Longtime ESPN anchor John Anderson says he's retiring from 'SportsCenter:' 'The operation has changed'
John Anderson's 2 1/2-decade run as "SportsCenter" host is coming to an end.
The ESPN fixture announced via his "Inside Wisconsin" show that he will retire from the network's flagship show when his contract runs out in June, though he indicated he would continue to do assorted projects from the network:
"My contract runs out at ESPN at the end of June and I have decided that will be the end. I'm gonna leave the company. I'm gonna sort of retire from 'SportsCenter.' I'm going to get to do a few track and field things. I'm going to get to continue to do the Boston Marathon and the New York Marathon, which I love. And some NCAA track meets and some SEC stuff. I am incredibly excited about that. It's been a good run."
Anderson alluded to changes in "SportsCenter" as a reason for his decision to move on:
"The operation has changed, I don't know that it's passed me by, but it's taken its toll and I wanna still be able to do the best shows i can. I don't know that in Years 26 or 27 that I have the stamina to go through it again."
ESPN hired Anderson from KPHO-TV in Phoenix, Arizona, in June 1999 and has used him in a highly prominent role ever since.
These days, he mostly works as the anchor for the 11 p.m. ET edition of the show, while also providing coverage for various track and field events, most notably the Boston Marathon and New York Marathon. He also worked as a host for the ABC game show "Wipeout" from 2008 to 2014.
Anderson, who fit the "SportsCenter" anchor archetype of snappy and knowledgeable dialogue to a T, is the third longtime host to sign off over the past year. Neil Everett exited last June, while Sage Steele left the network in August following the settlement of her lawsuit against ESPN.
