Keith Olbermann to return part time to SportsCenter hosting duties
By Mike Marteny
One half of the “Big Show” is returning to SportsCenter. Probably in limited capacity, but if you had told me in 1997 that Keith Olbermann would ever be back on SportsCenter, I would have had you committed.
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Olbermann’s return to behind the SportsCenter anchor desk was announced along with ESPN moving his late-night show Olbermann into a 5pm eastern time slot on ESPN2. This is a sign of Olbermann’s release from ESPN purgatory.
Keith Olbermann first joined SportsCenter in 1992, and was a frequent co-host with Dan Patrick all the way through 1997. These two became one of the most popular duos in SportsCenter history.
Behind the scenes though, ESPN and Olbermann were feuding. It initially started in early 1997 when Olbermann made an unsanctioned appearance on The Daily Show with Craig Kilborn on Comedy Central. During the interview portion of the show, Olbermann referred to Bristol, Connecticut as a “Godforsaken place.” Later in 1997, he left ESPN permanently after battling with management.
Fox Sports Net immediately picked up Olbermann as an anchor, and gave him his own evening news show. Olbermann went on to work playoff baseball for TBS and politics on MSNBC among other things.
The feud with ESPN kept growing during that time. Olbermann was even banned from ESPN’s main campus in Bristol for over a decade. He wasn’t even invited back for the 25th anniversary of SportsCenter, despite being one of the most popular anchors.
ESPN finally hired back the award winning Olbermann on July 17, 2013, giving him the Olbermann show. His show was nominated for an Emmy Award last year, so ESPN is moving it to a better time slot. The network also said that this will free up Olbermann to do some work on SportsCenter for the first time since his departure in 1997, though it is not clear on what capacity he will be on that show.
Still, for those of you nostalgic for the mid-90’s, you will get to see Keith Olbermann back in some familiar surroundings.