The assembly line of sports analysts over at ESPN continues to grow smaller, as another big name from the company is being shown the door. Fans of Colin Cowherd will no longer be able to see or hear him on anything from ESPN at some point relatively soon, as the often outspoken radio host’s time with the network and its affiliates is coming to an end.
According to Deadline, there’s been no released date saying when Cowherd’s last day is going to be, but it is presumed to be happening before his current contract expires. No one likes to stick around where they’re clearly not wanted, so it wouldn’t be naïve to think that Cowherd will have some drastic reaction to all of this. I mean, even ESPN’s statement sounds kind of self-congratulatory and snarky.
We’ve enjoyed a mutually beneficial run with Colin for over a decade. He came to national prominence on ESPN with his unique perspective on sports and society. Endings also bring new beginnings, for ESPN and Colin, and we thank him and wish him the best.
No official word has been given on what Cowherd’s future will look like, but James Andrew Miller – co-author of the ESPN-centered book Those Guys Have All the Fun – sent this tweet out earlier, followed by one saying that this decision wasn't money-related.
It wouldn’t be too weird to think about Cowherd at Fox Sports, if that turned out to be true. Really, anything in the sports realm would feel right. If I started seeing him with his own cooking show on Food Network or taking out zombies on cable, that’d be weird. I mean, he was in Planes.
Cowherd, who hosts the ESPN Radio show The Herd and formerly co-hosted SportsNation on ESPN 2, is now the third personality being recently forced to adapt to an ESPN-free professional life. Bill Simmons was booted out a couple of months ago, and the network announced last week that they wouldn’t be renewing the contract for Keith Olbermann. I’m sure everyone’s got their suggestion for who should get cut next.
The beginning of the month brought the world its most recent “awkward Colin Cowherd moment,” as the host was talking to former NFL coach Jim Harbaugh about his switch to coaching for the Michigan Wolverines. Harbaugh’s answers were about as bland as could be, and Cowherd didn’t have time for that.
Does anyone think that this recent clean-up in big, controversial names has anything to do with why people don’t seem to hold ESPN in high regard anymore?
