he couldn’t — or refused to — shake his habit of posting and sharing offensive memes on social media.

A little more than a week later, Schilling, never one to go quietly, accused the network of featuring “some of the biggest racists in sports commenting’’ as analysts on its programming.

So eyebrows were raised when Schilling was absent from the reairing of the “30 for 30’’ doc, especially locally, where ESPN’s coverage of Deflategate has made its coverage of everything Boston-related a cause for close examination even among those not prone to conspiracies.

In reality, though, it’s hard to figure that ESPN deliberately edited Schilling out of the documentary out of spite. The running time had to be cut down quickly because an earlier softball game had run long by 12 minutes, and the primary obligation when that happens is to get back on the clock. In this case, it meant the doc had to be trimmed quickly to make sure the next program began at its scheduled time of 8 p.m.

It’s standard procedure. I talked to or heard from several television executives — some that have worked at ESPN, some that have not — who said this is a common thing. The edits must be made in a short time, under tremendous pressure. Said one: “It’s one thing if people had five hours to make a decision. It’s quite another when you have to edit on the fly with management breathing down your neck.’’

The particular documentary has aired dozens of times on ESPN the last couple of years. It has been edited several ways, and this was not the first time Game 6 has been cut. In this case, the segment precisely fit what needed to be cut. So it was.

Sure, it’s feasible that an editor muttered some variation of the phrase, “Take that, Schilling,’’ when it was axed. But it appears far more likely that this wasn’t a matter of conspiracy, just convenience.

¦ Tirico heads to NBC.

Mike Tirico joined ESPN in 1991 straight out of Syracuse, his talent obvious. But in his 25 years at the network, he continued to improve, eventually emerging as the practical ideal for a high-profile play-by-play voice: informed, affable, polished, and never obtrusive.

The result was a variety of high-profile golf, tennis, and NBA assignments for Tirico, as well as perhaps the network’s signature live sports property, “Monday Night Football.’’ Because of his longevity, prominence, and good standing at the network, it was a surprise when John Ourand of Sports Business Daily broke the story April 25 that Tirico would be leaving for NBC at the conclusion of his contract this summer.

But perhaps it shouldn’t have been. NBC has some live-sports crown jewels in its own right, including “Sunday Night Football,’’ the Olympics, and the British Open — all of which would appeal to Tirico. The network’s signature broadcasters, Bob Costas and Al Michaels, are 64 and 71 years old, respectively. Tirico, 49, would make an obvious and worthy successor to either.

Perhaps the more interesting question is not why Tirico left ESPN, but who replaces him. His high-profile, multi-sport versatility will be missed; it’s hard to fathom that there is one broadcaster already on the ESPN roster who can replace him.

There is, however, an intriguing and likely option for Monday nights: Sean McDonough. It’s actually a mild surprise that McDonough hasn’t already been named the successor, but according to network sources, he is the clear front-runner. The widely respected former Red Sox broadcaster, who has called high-profile college football and basketball games at ESPN over the last several years, would be an ideal choice.

Given how McDonough helped bring out Jerry Remy’s personality during his NESN/Channel 38 days, a partnership with analyst Jon Gruden — who is charismatic but reluctant to be critical — would be an outstanding pairing.

¦ Bayless takes off for Fox Sports.

A thank you to Fox Sports and its president, Jamie Horowitz, is overdue in this spot. The network has systematically hired away many of ESPN’s most obnoxious personalities — Colin Cowherd, Jason Whitlock, and last week, Skip Bayless, luring the “First Take’’ hot-taker with a $4 million signing bonus and an annual salary of more than $5 million. Putting them front and center on the still-fledgling channel will make it easy to ignore them all in one place.

Chad Finn can be reached at finn@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeChadFinn.