Phil Simms - ESPN, CBS, NBC - You Won’t Believe How Much These Sportscasters Get Paid Per Year: Part 3

Joe Buck - Fox Sports

Salary: $6 million per year

Joe Buck comes from a lineage of sportscasters, with his dad being the legendary Jack Buck, who was one of the best known MLB announcers back in the '50s. Joe's career started at the end of the '90s and bloomed from there as he became the youngest NFL announcer of all time at the early age of 25. Since then, Buck has announced over 40 World Series and All-Star games, making him the most active play-by-play announcer on TV.

Buck's career has been filled with a lot of controversies and drama, such as him being heavily criticized for allegedly having a bias towards specific teams, as-well-as developing a nasty vocal cord paralysis that hurt his ability to speak loudly due to a complicated hair transplant procedure. The sportscaster from Florida is married to ESPN reporter Michelle Beisner and has two beautiful twin boys.

Kevin Harlan - CBS, TNT

Salary: $400,000 per year

We all know Kevin Harlan as the full-time voice of Monday Night Football and for his Super Bowl commentary. Harlan is currently the play-by-play caller for CBS Sports of both NFL and NCAA Men's Basketball tournaments. With over 37 years of experience with broadcasting, this veteran play-by-play commentator is known by almost anyone who watches sports on CBS or TNT.

Harlan began his broadcasting career during high-school, calling play-by-play for their basketball, football, and ice-hockey games. He was quickly picked up by the NBA's Kansas City Kings at age 22 and has since joined various networks and it doesn’t look like he’s stopping! In 2017, Harlan was chosen by the NSMA as the National Sportscaster of the Year. Harlan is married with 4 kids. Olivia Harlan, his daughter, is married to popular NBA player Sam Dekker and also works for ESPN as a sideline reporter. Harlan is also the VP of the Made to Flourish charity, which empowers pastors.

Boomer Esiason - CBS

Salary: $1 million per year

Considered by many to be one of the most successful NFL players of all time, Norman Julius Esiason, also known as "Boomer" was a quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, the New York Jets, the Arizona Cardinals, and returned in his last year to the Cincinnati Bengals again. He was 4 times Pro Bowl champion in 1988's AFC Player of the Year. Boomer's quarterbacking career has been one of the most successful in history, and he had broken various records by the time he retired. Football Nation ranked Boomer as the 25th greatest quarterback of all time.

After retiring from his career with the NFL, Boomer went on to appear in various commercials and even a few TV shows and films. He also became a part-time color analyst for USA Network while playing, and then transitioned into full-time broadcasting for ABC's Monday Night Football. He claims to be a big fan of ice hockey and plays up to 70 hockey games every year. In 1993, his son Gunnar was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, and since then he has founded The Boomer Esiason Foundation in order to help fund research for a cystic fibrosis cure.

Tiffany Cherry - Sky News Australia

Salary: $500,000 per year

The beautiful and inspirational Australian sports broadcaster Tiffany Cherry is best known as the AFL's first female boundary ride on Fox Booty and the host of various Olympic Games including the 2010 winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. She is active on social media and her Instagram is a wonderful collection of family photos and inspirational sports events. Cherry made her television debut as a reporter in Seven Network's Talking Footy show.

She hosts the Sportswomen Australia weekly podcast and her aim is to inspire women and create an equal playing field in sports. Cherry also created and produced the first all-female sports radio show in Australia named "The Hen House".

Dick Vitale - ESPN

Salary: $16 million per year

Richard John Vitale, also known as Dick Vitale, is the popular and intense college basketball ESPN broadcaster who's known for his awesome catchphrases and passionate remarks. Before his career as sportscaster began, Vitale was known to basketball fans all across the nation as a fantastic head coach for both high-school, college and NBA teams. He was inducted in 2008 into the Basketball Hall of Fame and even had a basketball court named in his honor. Vitale is a strong supporter of the V Foundation, which is a charity that mostly focuses on funding cancer research.

The accomplished head-coach and broadcaster also has massive popular appeal and used his likeability to appear in everything from video-games, food commercials and various films and TV shows - mostly playing himself in a variety of self-aware roles. Vitale also released an autobiography in 2004 and has since written 9 books in total. He also claims to have received the Sports Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award and uses his famous "this is awesome, baby!" catchphrase in everything from book promotions to the headline of his website.

Ryan Ruocco - ESPN

Salary: $2 million per year

The ESPN, Yes Network and DAZN Emmy award-winning sportscaster, Ryan Ruocco is a relatively new figure in the sports arena. His career began in 2006 as lead play-by-play broadcaster for the YES Network and he has since managed to accrue 6 Emmy Award nominations and a Marty Glickman Award in 2018. As part of the younger generation of sportscasters, Ruocco has an active social media profile and often uses Twitter to publish commentary on NBA games. He is currently co-hosting the Uninterrupted's R2C2 podcast with Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia.

At just 32 years of age, the young sportscaster seems to have a long career ahead of him and is already considered a rising star by the various sports networks. In a recent interview, Ruocco described his career as a "dream come true" as things are definitely accelerating and getting better by the year for this young broadcaster.

Mike Fratello - NBA TV, TNT

Salary: $300,000 per year

Former NBA basketball coach Mike Fratello, also known as "The Czar", is currently known as a studio analyst for NBA TV and often appears in TNT as a commentator. He was awarded Coach of the Month and Coach of the Year on multiple occasions and has a head coaching record of 667-548 and a 54% winning percentage. This puts Fratello in the top 20 NBA all-time regular sessions wins list.

In his personal life, Fratello is involved with various charities including his "Friends of Fratello Foundation". He is also a member of the Orthopedic Council at the Cleveland Clinic. He claims to be a wine enthusiast and even has 2 wine labels named "Fratello di Sangue" and "Fratelli". Originally from New Jersey, Fratello is married to Susan Fratello and they have a son and daughter.

Chuck Harmon - MLB

Salary: $1 million per year

Chuck Harmon, who set the path as the first African-American Reds player, was playing baseball way before many of us were even born between 1954 and 1957. Harmon was born in 1924 in Washington, Indiana, as the 10th son out of 12 children. He was trained to be an athlete by Indiana Hall of Fame basketball player Franklin Wonder Five and went on to win 2 championships in 1941 and again in 1942. After retiring from the Navy, he began his professional career with the NBA and quickly moved up to play professional baseball.

The legendary player played a total of 289 games and was inducted into the University of Toledo Athletic Hall of Fame. Harmon was a loving husband and spent 62 out of 94 years of his life married to his wife, Daurel "Pearl" Harmon. The two had three children. Harmon passed away earlier this year due to old age, but the legacy of contributions to sports will always be remembered. He will always be looked towards as the man who paved the way for African Americans in the NBA.

Michael Kay - YES, ESPN Xtra

Salary: $3 million a year

As veteran sportscaster and host of the Michael Kay Show, Michael Kay has spent the last 2.5 decades covering play-by-play sports games and currently holds multiple Emmys for his outstanding coverage of various games. As a native New Yorker, the broadcaster began his reporting career in high-school and began his career in sports in 1982 by working for the New York Post as a general sports writer.

Kay has since become an announcer for the New York Yankees and remains their announcer to this day. In 2002, he began hosting his show, The Michael Kay Show on YES Network and Sirius XM Radio channel 202, in which he talks about a variety of topics related to current sports and popular culture.

Linda Cohn - ESPN

Salary: $3 million per year

ESPN SportsCenter anchor, Linda Cohn, is one of the 25 most influential women in sports. Her love for sports started at a very young age, as she was a big sports fan from the time she was little and would watch games on TV with her father. Cohn started playing hockey in high school and continued throughout her entire high school term.

Her first job as a sports anchor started as the WALK-AM radio station anchor in Patchogue, New York and continued working radio for 7 more years until she was hired by ABC, making her the network's first full-time U.S. female sportscaster on national radio. Cohn has worked with ESPN from 1992 and later became a SportsCenter anchor, a role that she still plays today. One of the most widely recognized moments in her career was anchoring her 5,000th SportsCenter episode, that’s more than any other episode in any ESPN anchor's history.

Brad Nessler - CBS

Salary: $1.5 million per year

You can catch Brad Nessler's commentating whenever you watch college football or a college basketball game on CBS Sports. The 63-year-old sportscaster from St. Charles, Minnesota, began his career broadcasting for radio stations on Georgia Tech basketball on WGST-AM from age 24 until he was 28. In 1990, Nessler started working for CBS Sports calling various games in NFL and college football and basketball.

The sportscaster also appears annually in the NCAA Football video-game series made by EA Sport. He left CGS Sports for a few years and commentated with ESPN and ABC Sports - before returning to CBS in 2016 as lead play-by-play announcer. In his Twitter account's signature, Nessler claims he's "New to Twitter, but not to the game." He also landed 2 small roles in film. One in 2018's drama "I Can Only Imagine" and another role in the 1985 comedy, "The Slugger's Wife". He played the role of an NFL announcer in the first and as a reporter in the latter.

Paul Maguire - HDNet

Salary: $300,000 per year

Former Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills linebacker Paul Leo Maguire is almost 80 years old and still kicking. At the time of his peak in the mid-’60s, Maguire went on to break many AFL records in punts and punt yards and has since changed careers and become the popular color commentator for ESPN and NBC. The retired AFL player has appeared in many Chick-fil-A commercials during the Super Bowl. He was originally scouted by an AFL representative and was offered an $8,000 salary which was a lot of money at the time.

Maguire was born way back in 1938 in Youngstown, Ohio and has been happily married to Beverly Bauer since 1962. His main career highlights include 3 AFL championships in 1963, 1964 and 1965. He has played a total of 151 games throughout his professional career. Maguire was inducted into the Youngstown Sports Hall of Fame and the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.

Bill Simmons -  HBO

Salary: $24 million per year

Arguably one of the most successful and accomplished American sportswriters and analysts in the world, Bill Simmons is a true favorite of the crowds. Simmons' distinguished career has included founding the sports and pop-culture website The Ringer, working with ESPN for 15 years, hosting his own podcast called "The B.S. Report" and being one of NBA Countdown's top analysts for 2 years. He was named the 12th most influential person in online sports by the Sports Business Journal in 2007, making him the highest-rated person on that list to not hold an executive position.

