Since rumors of his departure from NBC Sports began to swirl nearly two years ago, Bob Costas has kept a relatively low profile. He’s been a regular voice on MLB Network (particularly during Hall of Fame season and the MLB Postseason) and has been a frequent target on IFC’s Brockmire, but the 2018 Ford C. Frick award winner hasn’t been an ever-present face on TV like he was during his long tenure at NBC.
It appears that’s about to change. On Monday, CNN announced that they had hired Costas as a contributor. At the network, Costas “will provide commentary and his perspective on a wide range of sports-related issues.”
Here are a couple of quotes from Costas and CNN President Jeff Zucker.
“Bob Costas is a legendary, respected voice across the spectrum of sports and beyond,” said CNN President and WarnerMedia News and Sports Chairman Jeff Zucker. “As the world continues to change amid the coronavirus pandemic, we are confident that Bob’s insightful analysis will help our viewers better understand what the future holds as the sports and teams we love evolve to meet this moment.”
“I’m very pleased to join CNN’s roster of journalists and commentators. CNN’s willingness to devote time and attention to sports related topics, makes it a good fit for me.” said Costas.
Costas and Zucker worked under the NBC umbrella at the same time, though Zucker didn’t directly run the sports division.
I don’t have much of a take on this, but at least viewers will have to tune into a non-sports network to see the collision of Costas’ sports and politics takes. It was never a good thing when you saw Costas trending during halftime of Sunday Night Football, because people were usually upset he didn’t stick to sports.
[CNN]