After a quarter-century at ESPN, longtime anchor John Anderson says he’s retiring from his usual role on “SportsCenter.”
Anderson made the announcement on his podcast, “The Inside Wisconsin Show,” that he’ll be stepping away from his usual role as late-night “SportsCenter” anchor when his contract expires at the ned of June.
“I have decided that will be the end. I’m going to leave the company. I’m gonna sort of retire from ‘SportsCenter,’” Anderson said.
While he’ll be leaving his most prominent role, Anderson said that he’ll still be working in some capacity, particularly in covering track and field events.
But when it comes to “SportsCenter,” Anderson said that he doesn’t know if he still has it in him to make the best shows possible.
“I feel like it’s been a good run,” Anderson said. “The operation has changed – I don’t know that it has passed me by – but it’s taken its toll, and I want to still be able to do the best shows I can, and I don’t know that in years 26 or 27 that I have the stamina to go through it again.”
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After the news of his impending retirement went public, Anderson received an outpouring of praise and well-wishes from colleagues at ESPN
“The best SportsCenter writer in the history of the show,” fellow ESPN anchor Kevin Neghandi wrote. “John’s quick wit and delivery always made you better when you worked w him. And the inside jokes…. We anchored a Super Bowl night where I missed the opening two shot and he talked me off the ledge w laughter. Gonna miss JA.”
“I’m sad. There’s never been a better Sportscenter writer than John Anderson,” John Buccigross wrote. “Midwest to the core. Funny, witty, clever. We had a great run last decade on 11pm. We pushed each other. And, oh, the inside jokes. Glad he got to go out on his terms. Working till midnight-2am is not fun. I won’t be too far behind! Glad he’s still sticking around with the family with his beloved Track and Field.”
Anderson has worked at ESPN since 1999, starting out on ESPNEWS before becoming a “SportsCenter” mainstay.
