ESPN is reportedly bringing back a show that enjoyed significant success over a nearly three-decade run.
According to John Ourand of Puck, ESPN has plans in place to revive “The Sports Reporters,” which was a show that aired Sunday mornings on ESPN from 1988-2017. The original iteration of “The Sports Reporters” was mostly a way for print journalists to gain recognition through television and helped launch TV careers for well-known writers like Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon.
It is unclear if the revised version of “The Sports Reporters” will follow the same format, but Ourand says ESPN’s plan is to have an episode ready to air in the next few weeks. The show would be on YouTube and hosted by Jeremy Schaap, whose father Dick hosted the program from 1988-2001. Prominent NFL play-by-play announcers like Joe Buck and Al Michaels might also be involved in some capacity.
“There’s a lot that’s still in the air with this—nothing has been confirmed. The show won’t have a regular daily or weekly time slot, I’m told,” Ourand wrote. “But it will be produced under The Sports Reporters banner for ESPN’s YouTube channel, with various segments made available via linear, digital, and social. Any plan that involves such a popular brand is certain to garner some positive press.”
There will certainly be some differences if “The Sports Reporters” does return, especially if it is only available to stream on YouTube and includes high-profile announcers. Still, just mention of the name is enough to trigger some serious nostalgia for sports fans.
H/T Awful Announcing
