Todd McShay got his start in football while he was in school and played in college, like several of the other people on this list, but he definitely wasn’t the start player. However, he obviously loves the game because he has devoted his life to being a sports analyst and earns a good living because of it.
It is unknown just how much McShay earns as his salary for being a sports analyst, but it is estimated to be in the ballpark of $55,000, although it could definitely be a lot higher. He officially joined ESPN in 2006 and has been an active voice in several of their programs since then, which is now approaching nearly twenty years in the business.
Rebecca Lobo stands at a very impressive 6 feet, 4 inches tall. This sportscaster made her WNBA debut with the New York Liberty and is considered a founding member of the league. She stayed with the team for a while longer before leaving for the Houston Comets and eventually retired.
Since then, she has worked her way up to become a reporter and color analyst for ESPN, mostly concentrating on covering WNBA and women's college basketball games. You might not be too impressed with this salary, despite her long resume, but strap in because the list will blow your socks off.
Tom Jackson was a multi-talented athlete in high school playing football, baseball, and competing in wrestling. When he went off to college, he made waves as a player for the University of Louisville, who eventually retired his number in honor of the legacy that he left at the school.
After going on to have a run from 1973 to 1986 as an NFL Player, which included a couple trips to the Super Bowl, he joined ESPN as a sports analyst in 1987. He has won several Emmy awards from his career in broadcasting and even retired in 2016. That was only until he came back to broadcasting in 2019 making about $78,000 a year, but probably more.
Maria Taylor is one of the youngest sports analysts on this list, and although she might make one of the lesser salaries, she definitely still can only grow from here. She got her start in sports playing basketball in high school, which earned her an athletic scholarship to the University of Georgia where she had historical success.
She got her start in reporting at the same university, and she was later hired by ESPN2. Not only has she broadcasted about basketball, but also volleyball and football. However, she does stick to college sports rather than professional sports. Her dedication to the game has earned her an $88,000 per year salary.
Darrell Waltrip has a history of racing in different types of races and a history of talking and advocating for those types of races. He got his start in being a sports analyst for NASCAR getting people to come out to his local race track, and that gig got him his start in radio.
He later began racing in NASCAR and commentating on races. Currently, he is no longer a racer at 74 years old, but he is still working as a sports analyst commentating on the radio. With this career, he is estimated at making a current $90,000, which is definitely not a bad gig for 74.
Jemele Hill began her career as a sports writer for ESPN. Slowly but surely, she worked her way up to becoming an analyst. She gained even more popularity from her podcast, “His & Her”, which became a sensation. This was just what she needed to become one of the most recognizable faces of SportsCenter.
She also worked on the show on ESPN2 "Numbers Never Lie," taking over after Jalen Rose moved on from the role. After 12 years at ESPN, she decided to part ways and go to The Atlantic, a literary and cultural magazine. Her estimated salary is just over $100,000.
Chris Spielman began his broadcasting career with Fox Sports Net in 1999, but before that he was best known for being a talented football player. He was an outstanding high school player, which gave him the chance to play with Ohio State during his college years. After graduating from Ohio State, he was picked up by the Detroit Lions.
Throughout his broadcasting career as a sports analyst, he has worked with Fox and with ESPN, and he has covered professional as well as college football. He even can be seen on television as well as heard on the radio. Currently he is broadcasting with Fox and earns about $100,000 for that sweet gig.
You probably know Tim Hasselbeck based on his college career with Boston College, which earned him most of his notoriety. Or you might know him from his professional NFL career where he hopped around to a couple of different teams over the course of this period of time. However, he is now a sports analyst.
Hasselbeck began his career as an analyst in 2007 after he left playing the game. He made his first appearance that year and has worked for ESPN, SportsNet New York, and Sirius NFL Radio. He also does a lot of analyst commentary for Fantasy Football, for all of you Fantasy Footballers out there. Doing this, he makes about $150,000 a year. Not bad.
Scott Hanson has been the face of NFL RedZone since 2009. Before that, he worked for multiple other stations, including ABC, Comcast, and NBC. However, the majority of his work has been on the RedZone—and as such, Hanson has trained himself to keep track of multiple games and be able to switch from one game to another.
He is one of the best sports analysts of all time and he has earned every penny of his 3 million dollar net worth, as of 2021. His career is still far from over, so that will definitely rise as he becomes even better at his job. This skill of juggling all of those games at once has also earned him an estimated $200,000 annual salary.