Simmons released his first New York Times best-selling book in 2007 titled "Now I Can Die in Peace", an anthology book with his best writings on sports throughout the years. He then went on to release another bestseller in 2008 called "The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to the Sports Guy" where he pondered various philosophical and historical questions regarding basketball. It's no secret that Bill Simmons is in love with the various Boston teams, not surprising since his educational and work-related journeys both began in Boston.

Clark Kellogg - CBS

Salary: $400,000 per year

The CBS college basketball analyst and our favorite NBA2K video-game announcer, Clark Kellogg, was named Mr. Ohio Basketball in 1979 and had a short but accomplished NBA career as power forward of the Indiana Pacers from 1982 until 1986. Unfortunately, Kellogg was forced to retire from basketball due to a chronic knee problem. He began broadcasting with ESPN in 1990 and joined CBS 3 years later.

Kellogg is undoubtedly one of the more insightful and loved college basketball analysts in the United States, mostly due to his kind and loving nature. He claims to have transformed into a devout Christian in the mid-’80s due to a crisis of purpose and often talks about the overwhelmingly positive impact that religion has had on him. He uses his Twitter account that has over 50,000 followers to provide both comments and opinions on basketball, as-well-as promote his love for Jesus. Kellogg was awarded the Coach Wooden "Keys to Life" award in 2003.

Fran Charles - MLB Network

Salary: $1.2 million per year

You can't watch an MLB Network game without watching popular studio host Fran Charles. The popular broadcaster made his debut in MLB network as the host of the 2013 World Basketball Classic and was also the host of NFL Network and the HBO sports series Boxing After Dark.

Charles has commentated on almost every sport, from boxing to basketball and football and even got a role as feature host in EA Sports' Madden NFL 2010. You can often see Charles in pre-game interviews where he gives commentary and predictions regarding upcoming games.

Thom Brennaman - Fox

Salary: $2 million per year

Thom Brennaman is the son of legendary radio sportscaster Franchester Martin Brennaman and currently works with Fox as their MLB & NFL Play-by-Play Announcer. Brennaman is an excellent sportscaster and is widely regarded as one of baseball's best play-by-play broadcasters.

He called MLB games on Fox from 1996 to 2014 for a total of 31 seasons and has also been the voice of the Cincinnati Reds for the past 13 seasons. The acclaimed sportscaster also did plenty of voiceover work for baseball video-games, starring annually as the commentator in Microsoft Baseball 2001 and in All-Star Baseball from 2002 up until All-Star Baseball 2005. Brennaman is currently 56 years old and is married with 2 kids.

Colin Cowherd - Fox

Salary: $6 million per year

As Host of The Herd 9-12, podcaster and NYT bestseller, Colin Cowherd, is one of the rare examples of announcers using their TV fame and exposure to create a massive social media presence that guarantees their long-lasting exposure. As host of "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" with over 780,000 YouTube subscribers, the popular broadcaster definitely knew how to use his family name to great use.

With over 480 million views, his daily show consists of interviews with popular sports figures and Cowherd's opinions on the most pressing topics of the day in sports. Cowherd has been nominated as Sports Illustrated's 2005 Radio Personality of the Year and has also been voted 5 times as Nevada's Sportscaster of the Year. Cowherd often uses the show to express his personal values and uses various sports issues to promote and explain them. His various remarks and opinions have often put him in trouble, from directing his fans to all visit the sports blog "The Big Lead" simultaneously, causing it to crash for 96 hours, to his controversial remarks regarding the death of Sean Taylor.

Jim Rome - CBS

Salary: $30 million per year

As one of the most influential and listened-to talk radio show hosts in the United States, Jim Rome has built a substantial following and currently hosts The Jim Rome Show, where he interviews sports guests and expresses his various predictions and opinions. Before going out on his own, the radio host started his career in a college radio station as a sports director and went on to work for ESPN2, FX, and Fox Sports Net.

Rome was involved in various controversies due to his outspoken and very expressive nature. A few years ago he sent out an offensive tweet calling marching bands "dorks running around with their instruments", which inspired a hashtag "#MarchOnRome". His joking demeanor also put him in trouble when he made fun of retired hockey legend Gordie Howe for wishing to play a shift with the Detroit Vipers at age 69.

Ian Eagle - CBS, TNT, YES

Salary: $1 million per year

Known by many as "Bird" or "Birdman", Ian Eagle is an award-winning broadcaster from Essex Fells, New Jersey with over 2.5 decades of sportscasting. He has called NFL, NBA and various other games in almost all major networks from CBS, to TNT, YES, YES Network, and even the Tennis Channel.

Eagle was the play-by-play voice of the Orangemen for football, basketball, and lacrosse, and was awarded the Bob Costas Award for Outstanding Sportscasting. He lives in Essex Fells, N.J., with his wife, Alisa, and two children.

Harold Lederman - HBO

Salary: $14.9 million per year

Although boxing did not begin with the same lucrative attraction as other nation-wide favorite sports such as football, basketball, and baseball, Harold Lederman was there right from the '60s. Starting off as a boxing judge and eventually settling as a boxing analyst, Lederman was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2016 for his long list of contributions and dedication to the sport. He passed away just 3 years later.

As a boxing judge, Lederman presided over 100 fights from 1967 until 1999 and continued as a commentator with HBO until the network eventually dropped boxing in 2018. It may be just a coincidence that he sadly passed away merely 6 months after finishing his role as boxing commentator, but it’s clear that his passion for the sport was beyond anyone else at the time. Lederman was loved and commemorated by many of his colleagues and boxers following his passing from a battle with cancer.

Kirk Herbstreit - ESPN

Salary: $4 million per year

Kirk Herbstreit started his career playing football as a quarterback for the Elks and was quickly awarded the "Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year" title as a senior. Herbstreit quickly proved himself as one of his generation's best college football players. The player has since gone to host with Chris Fowler. Since then, he has been racking trophies like crazy and received seven nominations and three Sports Emmy Awards for Best  Studio Analyst.

Many fans love the highly decorated sports analyst for his straight and clear analysis and insightful ways of looking at the game that results from his years of experience. He was ranked by Sporting News magazine as one of the "Most Powerful Media personalities in Sports" in 2003. He married his wife Allison in 1998 and the married couple has 4 children, 2 of which are twins and 2 of which currently play football at Clemson University in South Carolina.

Lisa Guerrero - Inside Edition

Salary: $7 million per year

The famous and talented sportscaster from Chicago made her name as Fox Sports host and journalist. Her exciting career in entertainment began after her father enrolled her in theater lessons, as a way to cope with the loss of her mother when she was just 8 years old.

Guerrero worked hard and managed to build a path for herself, leading her to an exciting career that includes sportscasting, hosting, modeling, writing and even acting. She is currently married to former MLB pitcher Scott Gavin Erickson and works as the host and reporter for the American investigative news TV show, Inside Edition.

Teddy Atlas - ESPN

Salary: $2 million per year

You may not have heard of the name Teddy Atlas, but you would probably recognize him by his distinct facial scar. However, if you don't, and you're a boxing fan - this is one person you want to know. Atlas is a boxing trainer and fight commentator with a rough past. He has been around the block and has hung out with some of the most well-known boxers and trainers of all time. Despite a troubled and rebellious youth that led him to get arrested often and even get slashed in the face (causing him to be forever scarred), Teddy Atlas managed to find himself in better circumstances when he got to train with the legendary Hall of Fame boxing trainer - Cus D'Amato.

The Jewish-Irish boxer's career didn't last long though - and was cut short by a back injury. Atlas then changed his focus to training boxers rather than participating, and got a chance to help train Mike Tyson, Michael Moorer, Barry McGuigan, and even Timothy Bradley. Atlas also worked as a commentator in various networks including ESPN but was suspended after 21 years of commentating due to various comments and even threatening a crew member. In 2005, Atlas was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame, and has since lent his voice to popular boxing game Fight Night Round 4 and Fight Night Champion.

Stephen A. Smith - ESPN

Salary: $10 million per year

Stephen A. Smith is a commentator on ESPN's daily American sports talk show First Take along with Max Kellerman and Milly Qerim. The commentator, host, journalist, and actor also appears often as an NBA analyst in both SportsCenter and NBA Countdown, both owned by ESPN. Smith was born in the Bronx in New York City in 1967 and received a basketball scholarship to attend Winston-Salem State University. The sportscaster played college basketball and was coached by Clarence Gaines, the highly decorated Hall of Fame coach until he officially began his media career in 1994 as a writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Smith is well known for using recurring catchphrases as well as his very opinionated personality, especially his strong animosity towards the Dallas Cowboys. His most well-known catchphrase is referring to things that don’t make sense to him as “blasphemous”. Not one to shy away from expressing his opinions, Smith is also a very strong critic of NFL and NBA players' use of marijuana, and loudly tells players to "Stay off the weed!" You can catch his appearance in the 2007 film “I Think I Love My Wife” starring and directed by Chris Rock.

Jonathan Coachman - WWE

Salary: $500,000 per year

WWE pre-show host Jonathan Coachman, also known as "The Coach", has been interviewing, presenting and commentating on WWE matches since 1999. Coachman has been casting on both Smackdown and Raw over the years and even became Interim General Manager of the Raw brand. Outside of WWE, coachman devoted almost a decade to work with ESPN, presenting highlights of the WWE's best moments and interviewing the WWE stars on SportsCenter.

Coachman has a modest Instagram account with just over ten thousand followers. Coachman's father had suffered from heart problems and was facing the risk of death until he was transplanted a new heart by a matching donor. Since the incident, Coachman has decided to pay it forward and helps Saint Luke's Foundation raise money for supporting, researching and educating communities on health-related issues.

Jim Ross - AEW

Salary: $1 million per year

Jim Ross, the man who seems to never age, has been commentating on WWE and other wrestling network matches for the last 45 years. Most fans and hosts refer to him as "Good Ol' JR", seemingly for his being in the business longer than anyone else to date. He's also sometimes called the "Voice of Wrestling". Ross received recognition for his years of work with the WWE when he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007. Outside of wrestling, Ross also commentates with FoxSports.com and does the occasional play-by-play on boxing and MMA matches.

The successful WWE commentator started his own weekly podcast a few years ago named The Jim Ross Report, whose name was changed to "Grilling JR". JR also provided his voice for many of the annual WWE video-games and wrote 2 books about wrestling which have become New York Times Best-Sellers. Fun fact: Ross has a strong affinity with BBQ and created his very own brand of barbecue sauce and beef jerky.

