John Anderson, a longtime host of ESPN’s flagship show “SportsCenter,” has announced his retirement. In an announcement on his own show, “Inside Wisconsin,” Anderson revealed that he will be leaving “SportsCenter” when his contract expires in June. Despite this, he plans to continue working on various projects for ESPN.
Anderson cited changes in the operation of “SportsCenter” as one of the factors that led him to make this decision. He explained that while he wants to continue doing the best shows he can, he may not have the stamina for years 26 or 27 of the show. Anderson joined ESPN in 1999 after working for KPHO-TV in Phoenix, Arizona and has been a prominent figure on the network ever since.
In addition to his work on “SportsCenter,” Anderson has also hosted the ABC game show “Wipeout” from 2008 to 2014. He is known for his snappy and knowledgeable dialogue and is the third longtime host to leave “SportsCenter” in the past year, following Neil Everett and Sage Steele. Despite his retirement from the show, Anderson expressed excitement about continuing to cover track and field events and other sports-related projects for ESPN in the future.