Can't get very far without seeing Lisa Salters on TV nowadays. She used to be a collegiate basketball player, but broadcasting pulled her away from it. Now, she's one of the most popular women on ESPN. She spent seven years in Baltimore before she went to ABC to cover the O.J Simpson trial.
She must have liked ESPN because she's stuck with them since 2000. Since then, she's covered the World Cup, the Olympics, the Super Bowl, and countless games. Right now, Salters works on ABC’s coverage of the NBA as well as Monday Night Football on ESPN. Salters makes an estimated $235,000 per year.
A true NFL veteran, D. Stockton has been in the league for a long time. As a sportscaster who has worked in television and radio for the past half century, he has experienced his fair share of success and failure during the course of his career. In spite of it all he is the most recognized for broadcasting and analyzing sports.
The Olympic Winter Games and the World Figure Skating Championship are just two of the major sporting events that Stockton has covered as a sportscaster The Basketball Hall of Fame honored him with the Curt Gowdy Electronic Media Award in 2001 for his work in promoting their sport.
You might not have heard of Jermaine Jenas before, but if you pay attention at all to the world of soccer, or as the rest of the world calls it, “football,” then you should know this man. He was a star soccer player from England and played for several different football clubs throughout his professional career in soccer.
Jenas is not a “pundit,” which is what they call sports analyst broadcasters in the United Kingdom. He works mostly as a freelance pundit, but has also worked for ITV Sports and for BT Sport professionally. He has also appeared on other programs on BBC. Currently, Jenas has a yearly salary equivalent to $280,000 in American dollars.
Greg Anthony is the first sports analyst on this list to have no broadcasting experience prior to his TV debut. However, he was a former player who was known for his lock down defense, and after playing the game for 12 years he retired and began working with ABC and ESPN.
However, he got his big break when he went to CBS Sports. He was also one of the commentators in the video game NBA 2K16. His estimated salary is close to $400,000. You can still see him as an analyst for both college and NBA basketball games, and his son has followed in his footsteps and currently plays for the Orlando Magic.
Sage Steele began her career at CSN Mid-Atlantic in Maryland. She covered the Baltimore Ravens during her tenure there, but she soon had ESPN knocking on her door. Over the years, she’s been a guest on some of ESPN’s biggest shows, like ESPN First Take, NBA Countdown, and Mike & Mike in the Morning.
She’s since become the host of SportsCenter at 6 p.m., a big jump from her previous Mid-Atlantic position. Her new spot also comes with a nice $400,000 salary. She is a true professional, and she is also the mother of three children. We know that can't be easy!
Andre Ware is a Texas boy through and through. His career in sports began when he was in college and played for the University of Texas after having a very successful run of high school football in Texas as well. However, he eventually left Texas once he joined the professional league and has played for several NFL teams.
In 2002, Ware began co-hosting a football radio show with the Houston Texans. However, in 2003 he moved on to work for ESPN where he has worked on several programs since that time. All of them are mostly about college football since that seems to be where his heart lies. As of 2021, Ware is reported to make about $400,000 a year.
Recognize this leading lady? Molly Qerim is known for a lot of things, but her most famous role is that as anchor and moderator for First Take. She works alongside Max Kellerman and Stephen A. Smith. Thanks to the three, First Take has thrived and has become one of the highest-rated sports talk shows on TV.
Before she went to ESPN, she had a stint on the NFL Network. There, she hosted NFL AM and NFL Fantasy Live. Qerim has a wide knowledge of every sport and has covered tons of major sporting events from the Super Bowl to MLB All-Star Games and NBA All-Star. She's also married to Jalen Rose, former NBA player and ESPN analyst. Qerim makes an estimated $500,000 per year.
Jimmy Johnson has made the NFL his life and career. He started as a college player, then transitioned into an assistant coach at another university, until finally winning two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys as a coach. He was the first head football coach to win big at both the collegiate and professional levels.
After retiring from the game as a coach, he began his career as a sports analyst on Fox NFL Sunday with other former players. At that point, it would be really difficult to let football go and do something else professionally! His estimated annual salary now $600,000. Not bad for a retiree.
Charissa Thompson was the co-host of SportsNation on ESPN for many years until her departure for Fox Sports. She was one of the first faces with the new Fox Sports 1 during its initial launch. She was with Fox Sports from 2007-2010 then moved to ESPN for the next three years, and since then has been back with Fox Sports.
She has steadily continued her career as a leader within the Fox Sports network since 2013. Because of her hard work within this industry, Thompson’s estimated salary is $700,000. She has been in this career since 2007, so it will likely only grow from here as she gains even more experience.