Jerry Glanville - HBO, CBS, Fox

Salary: $170,000 per year

The famous veteran head coach Jerry Glanville just can't quit football. He's best known for wearing black attire to games, leaving tickets at will-call for Elvis Presley and driving replica cars of those driven by James Dean. He is one of the most iconic and expressive coaches and to this day still continues to help with strategy as the defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Vipers. Glanville has been coaching for over 5 decades now and even had a Sega Genesis game with his name's brand called "Jerry Glanville's Pigskin Football".

When asked during an interview about his plans for the future he happily said that his goal is to die from old age while running a blitz on the practice field. To this day he still goes everywhere in a cowboy hat and awesome sunglasses (with his signature all-black attire). Based on his never-ending smile and playful expression it seems that Glanville is one of those unique and inspiring individuals that found a true calling for their lives.

Thierry Henry - FRANCE 24

Salary: $5 million per year

As one of the best soccer strikers of all time, Thierry Henry, the French Arsenal player quickly became a highly decorated and successful player and transitioned from there to coaching and managing soccer teams. Henry was born in the Les Ulis suburbs of Paris, which is considered to be a bit on the dangerous side. The soccer prodigy showed great potential from a young age and was quickly scouted after winning 6 out of 6 goals in a 6-0 game.

Henry quickly garnered national attention and was named French Young Footballer of the Year in 1996 after being drafted by Monaco. He went on to play with Arsenal, Barcelona and the New York Red Bulls, scoring a total of 284 goals in his career. Henry was very beloved by Arsenal fans and was declared "The Greatest Arsenal Player" in 2008 by them. He was also voted as the best Premier League player of the 2000s and had a statue made in his name outside Arsenal's Emirates Stadium. After retiring in 2012, the award-winning footballer began coaching Arsenal's youth teams in 2015 and Belgium in 2016

Troy Aikman - Fox

Salary: $1 million per year

Three-time Super Bowl champion and Fox sportscaster Troy Aikman was the darling of the Dallas Cowboys and ended up playing for 12 consecutive seasons for the team, more than any other Cowboy quarterback. Aikman was also elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008. What most people don't know is that in addition to his NFL awards, young Troy Aikman also won the 1983 Oklahoma high school state championship in typing.

Post his retirement as NFL player, Aikman joined Fox as a color commentator in 2001 and was soon promoted to the network's lead announcing crew. The Fox announcer received an Emmy Award nomination for his work and broadcasted five Super Bowl games to date. In 2010 Aikman became a director in the NFL foundation board and was also given the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, which is awarded annually to six former college athletes 25 years after the end of their college athletic career.

Marv Albert - TNT

Salary: $2 million per year

Kenny Albert's father, Marv Albert, is an honored American sportscaster whose contributions to sports led to him being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Often nicknamed "the voice of basketball", the popular sportscaster enjoyed a long career that just seems to have started slowing down now that he's almost in his 80s. Beyond his sportscasting career, he is also a popular figure in media and entertainment and has made numerous appearances on late-night shows, films and TV shows. Albert was a guest on David Letterman's show more than 53 times and has appeared in everything from Futurama, the Simpsons, NBA Jam and the 2015 comedy film Trainwreck.

In addition, Albert has done voiceover commentary in the NBA Live video games made by EA Sports for 6 years. Albert was forced to leave NBC after 20 years of work due to allegations of sexual misconduct, and his job was taken over by Bob Costas. He was brought back just 2 years later and has since worked with various other sports outlets.

Bill Raftery - CBS

Salary: $2 million per year

Bill Joseph Raftery is an award-winning NBA analyst and former head coach at Fairleigh Dickinson and Seton Hall Universities. With a total of 154 wins as a coach, Raftery gained much experience which he still uses to this day when analyzing NBA games for CBS sports. The sportscaster grew up in a Catholic Irish family to Irish immigrants and earned a history B.A. from La Salle in 1963. A documentary film named "With a Kiss" about Raftery was produced and narrated by his son. The film tells the story behind the color commentator's 35 years at his broadcasting career.

Raftery is well-known for his many unique commentary phrases during play-by-plays, with "Onions!" being his most recognized quote. He's also the president of an event and marketing firm which sustains 5 employees and allegedly earns 6 to 7 figures a year.

Gus Johnson - Fox Sports

Salary: $500,000 per year

Gus Cornelius Johnson (not to be confused with Gus Johnson the comedian, Gus Johnson the basketball player, or Gus Johnson the football player) is a play-by-play sportscaster for Fox Sports and is well known for his wild and passionate calls. You can easily say that his broadcasting style is more than just unique and fans love the energy and extroverted style he brings to the games he's commentating on.

In fact, Johnson’s calls have been so exaggerated at times that Complex.com hosted an article listing his 25 most over-the-top calls, most notably and at first place, was his call "He's getting away from the cops speeds!" when referencing Chris Johnson's running with the ball towards an eventual touchdown.

Jason Dasey - CNN, BBC, ESPN

Salary: $1 million per year

Australian broadcaster, journalist and editor Jason Dasey has worked with BBC, CNN, ESPN, Disney and Money FM. He is also the founder of his own Singapore-based media company called "Cockatoo Media". Dasey also conducts workshops in Asia for presenters and journalists who want to improve at their craft.

Dasey has hosted numerous events for both business, culture and sports. During his time with ESPN, he hosted the popular 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2017 UEFA Championship League Final. After more than 25 years abroad, Jason moved back to his home country of Australia and set up shop in Brisbane and Sydney.

Sean McDonough - ESPN

Salary: $80,000 per year

As one of TV’s most diverse broadcasters, Sean McDonough is known as a main play-by-play announcer for ESPN's basketball games. McDonough joined ESPN in 1989 and has worked with CBS Sports since 1990. In 2014, he was chosen to enter the Hall of Fame for WAER. McDonough's family is also tied to sports, with his father being Will McDonough, a famous Boston Globe sportswriter who worked with NBC and CBS Sports. ESPN Press Room reports that McDonough is also the founder and president of the Sean McDonough Charitable Foundation, and was responsible for raising and donating nearly three million dollars to various children's charities.

Fans were glad to hear that McDonough became ESPN's lead play-by-play announcer for Monday Night Football, but the broadcaster was let go just 2 years later and returned to classic announcing. In 2012, he was diagnosed with superior canal dehiscence syndrome. Luckily McDonough had a successful surgical operation and was back to work just a few months later.

Steve Levy - ESPN

Salary: $700,000 per year

Steve Levy is a very familiar face for ESPN's SportsCenter weekly show which is watched by over 3 million people. The famous announcer covers everything from Hockey to MLB Baseball. He claims to have been passionate about sports from a very young age, but due to his lack of athletic build - he chose to go the broadcasting route instead. He started his broadcasting journey working in the college radio and for local TV stations and newspapers in his hometown of Bellemore, New York. He then went on to call NHL and college football games, eventually leading him to his current job at ESPN's SportsCenter.

Levy has also made appearances in various films such as Fever Pitch, The Game Plan, and The Ringer. In a recent interview, the sportscaster recommends young people to take every opportunity they get in their chosen field, and put aside your ego or else someone else will take it (the opportunity).

Harold Reynolds - MLB Network

Salary: $7 million per year

Harold Craig Reynolds's captivating smile helped propel him straight from the Major League Basketball field into the sports analyst career for the MLB Network and Fox Sports. Born in 1960 in Eugene, Oregon, Reynolds quickly proved himself as a talented athlete, playing both football, basketball, and baseball at Corvallis High School. Reynolds eventually chose to go with basketball and debuted in the major league in 1983 to a very successful career.

He was awarded the annual Roberto Clemente Award for his contributions to the community as an MLB player, and also inducted into the Canada College Hall of Fame in 2013. Since then, the accomplished baseball player became a commentator at ESPN but was fired 10 years later for allegations of sexual misconduct. He has since sued ESPN and won a 7-figure settlement. Post-ESPN, the sportscaster went on to join the MLB Network and Fox Sports. Reynolds is a devout Christian and claims his relationship with his faith is much more important and fulfilling for him than anything he ever did professionally.

Bonnie Bernstein - MSNBC, Fox

Salary: $1 million per year

The incredible Bonnie Bernstein is a prime example of a woman flourishing in sports. The sports journalist and Campus Insiders vice president is considered by the American Sportscasters Association to be one of the most successful female sportscasters to date. With over 20 years of commentating experience, Bernstein also appears occasionally on a variety of networks including MSNBC, NBC and Fox News to express her thoughts, as-well-as contributing to The Dan Patrick Show, ESPN, ESPN, and DirecTV.

She considers herself a "sports chick", motivational speaker, philanthropist, and a fitness nut. You can find her on Instagram at @bonniebernstein where she posts motivational pictures daily. Bernstein is also an incredible health advocate and routinely focuses on helping youth with fitness and health issues. She also claims to be a seasoned corporate speaker and alleges to have worked with many companies such as American Express, AT&T, Coca-Cola, Gatorade, MasterCard, Samsung, SAP, Sony, and Verizon.

Daryl Johnston - Fox

Salary: $3 million per year

Daryl Johnston, 3 time Super Bowl champion and legendary former NFL fullback for the Dallas Cowboys, has worked as a color commentator alongside Kenny Albert since 2013 and appears as a regular guest on FS1's First Things First. Later, Johnston also became the San Antonio Commanders General Manager for the AAF, and also Director of Player Personnel for the Dallas Renegades of the XFL (the AAF and XFL are both alternative football leagues to the NFL).

The legendary NFL player is also known as "Moose" (or "Moooooooooose!" Johnston was making a play on the field). The nickname was given to him by quarterback Babe Laufenberg due to his large build. He played a total of 149 consecutive games and scored 22 career touchdowns. Johnston eventually retired in 1999 due to a neck injury. To this day, he remains in many fan’s views as one of the best power blocking backs in football history. Outside of football, he also contributes regularly to various charities, including the Special Olympics, Children's Cancer Fund, Cystic Fibrosis and Literacy Instruction For Texas.

Skip Bayless - Fox Sports 1

Salary: $6.25 million per year

Skip Bayless is best known for as the commentator on ESPN's First Take with Stephen Smith. The famous announcer currently hosts the Fox Sports 1 show "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed" which averages over 100,000 viewers weekly. With a verified Twitter account boasting almost 3 million followers, Bayless has managed to leverage his massive presence on TV into a successful social media account. Bayless has also published 3 books and was inducted into the Oklahoma City Wall of Fame as an outstanding alumnus.

