Colin Cowherd may have exited ESPN in ugly fashion, but as the sports show host prepares for his move to Fox Sports 1, it looks like he may have come away from the scandal unscathed.
According to The Hollywood Reporter Cowherd is still one of the most powerful voices in sports, placing the 53-year-old in sixth place ahead of Charles Barkley, Bob Costas, Jay Bilas, and Michele Beadle. This news of course is coming on the heels of Colin’s perceived racist comments made just before ESPN showed him the door last month.
But as THR admits, the firing was merely a way for the World Wide Leader In Sports to save face after failing to lock Cowherd up to a long-term deal.
“In truth, ESPN did not have much to lose by jettisoning Cowherd, who already had told the network he was leaving. Despite an aggressive offer to keep him at the cable sports leader, Cowherd will defect to Fox Sports, where he’s expected to host a daily show on Fox Sports 1. His radio show will move from ESPN Radio to Premiere, and it will be simulcast on FS1.”
The bottom line, as the article readily states, is that Colin’s radio show averaged a whopping 2.5 million listeners, a fact made even more impressive in that his slot was not considered prime radio time.
As reported by Inquisitr , Colin Cowherd was yanked off the air after comparing baseball to football and questioning the intelligence of Dominican players to support his argument.
“Like it’s impossible? The game is too complex?” Cowherd pondered in his second-to-last broadcast on ESPN. “Like I’ve never bought into that baseball is too complex. Really? A third of the sport is from the Dominican Republic.”
And while Cowherd was blasted by everyone from sports personalities and players to Major League Baseball itself, not everyone thought what Colin had to say was intentionally racist. Colin’s former colleague at ESPN, Dan Lebetard — a hispanic broadcaster and on-air personality — took to the air to defend Cowherd, as reported by The Big Lead .
“I’m hispanic … I think we know what he was trying to say. But we are in a climate where it doesn’t matter you were trying to say, and if we don’t like you, and if have a past near the 3rd rail, we will hold your body of work against you. I was not offended by this.”
[Colin Cowherd image via The Hollywood Reporter ]