Wendi Nix is definitely pretty...pretty knowledgeable! While she is currently a co-host on ESPN's NFL Live, she didn't start there. Turns out this South Carolina native began her career right at home. She was on WPDE in the state, but she was quickly scooped up by New England Sports Network and Fox Sports Net in Boston.
It's fair to say that Nix has come a long way since South Carolina. Currently, she's co-host for the number one program on ESPN, where she primarily discusses the NFL, but she's been known to analyze college football games from time to time. Nix earns a hefty $800,000 per year.
Holly Rowe may be a sideline reporter, but she's certainly not to be "sidelined," so to speak. She's been a college football analyst and reporter with ESPN since August 1998! During all this time, she's naturally covered some pretty amazing regular-season games and postseason bowl games both on and off the field.
Most of her time is spent doing play-by-play broadcasting for pretty much every major sport under the sun including men's and women's basketball, women's college volleyball, swimming, track and field, NBA, WNBA, and so much more. She's even covered the Running of the Bulls! This long-time ESPON reporter has a salary of $800,000.
This wonderful Bonnie Bernstein is a fantastic role model for young women aspiring to follow in the footsteps of successful sports caster like herself. The American Sportscasters Association now ranks the sports reporter and vice president of Campus Insiders as one of the most successful women in sportscasting history.
Bernstein has been delivering hot takes on sports for well over 20 years, and she also makes occasional appearances on a variety of networks around the world. She considers herself to be a "sports chick," is a motivational speaker, is actively involved in philanthropy, and is a super fitness enthusiast.
In the male-dominated realm of sports, it is exceptionally challenging to be a woman, let alone a lone female sportscaster. Doris Burke, though, demonstrates that it is possible to make a significant effect regardless of one's gender. She is presently working as an NBA analyst for ESPN and ABC Games.
Burke was the first woman to announce a game for the New York Knicks and helped pave the way for women in sports broadcasting. As a result of her smart and entertaining analysis of NBA games, she has been lauded as "Basketball's Best TV analyst" by numerous publications, and has been compared to "the LeBron James of sportscasters" by NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy.
Terry Bradshaw doesn’t look the kind of guy to hold the same amount of Super Bowl Championships as some of the greats, but he is. As soon as he retired from the NFL, he had a job as a sports caster. After that kind of career, we needed to hear his expert opinion on the biggest sport in America.
Looking at him, you wouldn’t think that he celebrated his 70th birthday back in 2018 and is currently making an estimated $1 million annually. That's a lot of cash! We think we can all hope we make that kind of money at that age. Social security checks definitely aren't that generous!
Leeann Tweeden may not look it, but you won't find anyone as versatile and talented as her. You can probably tell that she began her career working as a model, where she won first place in the Venus International Model Search while she was a hostess at Hooters. That competition allowed her to begin what she really wanted to do – sports analyzing and broadcasting.
Tweeden happily took advantage of her opportunity and began hosting her own show on Fox Sports Network. Surprisingly, it lasted six years! We told you she was talented. In 2008, she was the third hostess of NBC's Poker After Dark, but she's also assisted the pregame and postgame shows for the Los Angeles Angels and FS1's UFC Tonight. She stays busy, but her $1 million salary keeps her in sports media.
As a graduate of journalism from the University of Michigan and Northwestern University, Adam Schefter has worked as a sideline reporter, radio host, and as a network host! As part of the family of hosts for the NFL Network, Schefter was able to gain notoriety from his big personality and spot-on analysis.
After working for the network for a couple of years, ESPN swooped in in 2009 and offered him a deal he couldn’t refuse. His estimated annual take home is just over $1 million. We don't blame him, either! We would definitely switch jobs if someone would pay us that much to do what we love!
Max Kellerman started his career in boxing on HBO, but he soon moved beyond the combat sport and began hosting the fan-fav Around the Horn. He has since been on multiple ESPN shows as a guest and is highly regarded for his knowledge in multiple sports, as he should be.
However, he is best-known for his commentary on boxing, which he has very expert knowledge on. He appears on Friday Night Fights and HBO World Championship Boxing. Kellerman’s salary is estimated to be around the $1 million mark because of his experience and expertise. At only 47 years old, his salary could only go up!
Pam Oliver may look that old, but she's been in the biz for quite a while. She's been in sports media for more than 30 years! Her broadcasting and analyst career began by bouncing local networks for far too long. Her talents needed to be used elsewhere! ESPN saw that, so the network hired her on in 1993.