The popular broadcaster also had a cameo in the 2006 film Rocky Balboa as an analyst. Bayless was often criticized for his harsher tone and is sometimes seen as the "bad guy" of announcing. One of the most well-known examples of this is his constant criticism of LeBron James in both his shows, even going as far as to call him James "LeBrick". Bayless wrote a short and very well-received autobiography essay on his Facebook page which details his past including the emotional, verbal and physical abuse he suffered at the hands of his alcoholic father.

Doris Burke -  ABC, ESPN

Salary: $1 million per year

It's not easy being a woman in the male-dominated sports world, especially a female sportscaster. Nevertheless, Doris Burke proves that it's possible to really make an impact despite gender differences. She is currently a sports analyst for NBA on ESPN and on ABC Games. Burke paved the way for women's equality when she debuted as the first-ever female commentator to call a New York Knicks game. She is highly praised by many many media outlets as "Basketball's best TV analyst" for her unique and insightful commentary during NBA games and was even called "the LeBron James of sportscasters" by Jeff Van Gundy.

With over 25 years of broadcasting experience, Burke has built a substantial following and is one of the most famous and popular sportscasters in the United States. She recently received the annual Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Media Award and was the first woman to have ever been given this honor. She's currently signed to a five-year contract with ESPN and also lends her voice to the popular NBA 2K video-game series. Burke grew up in New Jersey and has had a passion for basketball from a very young age. She was also an assistant coach in college and even received a basketball scholarship to Providence College.

Mike Tirico - NBC Sports

Salary: $3 million per year

Best known for being the NFL play-by-play announcer on Monday Night Football, Mike Tirico has spent the last 25 years calling everything from the NFL, the NBA, and even golf, tennis, and soccer. Once his contract with ESPN expired in 2016, Tirico moved on to NBC Sports and has been with the American sports network ever since. Earlier this year, the successful sportscaster called his first-ever hockey game and received praise from both viewers and colleagues.

The sportscaster from Ann Arbor, Michigan certainly has an interesting life - one of the most peculiar things about him is that all of his immediate family is caucasian. Tirico expressed interest in eventually checking what his true ancestry is, but for now, he's happy living with his wife Debbi and two kids with these questions unanswered.

Jon Gruden - ESPN

Salary: $6.5 million a year

NFL's popular head coach began his football coaching career while still in the University of Tennessee. He was quickly hired by Mike Holmgren at just 28 years old to become the assistant coach for the Green Bay Packers. By age 35, Gruden was already coaching the Oakland Raiders and then moved on to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leading them to a successful Super Bowl win in 20002. At age 39, he was the youngest head coach to ever win a Super Bowl.

Gruden was hired in 2009 as an ESPN color analyst for their Monday Night Football show and signed a five-year contract expansion from 2012 until 2017 with the network. After almost a decade of broadcasting outside of the NFL, he returned as head coach of the Oakland Raiders by signing a 10-year, $100 million contract - one of the biggest contracts in the NFL.

Chris Fowler - ESPN, ABC

Salary: $7 million per year

Chris Fowler is one of the most recognizable faces for anyone who watches ESPN as he has worked with the network since 1986 as the host of Scholastic Sports America. Born in Denver, Colorado, the young Fowler spent almost 2 years as a production assistant and minor producer for KCNC-TV. Since joining ESPN, Fowler has hosted NFL, FIFA, tennis, and X-Games.

He is currently married to Jennifer Dempster, a former fitness model and an instructor whom he first met through her ESPN show BodyShaping during an ESPN Christmas party. The couple were married in Oheka Castle in New York and have been together ever since, often traveling to Paris where they got engaged and around the world in general. Last year, Fowler signed a contract extension with ESPN that keeps him with them until 2023.

Bob Costas - MLB Network

Salary: $7 million per year

As one of the best-known sportscasters of all time, Bob Costas has seen everything and was both highly decorated, as-well-as involved in various scandals. The Emmy-winning sportscaster from Queens is mostly known for his almost 4 decades of working with NBC Sports from 1980 to 2018. Costas covered everything from boxing to golf, MLB, NASCAR, hockey and more. Throughout the years the sportscaster commentated in various Olympic broadcasts for NBC. He also hosted the radio program "Costas Coast to Coast" for three years and later hosted a 12-week long series called On the Record with Bob Costas.

Some of the biggest controversies that involved Costas include him publicizing his views on gun control in the US, as-well-as several political issues where he chose to express his opinion on live television. His most egregious chapter occurred in 2017 when he said in a roundtable sports discussion that football was in a decline and hurts peoples' brains. Following the comments, he was removed from the commentator's list in NBC's coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympics, and departed from the network after almost 40 years of working with them.

Bill Macatee  - CBS Sports

Salary: $3.5 million per year

Bill Macatee isn't your average sports broadcaster, the talented announcer began working for network television in his mid-twenties and continues his work today. The CBS Sports and Tennis Channel sportscaster was born in Rome, New York and from there moved to El Paso, Texas.

He began his broadcasting career with NBC as the youngest sportscaster in the industry. Since then, Macatee did NFL play-by-play commentary for CBS; he also called various basketball games and championship tournaments. His play-by-play work extends to figure skating, skiing, track-and-field, gymnastics, boxing, and even sumo wrestling. Last year Macatee received the Lifetime Achievement Award when he was inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame.

Charles Barkley - Turner Sports

Salary: $1.5 million per year

From a professional award-winning basketball player to a highly acclaimed NBA analyst, Charles Barkley's career is a series of amazing accomplishments and a true testament to his work ethic both inside the court and outside. Initially, a relatively small kid, at just 5 ft 10 in. and 220 pounds, the high school junior from Alabama failed to impress anyone. But eventually, Barkley enjoyed a huge growth spurt and got the chance to improve his abilities. Later he was discovered by Sonny Smith, who quickly saw his potential and drafted Barkley due to his impressive physical size and highly trained skills.

Barkley went on to become a highly successful NBA player and was ranked  #11 in the best all-around player score (PER) in the NBA. Once the NBA superstar retired in 2,000 as the fourth player in history to achieve 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists, he went on to become a highly decorated NBA analyst with three Sports Emmy Awards. He was also written several books and almost ran for Governor of Alabama in 2014 before changing his mind.

Dick Stockton - Fox

Salary: $250,000 per year

Dick Stockton is a true veteran of the NFL. As TV and radio sportscaster for the last 5 decades, he has seen his fair share of ups and downs throughout his career. Though mostly known for his broadcasting and analyzing, Dick Stockton is also a keynote speaker. He is considered a masterful storyteller and is often invited to speak on various topics. The popular sportscaster worked with almost all major sports networks, from CBS Sports, Turner Sports, NBC Sports, and as the NFL play-by-play announcer for Fox Sports.

Stockton has covered a variety of important events and sports, from the Olympics and the World Figure Skating Championship. He received the Curt Gowdy Electronic Media Award from the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001. The successful veteran announcer was married to fellow sportscaster and first female NFL analyst on TV, Lesley Visser. The couple was married from 1983 to 2010. Stockton has since remarried and is currently married to Jamie Drinkwater. The couple supports various charities, including the Empty Bowls Project for Alexandria Central School in Alexandria Bay, N.Y. which helps make sure that youth are provided with education and food.

Tom Hammond - NBC

Salary: $2.9 million per year

You may not recognize Tom Hammond unless you enjoy watching horse racing, track, and field or speed skating on NBC Sports. Hammond was born in 1944 in Lexington Kentucky and earned his B.S. in animal science in 1967. He served as play-by-play announcer for a variety of sports networks before being hired by NBC in 1984 to co-host the inaugural Breeder's Cup with fellow announcer, Dick Enberg. Apparently, the executives were so pleased with Hammond's performance that he ended up getting a long-term contract that resulted in over 30 years of work with the network.

Hammond and his wife have three children, with one of them following his legacy and becoming a play-by-play radio commentator on the AFL on NBC. Hammond's career is full of awards and honors, from 2 Eclipse Award (the highest honor for horse racing broadcasting), to 4 different Emmy Awards. He was eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame in the University of Ken

Tom Heinsohn - CBS

Salary: $500,000 per year

From player to coach to the broadcaster. The NBA's Tom Heinsohn was an aggressive player with excellent accuracy and movement. The NBA Rookie of 1957 helped the Celtics dominate with a total of 8 NBA titles in his almost decade of time with the team. Heinsohn is also a 6 time NBA all-star and was awarded the title of NBA Coach of the Year in 1973. His legendary performance made him one of the most beloved Celtics player of all time, both as a player and as a coach.

As a new NBA player, Heinsohn had an average of 16.2 points per game and retired with an even better 18.6 PPG. At the height of his career, he averaged 21.3 points per game for 3 consecutive seasons. After retiring, Heinsohn's career as a coach began to pick up after about 2 years as the Celtics' coach. As a broadcaster, the former player and coach is known to be very critical of referees and is accused of being biased towards the Celtics. What's unique about Heinsohn is that he is revered by many generations of Celtics fans. Imagine growing up with Heinsohn as your favorite player, only to have your son cheer him as the team's' coach, then to have your grandson love him as a broadcaster. Truly amazing.

Bill Schonely - WOMO-TV, CBS

Salary: $200,000 per year

Bill Schonely, the 90-year old sportscaster who presided as the voice of the Portland Trail Blazers for nearly 30 years, is also known by many as "The Schnoz" and "Rip City". He's a standing nominee for the Basketball Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Award and is involved in many charities including the American Heart Association, Life Flight and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He was named Broadcaster of the Year in 1994 and then Oregon's Sportscaster of the Year in 2003.

He is considered by many to be a symbol of the love affairs fans have for the Trail Blazers and is widely loved as part of the Blazers' family. He is often compared to Chick Hearn and Johny Most, two legendary announcers who helped form the broadcasting industry. His signature phrases include "Bingo Bango Bongo" and "Climb the golden ladder", and of course, his unforgettable opening line for each broadcast, "Good evening basketball fans, wherever you may be..." Outside of the NBA, Schonely likes to go to church and play golf. He has four children and has been married to Dottie Schonely since 1992.

Jim Wych - Sky Sports

Salary: $200,000 per year

Canadian snooker fans love Jim Wych. The 65-year-old former Canadian professional snooker and pocket billiards player won 2 snooker championships during his snooker career, one in 1979 and one in 1999. Wych retired from snooker in 1997 and currently does television commentary on pool and snooker games for Sky Sports. The sportscaster is often interviewed for his predictions before major snooker games.

