After Gary Striewski anchored his first edition of SportsCenter in 2018 alongside Jay Harris, he evaluated his performance as being terrible and was glad it was over. On the night before he was on the air, he could not sleep and felt an abundance of butterflies lodge in his stomach. Although he thought there was nothing wrong with the show itself, the realization of a dream that spanned parts of two decades engendered individual feelings of disquiet and uncertainty for him within his debut. Six years later, Striewski has reached a new contract with the network, Barrett Sports Media has learned.
ESPN has re-signed Striewski to a new, multiyear deal in which he will continue hosting SportsCenter, a position he has held regularly since 2022, along with appearing on other company programming. Wanting to stay with ESPN was a facile sentiment for Striewski to possess because of its sustained levels of success and involvement in many different ventures within the sports media landscape. Throughout his time with the network, he has been featured across its linear television and digital platforms, demonstrating adept versatility and sweeping appeal.
“Most importantly, and I know it’s priority No. 1 at the network, is retaining and creating and facilitating the ushering in of this next sports fan generation,” Striewski said. “I’m talking about the Gen Z, and even to a certain degree, some younger millennials because millennials like myself and everybody older than that, we’ve been locked into ESPN for as long as we can remember, but it’s really just about making sure the future generations of sports fans know where to go for the most comprehensive content.”
When he envisions his future with ESPN, Striewski hopes to continue hosting SportsCenter alongside Randy Scott, his primary co-host on the show for the last three years. Striewski regards Scott as both the sharpest and funniest anchor that the network has and is grateful to be paired with him for three days a week. He marveled at Scott’s delivery and comedy from afar before they started working together and have been able to effectuate natural rapport during the show. In fact, Striewski finds it amusing when they are stopped and asked if they are friends, perceiving viewers to have skepticism towards the genuine nature of their amicability.
“It does challenge me to up my level – up my level of preparedness – every single show because I know Randy brings it every single show, every single highlight, every single read,” Striewski said. “I mean, he’s quicker than anybody I’ve worked with, so it’s cool to continuously be tested every single weekend with somebody I look up to like that.”
Striewski considers himself to be in a fortunate position with the company in that he is able to function as a bridge between generations of consumers. Outside of hosting SportsCenter on television, he anchors the Snapchat edition of the show as well, which was first established in the fall of 2017. When he first began anchoring the digital iteration of the program, 80% of its audience encompassing 2 million daily viewers did not know that SportsCenter was a linear entity.
“You’re seeing it every day when Randy and I do SportsCenter on the TV side, it’s, ‘Oh my gosh, Gary Striewski from Snapchat, now he’s on TV. I remember watching him in middle school, [and] now I’m in college,’ or, ‘I remember watching him as a high-schooler, and now I’m starting my professional job after graduating,’” Striewski explained, “so it’s cool to see that much growth and evolution in our viewership in just the six years that I’ve been there.”
The SportsCenter program itself has adapted as technology and digital media have made it more accessible for consumers to watch highlights or obtain scores independently. The genuine personalities conveyed on the airwaves render the program enjoyable for the viewers, in addition to the innovative means by which the content is presented. Drawing an analogy to everyday life, Striewski elucidated that people can cook every meal if they desire but will go out to a restaurant to have the experience of being served and waited on.
“They want ease of use, right, so yeah, you can still do all of those things yourself, but you know ESPN is going to do it and deliver it to you better than anybody,” Striewski said. “We’re the five-star restaurant, right? ‘Okay, yeah, we have food at home,’ or, ‘What if we go get this delicious meal? Yeah, we got to spend a little bit of cash, but the experience is going to be awesome, the result [is] going to be awesome, the product’s going to be awesome [and] the service is going to be awesome,’ and I think that’s what we could continue to do at SportsCenter.”
Being able to host editions of the show on linear television and Snapchat carries significance for Striewski, including the people whom he is able to reach. As the son of a veteran, messages that he received from servicemen and servicewomen resonated with him pertaining to the impact of the show on Snapchat.
Striewski said that some of the messages read that SportsCenter on Snapchat reminded deployed military members of home and provided a brief respite from their occupation. Every time he steps in front of the camera, he does not want to disappoint his audience and looks to prove that ESPN has made the right decision in keeping him as a part of its future plans.
“It’s about staying in that position and being one of the people that ESPN trusts to sort of usher in sort of, again, this future that continues to change and evolve as new, younger sports fans,” Striewski said, “maybe critical-thinking sports fans; sports fans that aren’t just concerned about NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, but other sports that 10 years ago, 15 years ago, we weren’t necessarily covering as much or amplifying or getting the platform to.”
As part of his new contract with ESPN, Striewski will continue hosting podcasts and digital shows in the network’s portfolio, some of which include The Elle Duncan Show, Hoop Streams and The Kickoff. Constructing and continuing to build an organic following has allowed him to obtain an audience that he can rely on to follow and pivot with him as he continues to be a part of an array of programming.
Referencing a quote from Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra in which he said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else,” Striewski is embracing the ambiguity in his journey towards an unknown destination. Wherever he ends up, he hopes to earn further responsibilities at ESPN within the new contract. Nonetheless, Striewski is excited to remain at the network and assist in executing its commitment to serving sports fans anytime and anywhere amid a dynamic, multiplatform media ecosystem.
“I don’t necessarily know where I’m going, but I know that where it’s going to be is going to be an evolution of where I’m at now,” Striewski said. “I hope it is still SportsCenter with Randy Scott, and I hope it is still living in that digital space. There are more than just me, but I do have the fortune and the ability to get to live in both worlds.”
Derek Futterman is a contributing editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. Additionally, he has worked in a broad array of roles in multimedia production – including on live game broadcasts and audiovisual platforms – and in digital content development and management. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. To get in touch, find him on X @derekfutterman.