Oliver spent two years there before she hopped ship to Fox Sports, where she's been since. During 2014, she was the NFL's top sideline reporter, so she has plenty of on-the-field experience, which is precisely why she's such a great analyst now. This broadcaster prefers to report from the sidelines, and that earns her a whopping $1 million per year.
Rachel Nichols is now known for her two things: her fun and charismatic nature and her straight-to-the-point line of questioning. She’s worked in many different aspects of the sports analyst world—including sideline reporter and show host—but some of her most memorable moments have come from her integration of NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, during the Ray Rice domestic abuse embarrassment.
With this kind of hard-hitting reporting style combined with her charismatic charm, it’s no wonder she pulls in an estimated $1.5 million a year! She has worked in the industry since the '90s but has worked specifically as a sports analyst for ESPN for over 15 years, since 2004.
Lindsay Czarniak is massively famous in the sports analyst and sports media field. She was a top ESPN star when she left for Fox Sports 1 – who could blame her?! For a decade she spent time on SportsCenter as an anchor, but now she can host NASCAR coverage at Fox Sports 1.
Since leaving, she became one of the highest-profile NASCAR reporters in the industry. She's served as a pit reporter and studio host for TNT's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Czarniak has also spent time as a host and sports desk reporter for the Olympics, most notably during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She makes an estimated $1.5 million per year.
Hannah Storm has been a pioneer for women in the sports world. Her sportscasting career started over the airwaves in Houston, TX by giving her analysis during rush hour for all to hear. This translated to her doing TV interviews during and after Houston Rockets and Astro games. She quickly used that to spring into a position on CNN Sports Tonight, where she covered multiple sports, including the Olympics.
After that, she became the first woman to host a sports show by herself with her coverage of the MLB on NBC. She then went to ESPN and became a long-time on-air partner of Stuart Scott. She made history again in 2018 when she and Andrea Kremer became the first Thursday Night Football game to be called by only women. This has earned her the right to get a $1.5 million in our opinion.
Rece Davis is best known for his spot-on commentary on ESPN’s College GameDay show, but unlike his specialized counterparts, Davis has a very diversified commentating background. He’s worked on many other ESPN shows, including being an anchor on SportsCenter, and providing commentary during the FIFA World Cup broadcasts. That's a well-versed sports analyst!
This type of range has gained him an estimated $1.5 million salary. Diversifying your abilities is a great way to keep a job because there are very few with the unique combinations of skills that you have, and Davis is a testament to that as a sports tv analyst.
Kirk Herbstreit began his career in sports back at his high school in Ohio where he was awarded the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year during his senior year of high school. He later went on to have a great college football career with Ohio State. In 2007 at the age of 38 he began his sports broadcasting career.
He has always been big into college football, as you can tell by his past with the game and impressive college career himself. So naturally he has focused his broadcasting career to college football. It is obviously a very lucrative career choice because he is reported to make $2 million a year from this position.
Jay Bilas was known first by Duke fans as part of the highest-scoring recruiting classes of all time—any Duke class of ’82 fans here? He then became an assistant coach in the ‘90s, but later transitioned to being one of ESPN’s college basketball experts. He also works as a commentator for the Duke Radio Network during the season.
He’s been nominated for multiple Emmys over the course of his casting career. Think he would trade one of those nominations for a win if it meant he had to give up his estimated $2 million salary? We don't think so. Anyway, he's definitely likely to eventually win an Emmy one of these days.
Bill Raftery is one of the best high school and college basketball athletes of all time. When he was in high school, he broke the record of the highest number of points scored in New Jersey, and it wasn’t broken until over 35 years later. He played really well in college too, but after college he decided to coach instead of play professionally.
He coached at the college level for many years, but later became a sports broadcaster for basketball after he quit coaching in 1981. He got his start covering college basketball for CBS, and since then has continued with CBS but has also worked with ESPN and Fox. His lifelong dedication to basketball has earned him the large salary of $2 million a year.
Dan Marino is definitely best known for his historic career in professional football, but he has also had a career as an analyst after he retired from playing America’s greatest sport. He got his start in football in high school and was actually drafted by the Kansas City Royals before he went to college, but he chose to go to college instead.
His college football career was unbeatable and after graduating decided to sign with the Miami Dolphins. Towards the end of his career as a player, he was offered contracts from other NFL teams, but ultimately decided to retire from the game in 2000 which allowed him to become a sports analyst in 2002. Because of his expertise, Marino earns a $2 million salary.
Anthony McFarland is commonly and lovingly referred to as “Booger,” which was a nickname given to him as a child that has stuck around since then. McFarland had an excellent college and professional career in playing football. In college he played for LSU, and in the NFL he played for several teams including the Buccaneers and the Colts.