He is appreciated for his moderate and self-controlled commentary. He was born in Calgary, Alberta in 1954 and officially began his snooker career at age 25 - winning his first championship that very same year.

Kevin Calabro - ESPN

Salary: $200,000 per year

Kevin Calabro, best known as the 21-year veteran announcer of the Seattle SuperSonics, is loved by fans for his glowing enthusiasm and eccentricity. The announcer often discusses topics that are completely unrelated to sports during games such as his favorite show, The Wire, and various trivia topics. The award-winning veteran broadcaster joined Portland Trail Blazers as a play-by-play broadcaster in 2016 after spending 21 years as a TV and radio announcer for the former Seattle SuperSonics.

His many honors and awards include the 2016 Keith Jackson Western Sports Star of the Year award. He has also done extensive and highly acclaimed reporting for many sports networks including ESPN, TBS, TNT, and NBA TV. Calabro also appears in many sports video-games such as NBA Inside Drive, NBA Full Court Press, and NFL Fever. His brother, David Calabro, is also a sportscaster and works with the NBC affiliate station WTHR.

Ernie Johnson, Jr. - CBS, Turner Sports

Salary: $300,000 per year

If you've been watching MLB on TBS or Inside the NBA on TNT, you've most likely had a chance to listen to the commentary of Ernie Johnson Jr. The 3 time Emmy Award-winning sportscaster and father of 6 recently wrote the fantastic autobiography: "Unscripted: The Unpredictable Moments That Make Life Extraordinary". In the book, Johnson tells his life story and provides many lessons and inspiring tales, including his fight with cancer.

Johnson is also the recipient of the first-ever John Wooden Keys to Life Award and the Musial Award. He currently lives with his wife Cheryl in Braselton, Georgia with their 6 children. By the way, 4 of his kids are adopted. You can enjoy Johnson’s commentary in the popular video-games NBA Live 98, and annually in NBA 2K15, and every year since, all the way through NBA 2K19.

Dan Patrick - NBC Sports

Salary: $5.5 million per year

Famous radio host, actor, and sportscaster Dan Patrick has been a favorite in the public ear for the last 40 years. He worked at ESPN from 1989 to 2006 as an anchor, while also hosting The Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio from 1,999 to 2007. During a 2007 episode of his radio show, Patrick announced he would be leaving ESPN to go on his own and be a free agent, claiming that he was starting to take his job at ESPN for granted. Since then, the successful media personality joined NBC Sports as co-host of Football Night in America and stayed with the network until 2018 after turning down a contract he was offered.

Patrick met his wife while working at CNN, and was inducted into the Mason High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000. He also went on to make many appearances on film and television thanks to his friendship with actor Adam Sandler, and even appeared in music videos twice.

Joe Tessitore - ESPN

Salary: $2.3 million per year

The play-by-play broadcaster of Monday Night Football and co-analyst with Booger McFarland, Joe Tessitore is an accomplished sports broadcaster and was a finalist twice for Sports Illustrated's Sports Media Person of the Year entry. Tessitore's announcing style has been a fan favorite over the years and has captivated audiences since early in his career. His signature charisma and commentary style have often been dubbed "the Tess Effect" for causing big movements in the social media landscape whenever he announces a game.

Born in Schenectady, New York in 1971, he began his career as a sports anchor fairly early at just 23 years old when he became a sports broadcaster for KXAS-TV in 1994. Since then, he became a boxing announcer on ESPN during Tuesday and Friday Night Fights, and would also go on to appear in college football and college basketball games. Tessitore has also produced various documentaries for ESPN's 30 for 30 show, and took the role of executive producer for the ESPN critically acclaimed film "Roll Tide, War Eagle".

Kenny Albert - Fox

Salary: $500,000 per year

Kenny Albert comes from a long line of sportscasters, including Mark, Al and Steve Albert. Since his career first began in 1990, the successful American sportscaster is the only one in history that has done play-by-play commentary for all 4 major professional sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL). He was born in New York in 1968 and was exposed to sports from a very young age. By age 22, Albert had already graduated from New York University with a degree in broadcasting and journalism and had already done various jobs relating to sports including becoming the official statistician for the Rangers on the radio.

Albert has had a fairly regular career and has managed to stay away from any controversies or drama. He was nominated in 2016 for the Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Media Personality. One of his most noteworthy achievements is calling the play by play of 4 different sports in 4 days. The accomplished play-by-play commentator currently resides in New Jersey with his wife Barbara and 2 daughters.

Bill Walton - ESPN

Salary: $5 million per year

With over 100,000 Twitter followers, Bill Walton is still very much an active participant in the NBA scene at age 66. The retired NBA player had a legendary career back in his day, with an NBA Most Valuable Player pick and two NBA Championships, he was an obvious inductee for the Basketball Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, Walton had to retire in the late '80s due to repeated sports injuries. In his NBA career, he played a total of 90 games for the Celtics with an average of 55% shooting rate and a total of 468 games in his entire career.

Walton began working for CBS, NBC, and ESPN as a broadcaster, it wasn't easy though. He reported having suffered a serious stuttering issue when he was just 28 years old and had to overcome it before being able to get paid for his voice rather than his skills on the court. In 2003, he debuted his own show called "Bill Walton's Long Strange Trip" on ESPN. Walton also became acclaimed as a broadcaster and received an Emmy Award for "Best Live Sports Television Broadcast" and the CoSIDA Dick Enberg Award.  In 2016, he released a memoir of his life called "Back from the Dead: Searching for the Sound, Shining the Light and Throwing It Down". The book was a New York Times bestseller for 2 weeks. He also appeared briefly in the popular film "Ghostbusters" and various NBA video games.

Kenny Smith - CBS

Salary: $16 million per year

Most of us know him as the former NBA player "The Jet" and for good reason. Kenny Smith, the 2 time NBA champion was indeed one of the faster and most accurate basketball players in recent memories. Smith has scored over 9,000 points in his career and finished his career in the NBA's top ten list of free-throw percentages and three-point percentages for a total of 5 years.

The retired NBA player has gone on to become a successful and award-winning basketball commentator and analyst, with several Emmys under his belt for his commentary on TNT's Inside the NBA. Smith was born in Queens, New York in 1965 and now has 5 children from 2 separate marriages. Smith shortly hosted a radio show/podcast called Baseline 2 Baseline where he interviewed popular NBA stars and gave behind-the-scenes explanations of NBA games.

Jimmy Johnson - Fox

Salary: $4 million per year

One of the most impressive personalities in the NFL and entertainment media is Jimmy Johnson. From winning 2 consecutive Super Bowls in 1992 and 1993 as head coach for the Dallas Cowboys to appearing in many commercials and even being one of the 20 castaways in the reality show Survivor: Nicaragua. Johnson also owns a restaurant named "Three Rings", after the three championships he won throughout his career. He also had a few short stints in TV shows and films, like his guest appearance as a bearded prisoner in The Shield and his small role in Adam Sandler's film, "The Waterboy".

After leaving his role as head coach for the Miami Dolphins due to an embarrassing loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Johnson went on to become a TV studio analyst for Fox Sports and Fox NFL Sunday. In 2009, Jimmy Johnson hosted a special episode of FOX NFL Sundays with Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, and others in an undisclosed military installation in Afghanistan right before veteran's day.

Jim Nantz - CBS

Salary: $5 million per year

American play-by-play broadcaster Jim Nantz is known for his wacky calls and his signature "Hello, friends!" opening line in broadcasts. The 60-year-old sportscaster from North Carolina has been commentating on games since the early '80s. His first big break happened when he joined CBS Sports in 1985 as a studio host for their college football and basketball games. Nantz slowly moved up from there and began covering NFL from 1998 onwards.

The sportscaster has appeared in episodes of The Price is Right and has contributed his voice to the commentary in the long-running Madden NFL video-game series. He had also appeared in a Papa John's Pizza ad with Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. Nantz's career has been filled with various honors and awards, including an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Personality in 2008 and 2009. He was also awarded the NSSA's National Sportscaster of the Year five times between 1998 and 2009.

Jim Rosenthal - MUTV

Salary: $1 million per year

Jim Rosenthal is one of the most popular presenters of television sport in Britain. The British sportscaster from Oxford, England, has been covering various sports from football to boxing and even rugby. His long career as presenter and commentator started in 1972 almost 50 years ago and still continues strong. The successful commentator has been named Presenter of the Year twice by Royal Television Society for his many popular coverings of multiple FIFA World Cups, Rugby World Cups, Olympic Games, and many Formula Won races.

Rosenthal also tried his hand in small acting roles on television, pretty much playing himself as reporter and commentator in Friday Night Dinner, Genie in the House and Footballers' Wives. He is also a contributor to the Willow Foundation which helps people with serious illnesses have special days of happiness. Jim’s son, Tom Rosenthal is a successful comedian and actor.

Walt Frazier - MSG Network

Salary: $4.5 million per year

Walt Frazier spent 10 years with the Knicks and left with numerous team records. His nickname was "Clyde" for wearing a hat similar to that of Warren Beatty from Bonnie and Clyde. The successful basketball player was inducted to the NBA Hall of Fame and went on to become a TV analyst and color commentator for MSG Network. He is known for having a unique fashion style and even has a website called "Clyde So Fly" which rates and catalogs all the outfits he wears when broadcasting on the MSG Network.

Frazier currently lives in Harlem with his girlfriend Patricia James and his 2 boys. He also has a sneaker line in his name by Puma, which is based on his "signature colorful style". The retired NBA player managed to score a total of 15,581 points in his career, with 4,830 rebounds and 5,040 assists. At an average of 18.9 points per game, it's no wonder he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Ron Jaworski - ESPN

Salary: $3 million per year

Ron Jaworski, also known as "Rifle Ron" and the "Polish Rifle" is a retired NFL quarterback who played with the Los Angeles Rams, the Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, and Kansas City Chiefs. Mostly known for his incredible passing skills, the proud Polish player, Jaworski was inducted in 1991 into the National Polish-American Hall of Fame. In-addition to his former nicknames, the name "Jaws" was given to him by Doug Collins and has stuck with him ever since.

