TheStreet: For years, ESPN has gone by the nickname of the “The Worldwide Leader In Sports.” Lately, however, it seems like the cable-TV network has also been the leader in rising costs for Disney, its parent company. Programming and production costs at Disney’s cable-TV unit, of which ESPN is its larger component, are expected to rise by “low-teen percentage points” for the company’s fiscal year ended Sept. 15. ESPN may have to trim costs elsewhere, possibly with its on-air talent and behind-the-scenes employees.