He began his career as a sports analyst around 2010, and in 2014 was officially hired to comment on the SEC. He has worked with ESPN and most commonly gives his take on NFL games, which often involves commenting on his son who is now an NFL player himself. For this job, he makes a grand $2 million a year.
Erin Andrews has become insanely successful in sports media. Andrews started her career by being a freelance reporter, but ESPN hired her on in 2004. There, she served as a reporter for ESPN National Hockey Night, but she also covered the College World Series, Little League World Series, and Great Outdoor Games. In 2012, she moved onto Fox Sports.
There, she spent time being a sideline reporter and analyst for the network. What really put her in the public eye was when she began hosting Dancing with the Stars for ABC as well as being a sideline reporter for Fox NFL. From the Super Bowl to the World Series, there's nothing Andrews won't cover. She makes $2 million per year.
Grant Hill was a well-known NBA star before ever gracing the audience with his charm and deep insights into the game. Although some would argue that he never lived up to the hype he had coming into the NBA, no one can doubt that he’s had a great career as an NBA insider and analyst.
Hill has been both a commentator during the game as well as sitting in the studio giving his insights into the game. Although we are sure his $2 million-a-year salary isn’t what it used to be when he was playing in the NBA, we're guessing he’s still happy with it.
Daryl Johnston is a three-time Super Bowl champion and a legendary former NFL fullback with the famed Dallas Cowboys. Since back in 2013, he has been working as a color commentator alongside Kenny Albert, and he also appears as a regular guest on the program First Things First on FS1.
For many football fans, he will always be remembered as one of the sport's all-time great power blocking backs. In addition to his work in football, he is an active supporter of many non-profit organizations. Among them are the Special Olympics, the Children's Cancer Fund, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and Literacy Instruction For Texas.
Mike Tirico has made a name for himself and then some. He's most known for his 10-year run as an NFL play-by-play announcer on ESPN's Monday Night Football, but that isn't all he's done. He's covered plenty of other sports including the NFL, NHL, college football, basketball, golf, tennis, and even the World Cup soccer.
There isn't anything Tirico won't cover! He spent 25 years with ESPN until his contract expired, and then he hopped over to NBC. Since joining this new network, he's had the opportunity to become a primetime host of the Olympics on NBC and lead play-by-play for Notre Dame Football. It’s almost hard to believe he only makes $3 million per year.
Suzy Kolber was part of the original crew for ESPN2 during its first launch, back when it was still just an offshoot of ESPN and not really a thing. Since then, she has put herself and ESPN2 on the map! Once ESPN gained the right to Monday Night Football, Kolber was part of the broadcasting crew the first year.
She would eventually take over as the anchor of Monday Night Countdown after Stuart Scott stepped down because of his health. Even though her career is best-known for her time with ESPN, Kolber did work for Fox Sports for the majority of the '90s. Her current estimated salary with ESPN2 is $3 million.
Linda Cohn was brought on by ESPN in 1992 to be on SportsCenter. Unlike most of the other names on this list, Cohn has stuck by ESPN’s side from day one. With her 60th birthday just past, she has stuck with her ESPN employer through thick and thin. She began working for them when she was just 33 years old!
Although most of us today would say this type of loyalty doesn’t pay off in the salary game, ESPN has made sure to keep her happy with an estimated $3 million a year! With over 30 years of loyalty to one of the biggest names in sports and working in a high-profile position, she definitely deserves it.
Jalen Rose seems to have always found a way to succeed in life! He was part of the Fab Five, then became one of the Pacer’s top scorers right beside Hall of Famer Reggie Miller! Now that he has retired from the court, he’s started his career behind the camera.
Given, he’s been a great analyst for ESPN, but he has definitely found himself at odds with some of the other sports show hosts, including Mike Greenberg and Stephen A. Smith. Even though there is some conflict, Rose still has estimated to get a $3 million salary. Conflict can come with any job, though.
Although Curt Menefee has the least amount of football experience compared to the rest of the crew on Fox’s NFL Sunday, that hasn’t stopped him from standing out! Using his extensive background from working with so many other sports, including UFC, baseball, and soccer, he has set himself apart on the show so much that no one would hold his lack of on-field experience against him.
He also holds an honorary doctorate from Coe College, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, in Journalism. He is up there with the big names in sportscasting such as Terry Bradshaw, Jimmy Johnson, and Howie Long to name a few. All of this amounts to his estimated annual salary of $3 million.
