When espn2 launched in 1993 as an edgier alternative to the ESPN mothership (with lowercase letters and the whole nine yards), it debuted with SportsCenter anchor Keith Olbermann wearing a leather jacket. Why? Because espn2 was going to be edgy and this was the 90’s.
It’s hard to believe now, but espn2 was once supposed to look, sound, and feel markedly different as “the deuce.” Of course, Olbermann and his leather jacket weren’t long for espn2’s SportsNight (which he co-anchored with Suzy Kolber) as he eventually returned to doing SportsCenter.
But we all remember the leather jacket. Olbermann even brought it back when he returned to ESPN airwaves a few years ago (pictured above). But now, KO is parting ways with the famous (or infamous) jacket for a very worthy cause. He’s auctioning it off to raise money for the From the Heart rescue shelter.
So. I'm auctioning the jacket. Yes, THAT jacket. For @FromTheHeartDog #TheEndOfOurJacketshttps://t.co/bXqvMQhFTm https://t.co/uxrEbgD9On
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) April 5, 2016
Here’s the auction house’s description of the jacket:
Though it is far from the most expensive, this lot is in many ways one of the most important in the entire REA auction. It is not only a fascinating modern relic of pop culture with ideal provenance, but is being offered to raise money and awareness for a worthy cause. ESPN2, which is the offspring of parent network ESPN, was initially developed to appeal to a younger demographic. To target that audience, the network embraced a more informal broadcast style and featured alternative programing, including extreme sporting events and poker. The new channel debuted on October 1, 1993, at 7:30 pm Eastern time, with the premier episode of SportsNight, hosted by Keith Olbermann, Suzy Kolber, and Mitch Albom. SportsNight was the network’s equivalent of ESPN’s Sportscenter,but with an edgier and more irreverent tone. Offered here is the famous (or perhaps infamous) brown-leather bomber jacket worn by Keith Olbermann during the debut episode of SportsNight (as well as worn during many additional episodes). While executives thought the SportsNightanchors should be dressed not in suit-and-tie but in more “hip” fashions, that was not why Olbermann wore the jacket. “Due to an undetected automatic Air Conditioning/automatic Light Grid snafu, the studio was so cold that I had been wearing it in rehearsals. The afternoon of the premiere the executive producer saw me in the leather jacket and said ‘You should wear that on the air.’ I immediately told him that was the greatest idea I had ever heard.” The jacket was also worn during the debut of the 2013 show that marked Olbermann’s return to ESPN and ESPN2.
Right now there’s only one $200 bid for Olbermann’s jacket, but the bidding is open for three more weeks. This is your chance to own one of the most interesting pieces of memorabilia there is in sports media and help out a very worthy cause.