He retired after 16 years of playing in the NFL and got into business and broadcasting. Jaworski is co-owner of the Philadelphia Soul, motivational speaker for corporations and the CEO of Ron Jaworski Golf Management, inc. Jaworski often commentates on ESPN matches in shows such as NFL Matchup. He's also a successful author and published the 2010 sportsbook, "The Games That Changed the Game".

Chris Berman- ESPN

Salary: $5 million per year

Coming from Greenwich, Connecticut, Chris Berman, also known as "Boomer", has been a consistent anchor at ESPC since its initial launch in 1979. Known for his captivating personality, jokes, and memorable lines such as "He could.. go.. all.. the.. way!" Berman has helped bring ESPN to the popularity that it enjoys today, and was honored with various awards throughout his years in the business.

The successful and funny ESPN anchor also dipped his toes in various films and TV commercials, such as Adam Sandler's hilarious films "The Water Boy", "The Longest Yard" and “Grown Ups 2”. With almost 40 years in the industry, Berman is starting to show signs of slowing down, but regardless - he will always be one of our favorites.

John Anderson - ESPN

Salary: $2.5 million per year

When looking up the name of John Anderson, you'd be hard-pressed to find the correct person we're referring to here because there are over 50 famous John Anderson's in the world, from politicians to inventors and even musicians, but the John Anderson we're referring to is the famous sports commentator who regularly hosts the ESPN show SportsCenter since back in the late '90s. Anderson appears often on the late-night edition on the MLB Network and has recently hosted ABC’s famous reality game show "Wipeout".

In 2012, Anderson was awarded the Bill Teegins Oklahoma Sportscaster of the year. As the anchor of SportsCenter, he's known to receive around $2.5 million in annual salary. Perhaps as an ironic joke relating to his massive salary, Anderson’s official verified twitter bio reads "Avoiding proper work since 1985".

Dan Fouts - CBS

Salary: $750,000 per year

Another famous quarterback turned broadcaster on our list is the San Diego Chargers', Dan Fouts. With over 43,000 yards and 254 touchdowns throughout his 14-year NFL career, the successful quarterback built up a serious name for himself. His achievements include being the first player in history to throw 4,000 yards for 3 seasons consecutively. He's also a 6 times Pro Bowl champion and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Just one year after retiring, Fouts began his broadcasting career as an NFL analyst on CBS. Since then he has done color commentary for ABC Sports and even made an acting debut in Adam Sandler's comedy, The Waterboy, along with many other NFL players. The 68-year-old retired NFL player was originally born in San Francisco and began his career with a scholarship offer from the University of Oregon to play for the Oregon Ducks team as quarterback. He was inducted into the University of Oregon Hall of Fame in 1992.

Sam Rosen - Fox Sports

Salary: $300,000 per year

Sam Rosen, the famous play-by-play announcer for the New York Rangers has been working with MSG Network since 1984 and is known for his trademark catchphrase "It's a power-play goal!". His career in sportscasting began in 1970 as a statistician for Knicks Radio Network and really kicked off in 1982 when he was hired full-time as studio host for the Rangers by MSG. During his career, Rosen has hosted several shows including “The Mike Keenan Show,” “The Herb Brooks Show,” “Giants Journal” and Knicks basketball.

The veteran play-by-play announcer was awarded the “Excellence in Boxing Broadcast Journalism” award in 1989 and was nominated three times for the New York Emmy Award for On-Camera Achievement in Sports. Rosen also worked for NHL Radio for 12 years and broadcasted 12 Stanley Cup Finals. His latest honors were being inducted to the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 and receiving the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 2016.

Al Michaels - NBC Sports

Salary: $6 million per year

With over 5 decades of sportscasting experience, it’s a bit ironic that 74-year-old NFL play-by-play broadcaster, Al Michaels, is known best for just 2 famous matches which he broadcasted. One was the 1980 Winter Olympics ice-hockey game between the United States and the Soviet Union, which was not just a game of sports but also a very political game. The United States ended up winning 4 to 3, which promptly awarded the game the nickname of "The Miracle on Ice".

Michaels' next famous matched occurred in 1989 during the World Series, when a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the Bay Area, causing the game to be postponed due to serious concerns for public safety. Michaels has won numerous awards throughout his successful sportscasting career, including 5 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Sports Personality, 3 NSSA Awards and even "Sportscaster of the Year". He also dabbled in acting, appearing in the 1970 episode of Hawaii Five-O episode called "Run, Johny, Run" which also featured a young Christopher Walken.

Dick Enberg - NBC, CBS, ESPN

Salary: $6 million per year

The Hall of Fame broadcaster, famous for his "Oh my!" calls has been one of America's most loved and admired sports broadcasters. His career spanned out through about 60 years in which he worked with numerous networks such as NBC, CBS, and ESPN. Enberg's incredible track record included 10 Super Bowls and 28 Wimbledons. He was highly celebrated and racked up a very impressive list of honors including 3 Hall of Fame awards, 13 Sports Emmy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Emmy and even his own star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

Outside of sports, Enberg has appeared in a handful of films as an announcer or himself, mostly throughout the '70s. He is the father of 6 kids who also went on to accomplish great things in their personal lives. The legendary sportscaster retired from broadcasting in 2016 and sadly passed away in 2017 at age 82 in his La Jolla, California residence.

Rebecca Lobo -  ESPN

Salary: $60,000 per year

At 6'4", Rebecca Lobo is one incredibly tall woman! Lobo is one of the original players from the WNBA and debuted with the New York Liberty. She continued playing with the team before moving to the Houston Comets and retiring the following year. Her career was cut short by an anterior ligament tear that forced her career to its premature end. She has since become a reporter and color analyst for ESPN, mostly focusing on WNBA and women's college basketball games.

The popular NBA player was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010 as well as the basketball hall of fame. In 2003, Lobo married sportswriter Steve Rushin and has since given birth to 4 children. Lobo helped her mother write a book called "The Home Team" that details the struggles that her mom had endured in battling breast cancer. The mom and daughter duo have since founded the RuthAnn and Rebecca Lobo Scholarship which offer Hispanic students financial aid. In 2017, she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Lobo dominated the courts as a college player before turning pro, with one of her crowning achievements being her team's 35-0 win in the 1995 national championship.

Billy Packer - CBS

Salary: $500,000 per year

Retired basketball analyst, Billy Packer, spent over 30 years as a college basketball color analyst. He has been the subject of numerous controversies and was considered out of touch with the game by many fans. Their biggest criticism towards Packer was his overly harsh manner of broadcasting, supposedly judging the young college player the same way you'd judge a professional NBA player.

To some degree, Packer was seen by many as a film's antagonist. His many controversies ranged from calling Hoya’s guar Allen Iverson a "tough monkey" to suggesting the Kansas Jayhawks rigged their games through poor lighting. One of his most bizarre publicity-stunned adventures involved Packer hiring a psychic to help find O.J. Simpson's murder weapon. The notorious broadcaster is also the author of "Hoops, Why We Win", "The Golden Game” and a few others.

Michael Strahan - Good Morning America

Salary: $17 million per year

Michael Strahan, the NFL defensive player who spent his entire career with the New York Giants, has led a very distinguished football career before retiring in 2007 and turning into a football analyst on Fox NFL Sunday. Strahan's NFL career is full of awards and honors, from breaking the records for most sacks in a season while playing the NFL, to being elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but his great list of accomplishments doesn’t end there. Strahan also receiver 2 Daytime Emmy Awards for his appearances in "Live with Kelly and Ryan" between 2012 and 2016. He was born in Houston, Texas in 1971, to athlete and military parents.

It didn't take Strahan long to follow his family’s footsteps and quickly became a serious NFL prospect. By age 22 he was already enlisted in the New York Giants and went on to become one of their leading players. The successful NFL player and commentator also spend a lot of time and money in philanthropic pursuits and helped fund various Junior League programs such as Children at Risk and Homecorp which helps low-income individuals become homeowners.

Patrick Cash - BBC

Salary: $1 million per year

Australian tennis player Patrick Hart Cash, also known simply as Pat Cash, is considered one of the best tennis players of all time and was inducted into Sport Australia's Hall of Fame in 2015. His monumental victory in 1987 at the Wimbledon championship propelled him to fame and legendary status. Cash claims his main passion outside of tennis is playing the guitar and spending quality time with his children. The tennis champion was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1965 and quickly rose to prominence even during his early years as a promising junior player. In 1981, Cash was ranked as the world's No. 1 junior tennis player.

Since retiring, he mostly hosts CNN's Open Court show which primarily focuses on tennis, and also sportscasts as a TV color commentator for the BBC. He also coached many top tennis players including Greg Ruseksi and even Mark Philippoussis. Cash is currently opening tennis academies in a variety of cities across the world.

Michael Cole - WWE

Salary: $500,000 per year

Sean Michael Coulthard, whom you'd probably recognize better by his stage name, Michael Cole, is a WWE play-by-play commentator on Smackdown. The broadcaster's original career began as a media journalist for CBS radio where he extensively covered political matters such as the 1988 United States elections and the Oklahoma City bombings.

Cole transitioned from journalism to broadcasting in 1997 when he began working for the WWF under the stage name "Michael Cole", and provided voice-overs for advertisement videos. He was chosen in 1999 to become one of the show's main play-by-play announcers and even had a few minor roles in storylines. Cole also appeared in many WWE video-games as a commentator by providing his voice. He was the prominent commentator and announcer during Jerry Lawler's heart attack and was considered extremely professional in the way he handled the event.

Verne Lundquist - CBS

Salary: $1.5 million per year

American sportscaster Verne Lundquist is known for his long career of over 50 years as a play-by-play commentator. The legendary sportscaster played himself during a scene in the 1996 Adam Sandler film "Happy Gilmore". Lundquist was inducted in 2005 into the Sun Bowl Hall of Fame for being a staple in the broadcast booth. Few, if any, sports broadcasters have been involved in as many important events and moments in sports as Lundquist, and he has made sure to leave his mark through his "golden voice" commentary.

Born in Duluth, Minnesota, he began his broadcasting career in 1967 and was praised from the beginning for his "golden voice". He has since worked with ABC, CBS, TNT, and other networks. Lundquist retired from broadcasting in recent years but continues to remain active as an announcer.

Tony Romo - CBS

Salary: $4 million per year

Like many other retired NFL quarterbacks, Tony Romo led an incredible NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys that lasted 13 years from 2003 until 2016 and ended up in a career-ending injury. He broke many records including passing touchdowns, passing yards, most games with at least 300 passing yards, and games with three or more touchdown passes. Romo also holds the fourth-highest passer rating in the NFL at 97.1. He was quickly picked up by CBS Sports and worked as the lead color analyst for the network's NFL Casts.

