Sports announcers and analysts are an important part of athletic entertainment; from explaining the game as it’s played to breaking down the statistics before and after, many people love listening to sportscasters almost as much as they like watching the games.
Some sportscasters are so beloved that they’re just as famous as the players, and they make almost as much too! Here is a list of some of your favorite sports announcers and what they make to do what they do.
Chris Berman: $5 Million/Year – ESPN
Chris “Boomer” Berman is one of the most esteemed sports announcers in the business. He’s been on ESPN’s SportsCenter since 1979 and was the host of the Sunday NFL Countdown for more than 40 years.
Some argue that Berman is why ESPN became so popular at the turn of the 21st century, so it makes sense that he’s paid a whopping $5 million per year for his work.
Charles Barkley: $1.5 Million/Year – Turner Sports
Charles Barkley is one of the most recognized faces on television. The former NBA star and Olympic gold medalist became a sportscaster in 2000 after retiring from the game and has since become almost as famous for his commentary as he was for playing basketball.
Though he’s worked for a variety of networks, Barkley just signed on with Turner Sports with a $1.5 million a year contract.
Dan Patrick: $5.5 Million/Year – NBC
Since 1979, Dan Patrick has been a favorite announcer on ESPN, including on his own program, The Dan Patrick Show.
However, he recently joined the team at NBC as a host for Football Night in America for an incredible $5.5 million a year.
Lisa Guerrero: $7 Million – Inside Edition
Lisa Guerrero has worked as a sportscaster as well as an investigative journalist, hosting shows like Sports Geniuses, Monday Night Football, and Fox Extra Innings.
But her current contract is with Inside Edition, for which she’s making an incredible $7 million.
John Madden: $8 Million/Year – CBS, Fox, ABC, & NBC
John Madden is arguably the most famous sports announcer and broadcaster of all time. He has worked for all of the major networks and even fronted the Madden NFL video games series.
Although he’s all but retired now, John Madden, at one point, was making $8 million a year for his impressive commentary on American football.
Bill Simmons: $24 Million – HBO
Bill Simmons worked for years as a sportscaster for ESPN before getting a job as a comedy writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live!
And most recently, he got his own show on HBO called Any Given Wednesday, for which he’s making a whopping $24 million.
Michael Strahan: $17 Million – ABC, Good Morning America
As a former Super Bowl winner, Michael Strahan was certainly one of the best defensive players on the field in the early 2000s.
And he’s still doing incredibly well for himself as he recently signed on to provide sports coverage on ABC’s Good Morning America for an amazing $17 million.
Bob Costas: $7 million/Year – MLB
As one of the most famous sportscasters in the country, Bob Costas worked for NBC for almost forty years, won many Emmy Awards, and even hosted the Olympic Games eleven times.
Though he has since retired, at one point, Costas was making $7 million a year for his broadcasting skills.
Jim Rome: $30 Million/Year – CBS
Jim Rome worked for years as a sportscaster for CBS, Fox Sports, and ESPN, and today, he has a wildly popular program called The Jim Rome Show.
Many argue that he is one of the most influencial radio personalities of all time, so it’s no wonder that he makes an incredible $30 million a year for what he does.
