Latest in ESPN

Kenny Mayne, a longtime anchor and correspondent on ESPN who was also a wisecracking presence at the network’s annual upfront presentation, is exiting after a 27-year run. “I am leaving ESPN,” he tweeted, in a laconic style suited to his on-air demeanor. “Salary cap casualty.” Among the people he thanked in the tweet…

EXCLUSIVE: The Women's Dream Team, the 1996 USA Women's basketball team, dominated the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996 going undefeated to win the gold medal. The story of how they got there is now to be the subject of a feature doc for ESPN's 30 for 30 strand. The film will tell the story of the grueling…

Kevin Merida, ESPN senior vice president and editor-in-chief of the Undefeated, has been named the next executive editor of the Los Angeles Times. Merida had been seen as a leading candidate to lead the Times newsroom following a five-month search. He’ll succeed Norman Pearlstine, who stepped down in December. “I'm…

The initial drama of Day 1 of the 2021 NFL Draft may have been the fate of Aaron Rodgers and wondering who still listens to Kings of Leon, but the endgame was very sweet for Roger Goodell, Trey Lance, and the Walt Disney Company. Broadcast with full hoopla for an America that may be turning the corner on the coronaviru…

If you were ready for some football at Thursday’s National Football League draft, you had to wade through a lot to get it. Before the picks began, there was Heart’s Ann Wilson hoarsely screaming the National Anthem, then two songs from rockers Kings of Leon. There was a lot of discussion, speculation, and shots of…

Walt Disney Co. has named Paul Richardson as Senior Executive VP and Chief Human Resources Officer, effective July 1. Richardson currently leads Human Resources for ESPN and was Disney's first Chief Diversity Officer. He will succeed Jayne Parker, who previously announced she is leaving the company at the end of June…

UPDATED, 8:19 AM: As tipped Monday night, Turner Sports and the NHL have inked a seven-year deal for TV rights starting next season. Along with as many as 72 regular-season hockey games, it means the the Stanley Cup Final and Playoffs will be on TNT and TBS for the first time. The agreement starting in the 2021-22…

EXCLUSIVE: A documentary about American Gladiators, widely considered one of the first reality competition series, is set as ESPN's latest 30 for 30. Deadline understands that the untitled documentary, which explores the story of the show, which ran from 1989 to 1996 and was later rebooted by NBC in 2008, comes from Vi…

Adnan Virk, a Canadian sports broadcaster whose nine-year run at ESPN ended abruptly in 2019, is reuniting with ex-colleagues Dan Le Batard and John Skipper at Meadowlark Media. The emerging content company, which launched in January, will add Virk as a regular contributor starting in July. Le Batard was a popular…

Antics on social media appear to have claimed another victim. ESPN and its NBA analyst Paul Pierce have parted ways in the wake of his wild Instagram Live that included pot smoking and scantily clad exotic dancers. The Associated Press confirmed the split tonight. Neither side has confirmed the reason for Paul’s…

Serie A soccer telecasts are shifting from ESPN to ViacomCBS in the U.S., but prized home-country rights to the Italian league are the subject of a fierce battle between Sky and DAZN. CBS Sports and Lega Serie A confirmed details today of the exclusive rights in the U.S., which will move to Paramount+ and CBS linear…

In deals collectively worth more than $100 billion, the NFL has reached 11-year rights extensions with existing TV partners and also taken the league into uncharted digital waters. Fox, NBC, CBS and ESPN will remain homes for weekly games, but ABC is re-entering the mix and Amazon Prime Video will take over Thursday…