Yet another iconic sports analyst made his career in the NFL long before making it into the studio. Michael Strahan was known for his hard-hitting on the field, but after he retired with the record for single season sacks, he began his dominance of TV! And boy did he dominate!
Replacing Regis Philbin on Regis and Kelly, he established himself as a fun, charismatic guy who could win over a crowd instantly with his famous smile. Now he pulls in an estimated $4 for his appearances on Fox NFL Sunday and hosting Strahan and Sara. He is one of the only people on this list who have also crossed over into entertainment pop culture.
Scott Van Pelt has been one of the most recognizable faces on SportsCenter since 2001. However, he got his start on the Golf Channel. Obviously, he expanded his level of knowledge to cover many other sports since joining ESPN, but he still covers the US Open and The Masters for the network.
His die-hard fans have been with him since his early days on the Golf Channel. This fan base has helped him score an estimated $4 million annually! They must be very loyal as well since he is best-known for his midnight show. If we ever have a job that makes us be wide awake at midnight, we would want that kind of salary as well!
Women in the industry look up to Andrew Kremer. Few are as accomplished as this Emmy-winning analyst, broadcaster, and journalist. Kremer isn't afraid to make sports history. She's covered more than 25 Super Bowls, covered championship matches in nearly every sport. That’s definitely something to brag about, but Kremer is pretty modest.
Recently, Kremer became a part of the first all-women (with Hannah Storm) booth to call any major men's team sport on Thursday Night Football. In 2018, the Pro Football Hall of Fame honored her with the Peter Rozelle Radio-Television Award. She makes $4 million per year and is one of the highest-paid women in the industry.
Howie Long spent 13 years with the Raiders franchise and was nominated to the Pro Bowl eight times! He was known for his intensity on the defensive side of the ball and won Defensive Player of the Year once. However, a professional NFL player can only put their body through so much physical intensity.
Long decided to take this intense focus and apply it to his work behind the camera. This kind of intensity must be working for Long because it’s estimated that he brings home $4 million a year. His sons have since followed in his NFL footsteps, and both his sons Chris and Kyle Long have had careers in the NFL.
Samantha Ponder worked her way to the top! She started as a sideline report for Thursday Night College Football, then took over College Gameday for Erin Andrews, and now she’s one of the highest-paid female sports analysts. She has been very active in the world of ESPN reporting since 2006. Football appears to consume a lot of her life as she is also married to a former NFL quarterback.
You can now catch Ponder on Sunday’s NFL Countdown with a smile on her face as she rakes in an estimated $4.9 million a year. She brings home the big bucks, and it's likely that she's the breadwinner in her family of three children, two girls and a boy, with Christian Ponder.
Michelle Beadle has had a fun sports career, covering everything from the big 3 (baseball, basketball, and football), to her humble beginnings of reporting on the PBR (Professional Bull Riding). After working as a freelance reporter for multiple networks, she finally landed a big-time deal with ESPN and was asked to be the co-host of SportsNation on ESPN2.
She also co-hosted the morning sports show Get Up! and was the former host of ABC's Winners Bracket. She has even covered college sports in addition to professional leagues. Beadle’s reported salary was $5 million in her last contract renewal. This is quite impressive given that her native language is Italian and didn't speak English until she moved to the United States as a child.
Chris Berman is one of the few on this list who has spent the majority of his career as a play-by-play commentator. His legacy can with ESPN can be traced back to the ‘70s, making him one of the longest on-air sports analysts. He has worked on several well-known programs throughout his career.
These programs include: SportsCenter, Sunday NFL Countdown, Monday Night Countdown, U.S. Open golf, the Stanley Cup Finals, and so much more. Berman, also known as "Boomer," is best-known for his catch phrases, such as “Whooop!” and is estimated to bring home nearly $5 million a year! It is a well-deserved paycheck.
Daniel Patrick, aka Dan, has been an anchor in analyst in sports media for decades. At first, he started working for ESPN and spent 18 years there, where he anchored the weeknight and Sunday edition of SportsCenter. His departure from the network was huge at the time, with tons of headlines trying to speculate while he was leaving.
It was so bad that a contemporary (and Patrick’s good friend) said he was making one of the biggest career mistakes in entertainment history. Turns out, he's done pretty good for himself since. He became a host for Sports Illustrated and then went with NBC Sports as the co-host of Football Night in America. Guess things worked out, huh? Dan Patrick makes $5 million per year.
Mike Golic is best known for his work across the radio waves in the Mike & Mike show on ESPN Radio. The show was so popular that ESPN decided to give them a TV show as well! However, after years of working together, Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic decided to try other partners.
