ESPN’s flagship program Sportscenter has went through numerous anchors in the past decade
and a half. Personalities such as Dan Patrick, Keith Olbermman, Charley
Steiner, and, Rich Eisen are long gone from “The Mother ship.” All four of
these anchors were a mainstay in the ESPN universe and, since they left, ESPN
has been lacking in the creativity and overall entertainment. Gone are the
quips “He pulled a groin. His own we hope!” and “He is listed as day to day,
but, then again, aren’t we all?” These catchphrases are what made Sportscenter great. So the question must
be asked, what happened to these four premiere broadcasters? Where did they go?
Who do they work for now? Let’s shed some light on the subject.
ESPN was
created in 1979 as an all sports network that mainly catered to the male
population. Along with the creation of ESPN, came the flagship program Sportscenter. Espn suffered through a
string of tough years in its beginning, along with Sportscenter. In 1988, the
format of Sportscenter was changed to
a newspaper style television program. No matter what sport was most popular,
Sportscenter would cover the most important stories first. Also in 1988, Dan
Patrick and Keith Olbermman were introduced as the newest Sportscenter anchors; also Charley Steiner provided his services to Sportscenter starting in 1988. Rich
Eisen came later in the game in 1996.
Dan
Patrick was arguably the most popular Sportscenter
anchor of all-time and, certainly, the most recognized by the public. He was
known for his catch phrases, “En fuego” and, “Alongside my tag team partner Keith
Olbermann, and I am merely Dan Patrick.” Dan Patrick brought his own style to
Sportscenter. In 2007, Patrick decided it was time to step away from ESPN,
where he was enjoying success on Sportscenter
and, his own radio program. Asked about the reason for departure, Patrick
stated, “I am leaving ESPN to go
out on my own and be a free agent... I think I was starting to take ESPN for
granted”. Patrick was given the chance
to be the new host of The Price is Right,
he turned the opportunity down and, Drew Carrey was given the job. Patrick
began a new version of The Dan Patrick Show that aired on XM and Sirius radio.
Dan Patrick has also since been spotted in numerous movies, to include: “That’s
My Boy”, “Blue Mountain State” and, “Grown Ups.” Compared to all
ex-Sportscenter anchors, Dan Patrick has been the most successful.  |
| An advertisement for COUNTDOWN with Keith Olbermann. |
Keith Olbermman came to
Sportscenter in 1988, along with Dan
Patrick. Patrick’s most popular catch phrases included: “He beats him like a
rented goalie!” and, “I can read his lips, and he is not praying.” Olbermman
held his spot on Sportscenter until 1997;
Olbermann was suspended for two weeks after he made an unauthorized appearance
on the Daily Show on Comedy
Central with then-host and former ESPN colleague Craig Kilborn. At one point in the show, he referred to
Bristol, Connecticut (ESPN's
headquarters), as a "'Godforsaken place." Later that year,
Olbermann abruptly left ESPN under a cloud of controversy, apparently burning
his bridges with the network's management; this
began a long and drawn-out feud between Olbermann and ESPN. The feud ended with
Olbermman leaving ESPN to become an anchor with MSNBC. Olbermman hosted his own
prime time talk show, The Big Show with Keith Olbermann for MSNBC.
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| Rich Eisen, running the 40 meter at the NFL combine |
Rich Eisen joined the Sportscenter circus in 1996. He and Stuart Scott created a new duo. Eisen became well known for his humor, most notably
his impressions of Atlanta
Braves broadcaster Skip
Caray and provided interviews during the Home Run Derby. His most
popular catch phrases include: “He busts out the whuppin'/walkin' stick!” and,
“Get oudda here! Fugeddaboudit! and other NYC phrases.” Eisen was a frequent
guest on The Dan Patrick Show and,
Eisen also hosted Major League Baseball.
In 2003, ESPN decided
not to pursue the renewal of his contract. ESPN stated, “Rich is a talented
sportscaster, but he no longer wanted to focus on Sportscenter, our signature franchise, and the area we felt he
brought the greatest value."
Eisen reportedly sought to branch out from his
anchor role, but the network wanted to keep the anchors like Dan Patrick,
Stuart Scott, and Linda Cohn committed
to just one show. Eisen now works for
the NFL Network. He is the main anchor of the network, covering events such as
the NFL Draft and, NFL Game day.
 |
| Charlie Steiner |
Finally, Charley Steiner came to ESPN in 1988, primarily as an anchor on Sportscenter. In addition to
those duties, he served as the network's lead boxing analyst. Steiner was involved in many comical situations
during his tenure on Sportscenter,
including one broadcast when Carl
Lewis "sang" The Star-Spangled Banner prior to a New Jersey Nets game. Amused by hearing Lewis' terrible rendition of the
song, Steiner simply could not contain himself and began laughing during the Sportscenter show that night, unable to stop until
the show ended. Steiner was also heavily involved in an ad campaign by ESPN
entitled “This is Sportscenter”. His most popular commercial was the “Y2K”
commercial. Charley Steiner says he left ESPN on very “amicable
terms” in 2002, after 14 years as a “Sportscenter” anchor to start a new career
as a baseball play-by-play man. Steiner now is retired after announcing for the
New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.
These four men are part of the
reason Sportscenter is a huge
mainstream success. It is arguable, that ESPN would not be the mainstay it is
today without these four broadcasters. Each man left his own mark on the
world’s largest sports network. Whether it is the catch phrases or the
creativity provided in the commercials, they will be sorely missed.
