David Roberts, one of the more well-known executives at ESPN, is reportedly headed toward retirement, setting off a chain reaction in Bristol that could have wide-ranging implications for the company going forward.
According to a report from The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, Roberts is set to announce his retirement “soon,” and rising production head Mike Foss is expected to take over “an even larger portfolio.”
Roberts currently serves as ESPN’s executive vice president and executive editor of sports news and entertainment, a role that sees him manage the company’s entire news operation as well as all of its studio shows, digital shows, radio, and podcasts. During his career, Roberts played a large role in crafting ESPN’s coverage of the NBA and WNBA, and was known for being an advocate for Stephen A. Smith.
Last year, ESPN hired Roxanna Scott as its Editor-In-Chief, giving the USA Today veteran oversight over its growing newsroom and investigative desk.
While Foss is perhaps best known for being the Worldwide Leader’s key liaison to Pat McAfee, he worked closely with Roberts across all ESPN studio programming. Foss, the founder of the For the Win blog at USA Today and a key figure in building out Fox Sports’ digital content, came up at ESPN on the digital side. Among his first big projects, per his ESPN bio, was the launch of ESPN’s YouTube channel.
ESPN launched its Unlimited service last year, the first time its entire live game and content offering was available through an online subscription.
As ESPN’s studio programming increasingly blurs the lines between television and digital, with McAfee’s as the best example airing across X, TikTok and YouTube in addition to ESPN, Foss figures to be a key part of the company’s evolution.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.