The retired Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks agents claim he wants to become the highest-paid NFL analyst on TV, and allegedly asked for a $10 million contract. Romo is currently making 4 million dollars annually and is yet to be the first one to break the 8-figure barrier as an analyst. He also claims to be a devout Christian and talks often about his faith and love for Jesus.

Bob Ley - ESPN

Salary: $2 million per year

Long-running and beloved ESPN host Bob Ley has recently announced that he is officially retiring from sports commentary and hosting after nearly 40 years of work with the network. The 64-year-old broadcaster announced his retirement and wrote "Thank you for a great run," on Twitter. As a multiple-time Emmy Award winner and one of the network's most recognizable voices, Ley was the longest working on-air employee in ESPN history as he joined merely three days after the network launched in 1979.

His various awards include the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Studio Host, the Golden Blazer of Fame and more. The veteran sportscaster provided the first live national reports during the 1989 World Series earthquake in San Francisco and was the host and commentator in many of the largest events in sports over the past 3 decades. In his personal life, Ley is married and has 2 kids. He also serves on Seton Hall University’s board of regents.

Lisa Salters - ESPN

Salary: $2 million per year

The feisty journalist and former women's basketball player from Pennsylvania, Lisa Salters, is a highly accomplished woman who was recently conducted into the Montgomery County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. Salters began her career in sports and journalism when she received her bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. While studying, she also tried her hand at basketball, even though she wasn't exactly the tallest basketball player in the world. Standing at just 5' 2, Salters became the school's shortest player in history when she became a guard for the Lady Lions basketball team from 1986 to 1987.

The accomplished journalist went on to join ESPN as a general assignment reporter in the year 2000 and has had a very interesting career that included both sports and worldwide news. She has covered various high-profile topics outside of sports, such as the Oklahoma City bombing trials, the Matthew Shepard murder, the crash of TWA Flight 800, and both the civil and criminal O.J. Simpson trials. Salters was nominated for a Sports Emmy Award in 2008 for her story "Ray of Hope" about organ donations.

Reggie Miller - TNT

Salary: $250,000 per year

After 18-years in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, Reginald Wayne Miller is widely considered to be the team's greatest player of all time. Miller quickly rose to prominence through his excellent 3-pointers and in-ring trash talk. Both 5 time NBA All-Star, Miller, and his sister have been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. With an incredible record of over 25,000 points throughout his career, Miller is the 14th highest scoring player in the NBA. He was also chosen as the USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year in 2002.

Nowadays Miller is a game analyst for TNT's Thursday Night Doubleheaders, he also contributes to The Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio. A documentary film directed by Peabody Award-winner Dan Klores was made about Miller and his team's famous win against the Knicks, the film's name is "Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. the New York Knicks".

Mike Patrick - ESPN

Salary: $6.5 million per year

Just last year, 36 year ESPN broadcasting veteran Mike Patrick officially retired from broadcasting. The 74-year-old had an extensive broadcasting career that spanned over many sports and events. Patrick has contributed to the network by covering NFL games in their Sunday Night Football series for nearly 20 years, not to mention calling over 30 basketball championships over his 14 years of being the play-by-play broadcaster for Women's Final Four.

Outside of ESPN, the recently retired broadcaster did some play-by-play commentating for the Cleveland Browns pre-season football games. He currently lives in Virginia with his wife, Janet. In his final interview with ESPN, prior to leaving the network, he expressed how happy he was for the people he got to work with on-air and behind the scenes. ESPN aired a tribute, narrated by Rece David on SportsCenter to commemorate Patrick's long and important career.

Hannah Storm - ESPN

Salary: $130,000 per year

Award-winning journalist, producer, director and philanthropist, Hannah Storm, is best known as ESPN's SportsCenter Face to Face Anchor. Storm joined ESPN in 2008 and has been there ever since. Her career officially began in 1989 as CNN Sports Tonight anchor and has been on the rise ever since. Storm has written 2 books to date, one about university life and the other about raising confident and successful daughters through sports. She also contributes often to various publications including Cosmopolitan, Nick Jr., Family Circle, Child, and Notre Dame Magazine.

Near the end of 2012, the anchor suffered severe burns to her chest, hands, and face from a grill explosion that occurred at her home. After just a few weeks of hiatus, she returned to co-host the Rose Parade with bandages and has since made a full recovery.

Shannon Sharpe - ESPN

Salary: $5 million per year

With over a million Instagram followers and 3 Super Bowl championships, the buff Shannon Sharpe could easily replace his current TV career with one in modeling. The retired NFL wide-receiver played for the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens and went on to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011. Sharpe is another case of a retired NFL player leveraging his exposure beyond TV and building a massive social media following. He definitely knows how to play to the crowd and frequently uploads everything from funny personal videos to inspirational messages.

Sharpe retired in his prime while holding various NFL records, such as the most receptions, most receiving yards, and most receiving touchdowns. He was also the first-ever NFL player to collect over 10,000 receiving yards. His post-playing life has been fairly drama-free, except a controversy from 2010 when an alleged ex-girlfriend filed a restraining order against him. The allegations were investigated and were quickly dismissed as bogus.

Suzy Kolber - ESPN

Salary: $3 million per year

Suzy Kolber originally joined ESPN in 1993 and has been a mainstay there for the last 20+ years. Born in Philadelphia, the popular sideline reporter has a Bachelor of Arts degree in telecommunications and began her career with CBS Sports as a videotape coordinator.  From there Kolber began taking freelance assignments as a reporter and producer for various media outlets, until securing a position with ESPN. She has since covered many different assignments with the network, from the NFL, to bicycle stunt events and even tennis. Her most popular gig so far is as the sideline reporter for ESPN's Monday Night Football with Michele Tafoya.

Kolber received nationwide attention during an incident that happened while she was covering a 2003 New York Jets game. During a mid-field interview with former Jets quarterback Joe Namath, the recognized retired player stated twice on live television that he wanted to kiss her. Kolber reacted in the best possible manner by responding, "Thanks, Joe. I'll take that as a huge compliment." Since then, her career has been mostly free of drama and controversy.

Scott Van Pelt- ESPN

Salary: $1.5 million per year

Scott Van Pelt, one of the nation's favorite sportscasters on ESPN's SportsCenter, has had a long career of almost 30 years in various broadcasting jobs. Van Pelt began his sportscasting career at WTTG-TV, then moved to work at the Golf Channel and hosted some of the network's most popular shows between 1995 to 2000. His twitter profile has over 2 million followers and he has posted over 52,500 tweets during its lifetime.

Van Pelt has also appeared in a few films lately, most notably in Creed 2 as himself. He was originally born in Brookeville, Maryland, and studied radio, television, and film at the University of Maryland. He also owned his own show for a short time, called the "Scott Van Pelt Show". However, ultimately he had to leave the show in 2009 to focus on his work with ESPN and the show's name was changed to SVP & Rosillo.

Tom Dungy - NBC

Salary: $10 million per year

Anthony Dungy made history as head coach when his team, the Colts, beat the Chicago Bears and won the Super Bowl in 2006. Why did he make history? Because he was the first-ever black head coach to win the Super Bowl! Soon after, Dungy announced his retirement as coach of the Colts and went on to work as an analyst on NBC's Football Night in America. Dungy's career started in 1977 when he began playing as a defensive reserve for the Steelers. The NFL player and coach won both a Super Bowl ring from his time as a player and a ring as head coach. In 2016, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Dungy was also very much interested in national communities - he helped Geroge W. Bush as a member of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, as-well-as Obama with similar topics.

Dungy is deeply religious and even considered leaving his football career to work as a prison minister. In 2007 he wrote a memoir named "Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life" which became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller in the nonfiction section. Dungy claimed to have gotten more satisfaction from the success of the book than his Super Bowl wins, and has since written numerous books on the subject of improving your life and finding strength and significance.

Booger McFarland - ESPN

Salary: $7.9 million per year

Anthony Darelle McFarland, also known as "Booger", is a former American football defensive tackle with two Super Bowl rings, and also a football analyst since joining the SEC Network in 2014. In case you're wondering where the name "Booger" came from, McFarland claims he was very wild as a kid and used to get himself into a lot of trouble, he was called "Booger" as a young kid and the nickname seems to have stuck around since then.

His career highlights are obviously winning 2 Super Bowl championships, one in 2002 when playing with the Buccaneers and one in 2006 with the Colts. The successful football player was forced to retire from the sport after suffering a career-ending knee injury while training for the next Super Bowl. He was recently promoted to color analyst and it seems his broadcasting career is still just at its infancy.

Randy Cross - CBS

Salary: $1 million per year

Recent College Football Hall of Famer Randy Cross is a three-time Pro Bowl and 3 time Super Bowl champion, with over 180 games played throughout his career. Cross was born in Brooklyn and went to college at UCLA , where he played college football.

In 1976 the college player was drafted in the second round by the San Francisco 49ers and went on to play for 13 years until his retirement in 1988. From there Cross went on to become a broadcaster from 1983 and served as an analyst in many NFL games over the years. Randy's father, Dennis Cross, was an American actor who had the lead role in the famous syndicated US Navy TV show "The Blue Angels".

Mike Gorman - NBC

Salary: $500,000 per year

With 5 Emmy Awards and a Hall of Fame induction under his belt, Mike Gorman is definitely what you mean when you talk about a successful play-by-play commentator. The veteran broadcaster has almost 4 decades of experience and was apparently a United States Navy aviator before starting his career in broadcasting.

Since 1981, Gorman has been the voice of the Boston Celtics with Tom Heinsohn. During an interview in the Michael Holley Podcast, Gorman claims that he learned to never listen to his own broadcasting to avoid self-criticism. He often posts updates and personal moments on his Twitter account and where he has a respectable following of 25,000 fans. Gorman grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts and attended the University of Massachusetts-Boston.

Phil Simms - ESPN, CBS, NBC

Salary: $3 million per year

The acclaimed, record-setting NFL quarterback turned sportscaster, Phil Simms, spent his 15-year career playing for the New York Giants and accomplishing many records, some of which have not been beaten to this day. After College, the footballer was quickly drafted into the New York Giants. After leading the Giants to a decisive 39-20 win against the Denver Broncos, Simms went on to be named as the MVP of the 1986 Super Bowl. He also holds the record for the highest completion rate in a Super Bowl game, with 22 out of 25 passes, which puts him at a whopping 88%. A record that has never been beaten.