Most of the fans were torn, but apparently everyone decided it was ok to still be friends with both Mikes! Now his new show, Golic & Wingo, helps bring him in an estimated $5 million a year. Even though co-hosting with someone without the first name Mike isn't as catchy, it's still a great program.
Jim Nantz has spent nearly five decades working as a broadcaster and analyst, so he's definitely a talented guy. He's worked telecasts of the NFL, NCAA Division I men's basketball, the NBA, and even the PGA tour. Since 2004, he's the lead play-by-play announcer on CBS's NFL coverage. This North Carolina-born guy has really traveled.
He grew up in Louisiana and New Jersey but began his career in Texas when he was a sportscaster for KHOU. He then spent a weekend as an analyst on KSL-TV in Salt Lake, and that's when his career took off. He joined CBS in 1985, and the rest was history! Nantz is a two-time Sports Emmy Award winner and a five-time NSMA National Sportscaster of the Year. Naturally, he makes bank with $5 million per year.
Michael Wilbon started his career at The Washington Post, where he would get into fun-loving debates about sports with his co-workers. He and Tony Kornheiser would take these types of antics and apply them to their show, Pardon the Interruption, one of ESPN’s longest-running programs! It's a really great show.
Having signed recently to a multi-year extension to his contract, Wilbon is looking at bringing in $6 million annually. Not bad for water cooler convo! This just goes to show that some of our best ideas happen when we least expect it, like while taking a shower or having a conversation with friends.
Skip Bayless has had a checkered career. Skip doesn’t pull any punches and says exactly what he thinks—even if he did cause an on-air spat! He has been on the programs First Take with ESPN2 and Skip and Shannon: Undisputed on Fox Sports 1. Both have garnered him a lot of popularity.
His type of personality that people love to watch, with his very blunt, hard-truth, hold-nothing-back sense of direction, and his new show with co-host Shannon Sharpe on Fox Sports 1 is reported to give him an estimated $6 million a year! We wish we could get paid that much for talking smack and telling the honest truth!
Tony Kornheiser is possibly one of, if not the, oldest sportscaster currently working! At 71, Tony has worked as a columnist, radio show host, and TV host. He began his career in 1970 and has been going for over 50 years! Not to mention that he has worked on some very notable programs over the years.
One of ESPN’s longtime executives was once quoted as saying, “in the history of sports media, [Kornheiser] is the most multitalented person ever.” I guess that is why it’s reported that Kornheiser’s last re-up cost ESPN $6 million a year! It really does pay to be as talented as Kornheiser!
Colin Cowherd was one of the original hosts of SportsNation. He has experience working both behind a camera and over the airwaves. Unfortunately, Cowherd was suspended in 2015 by ESPN for remarks he made about baseball players from the Dominican Republic. It is not cool to say things like that.
However, Fox Sports 1 used this opportunity to snatch up Cowherd and his show, The Herd. It’s now one of the most tuned-into shows on the network! It’s reported that in his resigning in 2018 he negotiated a $6 million a year deal for himself! That's a lot of power.
Joe Buck has been with FOX since 1994 and scored his own show, Joe Buck Live, on HBO in 2009. As one of the biggest sports analysts in the game, it's no surprise he has one of the biggest salaries at $6 million. When you work as hard as he does, it comes with the territory.
Before making it big at Fox, Buck worked at KNOX, KMOV, and ESPN radio. Buck has broadcasted for every major network and became the youngest broadcaster (at age 25) to announce an NFL game. Now at only 52 years old, he has had a professional career as a sports tv analyst for almost 30 years!
Al Michaels is easily one of the most recognizable people in the industry. He's had a long and successful career in sports broadcasting. Michaels is best known for the two decades he spent on Monday Night Football and his countless years calling play-by-plays for NFL games. He's also spent more than a decade with NBC's Sunday Night Football.
That being said, Michaels has also spent some time analyzing other sports, including the Miracle on Ice at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Michaels's call at this event is one of the best play-by-play calls in history. Currently, Michaels works with NBC Sports, which we fully expect him to stay for a while. Michaels makes $6 million per year.
The other Mike from Mike and Mike, Mike Greenberg, is doing just as good as his old pal Mike Golic—maybe even a little better! Greenberg’s new show, Get Up!, seems to be doing very well since its inception in 2018. The ratings might be better than Mike Golic's show, but we won't dig too deep into that.
Greenberg, unlike Golic, had been doing TV for longer than he’s done radio and worked with ESNews during the early days. Taking all of this into consideration, it makes sense that he brings $6.5 million annually, right? Even though they were once peers, it definitely makes sense that the Mike with more experience brings home the most cash.
