The Sports Pope is set to leave the building once again. On Thursday Mike Francesa announced that he only had one more show to do on WFAN.
“I have been discussing this with the company for a while. We agreed, and they have been great about it, that I would stay until sports came back, and sports has come back,” he said on air.
Francesa says he intends to spend more time with his family. The 66-year-old did note that this is not a retirement. What that means remains unknown.
“Mike has been the heart of WFAN for over 30 years, and though his day in and day out presence has come to an end, that bond happily will continue,” Entercom New York Senior VP and Market Manager Chris Olivero said in a statement. “He has earned the right to make this very personal decision and will always have our respect, support and appreciation. The future of WFAN as the premiere sports platform in New York is bright, and that is in large part to the foundation that Mike has helped build.”
In addition to typical dad duties, Francesa says he wants to spend more time at his home in Florida. The owner of race horses, Francesa also said that he wants to realize his dream of getting a horse into the Kentucky Derby.
“This has been a very strange year. It has made me think about different things and want to do different things,” Francesa added. “I don’t want a regular schedule as part of my day anymore.”
This marks Francesa’s second exit from WFAN. He retired at the end of 2017 only to come back months later to reclaim his afternoon drive time slot.
