Sports media is all about the next big thing. What’s the latest technology to enhance the viewing experience? What new program will redefine how sports fans talk about sports and its impact on culture? Few programs in sports media truly last, but none come close to the legacy that SportsCenter built, refined, and continues to hold over any other sports highlight program.
Yesterday, Linda Cohn announced her upcoming retirement from ESPN. Over her career, she hosted more episodes of SportsCenter than anyone else. A 34-year tenure that began in 1992, Cohn is just the latest in a string of names that have departed the program over the past several years. Legacy talents such as Neil Everett, John Anderson, Kenny Mayne, and Stan Verrett have all departed the program and network alike.
SportsCenter is the single biggest institution ESPN built. The show was the launching pad for the network’s foundation and continues to be a brand bigger than the talents who encompass it. However, what made SportsCenter must-see television were the personalities who guided it. Stuart Scott, Rich Eisen, Dan Patrick, Keith Olbermann, Craig Kilborn, and Cohn were talents who cut through as more than just talking heads reading prompters.
They made SportsCenter pop culture. Every episode was must-see television. The Top 10 was a goal for every athlete imaginable. Every viewer identified with a member of the anchor desk, with many having a favorite or two.
Not Everything Stays The Same
However, time changes. Networks evolve, and so does the consumption of highlights, news, and information. With time, legacy talent departs and moves on to other projects, with few ever reaching the success they once had with SportsCenter. When Cohn announced her upcoming retirement, it made me think back to my original premise. Who’s the next star to come from sports’ most important vessel of highlights, news, and information?
I remembered Dan Le Batard discussing this very premise last year when he was watching SportsCenter during his program yet couldn’t identify the two anchors hosting the show. He spoke about how, at one time, it mattered who was hosting SportsCenter. He explained how the value of the anchor has diminished over time, not just for SportsCenter, but for news coverage in general.
It’s no secret that networks, both national and local, are feeling the pinch of shrinking budgets and evolving audience behavior. Think of your local sports segments on the evening news. What once was a destination for more than five minutes of watch time has now diminished to less than a couple of minutes.
SportsCenter is no different. Highlights are available instantly on social media. News alerts on phones deliver immediate access. Context and depth have been replaced by instant gratification for shorter attention spans. It’s not that SportsCenter has lost value to ESPN. Rather, audience habits have changed.
This was one of the reasons ESPN rolled out its SC For You beta edition with the launch of the ESPN DTC product. With more people gathering information and highlights on social media, ESPN created an AI version of SportsCenter designed to cater to how users consume content within the app. At the time, this was considered breakthrough technology. An app providing the SportsCenter experience when you want it, how you want it, and wherever you want it.
However, what does that say about the value of the anchor role within SportsCenter in general?
Must See SC
Ten years from now, who will be the names remembered alongside those who preceded them? Scott Van Pelt, Jay Harris, and David Lloyd are the old guard holding down the fort. From time to time, we’ll see Steve Levy, Rece Davis, and John Buccigross make an appearance. Kevin Negandhi has also been a steady presence guiding the program.
With all due respect to those I just named, few will have the lasting impact of those who came before them. It’s not a knock to those individual names or any others on the SportsCenter roster of talent. To the average sports fan, SportsCenter is simply not the destination it once was. The show is more background filler than appointment television.
Want proof? Take a look at the viewership figures for recent returns to SportsCenter. Rich Eisen’s return was filled with nostalgia and memories. It also earned 67% more viewers than the program’s average audience. Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann returned seven years ago, and that appearance is still discussed in sports media circles today.
There’s now a podcast series hosted by Eisen called “This Was SportsCenter.” It features interviews showcasing the behind-the-scenes stories and shared legacy of the anchors who manned the desk. On the heels of Cohn’s retirement news, there are now hints of Eisen and Kilborn reuniting for an episode of SportsCenter.
And maybe that’s the real story behind Linda Cohn’s retirement.
Promise Over Personality
It’s not simply that another legendary SportsCenter anchor is stepping away. It’s that with every departure, we’re reminded of how different the role has become. SportsCenter will endure because the brand is bigger than any one personality. It survived the exits of Patrick, Olbermann, Eisen, Scott, Mayne, Anderson, Everett, Verrett, and now Cohn. It will survive this one, too.
What’s less certain is whether it will ever create stars the way it once did.
There are still talented anchors behind the desk, but the media ecosystem that elevated SportsCenter personalities into household names no longer exists. Highlights are everywhere. Attention is fragmented. Audiences follow individual voices on social media more than they follow television programs.
The next great sports media star may emerge from YouTube, TikTok, podcasting, or a streaming platform we haven’t even imagined yet.
For decades, SportsCenter wasn’t just where fans consumed sports news. It was where sports media stars were born. As Linda Cohn prepares to sign off, it’s fair to wonder if her retirement represents more than the end of a remarkable career.
It may be another reminder that the golden age of SportsCenter creating the next generation of iconic personalities is no longer ahead of us.
It’s now far behind us.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
