Kenny Mayne worked for ESPN in a number of roles over his 27 years with the company. Originally joining the company in 1994, Mayne became a signature name and face synonymous with the flagship program SportsCenter, while also providing feature stories for several other ESPN programs. Since Mayne’s departure from ESPN in 2021, he has taken on several roles, most recently with Caesars Sportsbook.
Recently, Mayne joined former ESPN reporter Jemele Hill on her most recent episode of Spolitics and was asked if he ever envisions himself getting back into media at the age of 61.
“I don’t think so,” said Mayne on the Spolitics podcast. “I mean, it’s nothing against what they’re doing. I think after having left it, it’s almost been four years, almost. When I left, at first I just like, What the f**k did I just do?”
Furthermore, the former SportsCenter anchor shared stories of his numerous contract negotiations during his time with ESPN, describing how the network repeatedly made offers that he ultimately didn’t accept. He even joked about it during the podcast when asked if he had thoughts about leaving ESPN long before his actual departure in 2021.
“About eight times,” joked Mayne. “I was my own agent. That never worked out for me to have an agent, and I just liked advocating for myself. I wasn’t afraid of the conversation. It feels weird to say ‘boy, I’m really good at writing.’ It feels weird to brag yourself up, but I think they knew what they got in me. They always wanted to keep me enough to raise the money just enough make me want to stay enough.”
In addition, Mayne explained how he was elevated to the main SportsCenter chair alongside Dan Patrick after Keith Olbermann left the company. According to him, he received a take-it-or-leave-it offer from the network, even though the salary was the same as what he had previously turned down for that role. Moreover, Mayne remarked that the prominence of SportsCenter isn’t what it once was.
“We were there when the show mattered more than it matters now,” said Mayne. “I’m not saying the shows aren’t good. Van Pelt does a great show, a bunch of people do. You don’t need the show in the way you needed it then, because there was no internet.”
Currently, Mayne is working on a number of projects, including a couple of documentaries and a podcast concept.
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