If you look at a picture of John Clayton, you will know with almost 100% certainty that he did not play football before he became a sports analyst. However, he did grow up with a love of the sport and began writing about sports when he was just in high school and had an obsession with Pittsburgh.
From 1995 to 2017, Clayton worked for ESPN and had a very successful run as a reporter, although he was let go in 2017 due to tension on one of his shows. He has since worked on several radio programs and has received several awards for his roles. During his employment with ESPN, he was earning about $6.5 million a year.
Jon Gruden is best known for his coaching, but he has also had a good career in sports analyst commentating and broadcasting. He grew up surrounded by football since his father and nearly all of his brothers all have careers involving football as well, whether they are coaching or playing.
Gruden got his start as an assistant coaching while he was only in high school and has gone on to coach at all levels, up to the NFL. From 2009 to 2018, he was one of the highest paid ESPN personalities under a contract signed in 2014 that had the option to continue to 2021, but he instead decided to return to coaching in 2018. His salary is an estimated $6.5 million.
Bill Simmons was inspired to be a sports analyst, writer, and broadcaster from a very young age since he read a book on sports writing as a young child. He then went on to work for the school newspaper at his college where he wrote and edited the column on sports.
After he graduated from grad school, he landed a dream job working for ESPN. Not only has he been able to work with ESPN throughout his career, but he has also had awesome opportunities to work with Jimmy Kimmel and HBO on different programs. His specialty in sports writing and program writing in general has earned him a salary of $7 million a year.
We couldn't leave out Bob Costas. This award-winner sportscaster is a staple of sports in the United States and around the world! The guy is legend. Costas spent decades with NBC Sports, where he won many Emmys and countless other awards. He’s hosted pretty much every sport in history including golf, MLB, boxing, NASCAR, NBA, football, and NHL games.
When he worked for NBC, he was the prime-time host of 11 Olympic Games. Currently, he works for the MLB network doing play-by-plays and hosting Studio 42 with Bob Costas. Of everyone on the list, Costas makes one of the highest salaries at $7 million per year! That’s certainly nothing to sneeze at.
It isn't odd for former football players to become sports broadcasters and analysts. If you think about it, few people will be more experienced than those who tackled on the field. Troy Aikman was once a quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys, where he became one of the longest-tenured quarterbacks on the team.
He received six Pro Bowl selections and won three Super Bowl titles. As he grew older, he decided to retire and move to being a sportscaster. After retiring in 2000, he went with Fox to do some broadcasting. It apparently was a great plan since he was nominated for an Emmy in 2004. Aikman makes around $7.5 million per year as an analyst, broadcaster, and host.
Stephen A. Smith’s personality is one of the largest of this entire group. There are some who love this guy and others who can’t stand the sound of his voice. The polarization is exactly what he needed to shoot him to the top of this list though! Good or bad, attention is attention.
Smith isn’t afraid to take on the challenge of being the other side of the argument; if anything, he revels in it! Smith’s personality has helped him rise above the vast majority of all the other sports casters with an estimated $10 million salary! It is very well-deserved, Mr. Smith.
Tony Romo has proven his worth off the field as well as on. He switched from the field to sports broadcasting after a successful career with the Dallas Cowboys, and he has worked out a really great deal with CBS in 2020 for a whopping salary of $17 million per season.
Not only is he making $17 million from that contract alone; according to the New York Post, Romo's deal with CBS will rake in about $180 million for the sports superstar over the next 10 years. If he plays his cards right, he's not far off from becoming a billionaire.
During the ‘90s there was no controversial sports commentator like Jim Rome. His voice is one of the most recognizable among all sportscasters on TV or radio of all time. His dry wit and unapologetic opinions have shot him—and his show—to the top of the mountain top and beyond.
Fans know that on a Rome show anything goes, and that is something that makes him so exciting not just to watch, but to listen to as well. That’s why it’s estimated that Mr. Rome brings home $30 million a year! It really does pay to say the things that grab peoples' attentions.
This next one isn’t really a single person, but more of a group or boy band. The boys of Inside the NBA Crew on TNT have not had their annual salaries revealed, but the crew is made up of former players Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley. If these guys are the mouth, heart, and stomach of the group, then the brains behind the operations must be Ernie Johnson.
Taking into consideration all the commercials that these guys do during the NCAA tournament, I’d guess they were somewhere closer to the top-earning half of this list! These guys are the faces of NBA, even in retirement, and it's no wonder why they bring home the really really big bucks!