After retiring, Simms became an NFL analyst on the CBS show NFL Today, as-well-as an analyst in "Inside the NFL". Simms has also appeared in the popular sitcom, "How I Met Your Mother", and the crime-drama - "Criminal Minds". The retired NFL player was inducted in 2011 into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and 3 kids, one of which is currently an AAF Quarterback for the Atlanta Legends.

Dottie Pepper - CBS

Salary: $6 million per year

American pro golfer Dottie Pepper was an award-winning LGPA Tour golfer with an amazing career of 16 years that was sadly cut short, due to an injury. Unfortunately, Pepper only got the chance to play one tournament in 2002 and eventually retired 2 years later in 2004. She was quickly picked up by NBC and The Golf Channel, who took her as a broadcaster for LGPA games. She also retired from commentating in 2012, claiming to want more time for herself and less of a traveling schedule.

She currently works with ESPN and commentates on a limited basis, mostly for the bigger tournaments. The former LGPA player currently lives in New York with her third husband, who also covers golf news. According to LGPA, Dottie Pepper has earned over $6.5 million throughout her golfing career. She has a small verified Instagram account where she regularly posts photos of her career and family..

Al McCoy - WHO

Salary: $200,000 per year

Al McCoy, also known as "The Voice of the Suns", is literally the oldest NBA broadcaster of all time. For over 40 years, almost since the beginning of the NBA, Al McCoy has been calling various NBA games with memorable catchphrases such as "Shazam!" and "Zing go the strings". If you want a living example of persistence, consistency, and perseverance, you need to look no further than Al McCoy's life.

During an interview, McCoy revealed that he almost ended up not calling the Suns' games, a feat which he has been doing for the last 47 years. The story goes that McCoy was offered the job by General Manager Jerry Colangelo,  but wasn't sure that he wanted the job. Eventually, McCoy thought about it and decided to take the opportunity by the hands, and looking at his track record, it's safe to say he's damn happy about it. The veteran broadcaster recently published an autobiography called "The Real McCoy". To his credit, in his entire 40+ years of broadcasting, he has only missed one game due to illness.

Joe Theismann - NFL Network

Salary: $1 million per year

Joe Theismann is a businessman and former star quarterback of the Washington Redskins. He is currently an NFL analyst for ESPN and the NFL Network. Many people follow him on Twitter for his offhand "play-by-play" commentary on NFL games. Theismann retired from football after 14 years due to a career-ending compound leg fracture during a Monday Night Football game. His injury was so bad that it was voted as the NFL's "Most Shocking Moment in History" in a poll by ESPN viewers.

Nowadays, the retired NFL player currently works for the NFL Network, is an owner of a restaurant and bar in Alexandria, Virginia, and even gives motivational speeches for corporations on topics such as leadership. Theismann was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, was nominated as the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1983 and in 1982 became a one-time Super Bowl champion. He has 3 children and was married 3 times, with the first 2 marriages and in-between relationships ending in bitter million-dollar lawsuits. On a happier note, the retired NFL player has appeared in several films and shows in recent years, including the 2019 romance film Snow Coming.

Rodney Harrison - NBC

Salary: $11.5 million per year

Rodney Harrison is one of the commentators on our list that has a less-than-stellar reputation rather than a good one. In 2004, the NFL safety man who played for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots was voted as the "dirtiest player" in the NFL by his peers, and then again in 2016. Harrison also went on to receive numerous suspensions and fees that ended up accumulating to around $200,000 for various small and explicit fouls.

Despite his sordid reputation, Harrison also achieved many records during his NFL career, from being the all-time leader in career Super Bowl tackles to having the most sacks of any NFL defensive back to this day. Since his retirement, he became an analyst for NBC Sports' Football Night in America. The end of his NFL career was caused by a severe leg injury that occurred when he tore a muscle on the field in 2008.

Bill Maas - Fox Sports

Salary: $100,000 per year

As a part-time popular NFL analyst, part-time real-estate broker, and generally an awesome dude, Bill Mass has been making the rounds over the years. Maas started out as a football player and quickly got drafted to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1984. Over-time he became acclaimed for his nose tackle and excellent pass rushing. Maas was also selected twice for the Pro Bowl and even chosen as NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Since retiring in 1998, he has worked as a studio anchor and game analyst for the NFL.

Beyond his work in sports, Maas also did the right thing financially and chose to invest his income in real-estate and gradually build his portfolio. Maas is currently a real estate broker and invests in various rental properties. He is Vice President of the Block & Company, which is based in Kansas City, Missouri. The entrepreneur and retired NFL player got into some legal trouble a decade ago, when he was arrested at a traffic stop in Illinois for drug and weapon possession.

John Madden - CBS, Fox, ABC, and NBC

Salary: $8 million per year

John Madden, one of the key figures behind the NFL's legacy, is just about the most recognizable name related to the NFL today. The former NFL player, coach, sportscaster and entrepreneur was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and led the Oakland Raiders to win the 1976 Super Bowl. He also received 16 Emmy Awards and came 2nd in Yahoo! Sports Top 50 All-Time Network Television Sports Announcers list. His lively and unique announcing style caused him to become one of the most beloved and popular sports newscasters of all time. Madden's biggest commercial success to date is his series of Madden NFL video-games, running since 1988 and published by EA Sports.

The series has been massively successful and had made him a personal profit through licensing his name to the game. Outside of the football scene, Madden has briefly appeared in various films and radio, he's also known to have a fear of flying and would often ride trains instead of airplanes to get to where he was needed. He owns a customized coach-bus called the Madden Cruiser and uses it to travel and get around the country.

Mark Chapman - BBC

Salary: $1 million per year

Mark Chapman (not to be confused with Mark David Chapman who was responsible for John Lennon's death) is a British sportscaster from Rochdale, Lancashire who has been working for the BBC since 1996. Chapman is the presenter of BBC's famous Match of the Day 2 and hosts The Monday Night Club radio show.

Chapman is also a writer and has released two books about soccer. His first book was released in 2010, entitled “Heroes, Hairbands and Hissy Fits: Chappers' History of Modern Football” where he breaks down various critiques of football players, and another book in 2017 titled "The Love of the Game: The Agonies and Ecstasies of Parenting and Sport". The book aims to help parents implement sports in their kids’ lives.

Mike Emrick - NBC

Salary: $300,000 per year

Known by many as "Doc", Mike Emrick is one of the most recognizable voices in hockey and has participated in play-by-play announcing for some of the most important games in the sport's history. With almost 4 decades of experience, Emrick is a highly awarded sportscaster and has received the NHL's Lester Patrick Award in 2014. What's special about this achievement, is that he is the only person to have ever received it for media work rather than participation.

The NHL sportscaster also received 6 national Emmy Awards for excellence in sports broadcasting, with him being the only hockey commentator to have ever received one, much less six. In 2011, Emrick was also the first member of media to have been inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. Emrick often commentates with Glenn "Chico" Resch, and the two are referred to by fans as "The Devils' broadcasting pair". Emrick is also known for his many achievements outside of the game, including his incredible vocabulary and having survived a fight with cancer.

Whit Watson - The Golf Channel

Salary: $3.5 million per year

Sportscaster Whit Watson joined the Golf Channel in mid-2010 and has been working as an anchor and host there ever since. Watson hosted many play-by-play commentaries for major events including the PGA Tour and LGPA Tour.  He is also a keynote speaker for sports conferences and solicits invitations for speeches, corporate appearances, and various other events through AthleteSpeakers.com.

Watson’s career has been without any major scandal or drama and he was awarded 4 Emmys during his work for The Golf Channel. He had worked at ESPN for seven years prior to joining the Golf Channel. His career began when he was hired for Orlando Magic as a TV and radio producer between 1993 and 1997 and also appeared in the historical documentary show "ESPN SportsCentury" in 1999 as himself.

Curt Menefee - Fox

Salary: $3 million per year

NFL Sundays are one of the most important (if not the most important) shows on television for American football fans, and Curt Menefee who is the host of the show certainly is a big part of it. The 54-year-old American sportscaster is well-known for his positive and energetic commentary.

Menefee has received many awards for his sports anchoring and reporting, from the Associated Press Award for Best Sports Reporter to four Katie Awards for Best Sportscast and Best Sports Special.

Ahmad Rashad - NBC, ABC

Salary: $500,000 per year

Ahmad Rashad, the successful Emmy Award-winning sportscaster and NFL wide receiver, has managed to make the NFL's roster of broadcasters much more diverse. The 4 time Pro Bowl winner and College Football Hall of Famer converted from Christianity to Islam at age 23 and changed his name from Bobby Moore to Ahmad Rashād.

After retiring from his NFL career which began in 1972 and ended in 1982, he started covering NFL, NBA and MLB games for various studios such as NBC and ABC. The retired NFL player also starred in various TV shows and films over the years, including Space Jam, Monsters and Best of the Best,  later becoming a panelist for the Morning Drive talk show on the Golf Channel. As a junior college student, Rashad was caught stealing and was charged with a misdemeanor in early 1971, possibly contributing to his decision to convert his religion.

Jeff Van Gundy - ESPN

Salary: $16 million per year

Jeffrey William Van Gundy is a color commentator for ESPN and former head coach of the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets. Born in California, his basketball coaching career began in 1985 when he was just 23 and continues on to this day. After 4 years of disappointments, while coaching the Houston Rockets which included many loses and injuries, Gundy was fired from his role as head coach and became a guest analyst for ESPN. He has been a regular broadcast member there ever since.

Beyond the world of basketball, Van Gundy is also an executive board member of Pro-Vision Academy, a non-profit Houston-based charter school that helps 10 to 18-year-old kids with topics such as education and career training. He has also received an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Nazareth College.

Dan Le Batard - ESPN

Salary: $3.5 million per year

Host of "The Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz", Dan Le Batard is a unique sports broadcaster with a colorful self-deprecating sense of humor, as evident by his show's Twitter slogan, calling itself "a careening clown car that collides with entertainment at the intersection of stupidity and profundity and then, as fire reaches the sky, Stugotz is a felon". The sportswriter, radio host and reporter works from Miami, Florida and also hosts the daily ESPN show "Highly Questionably".

Dan was born in 1968 in New Jersey to Cuban parents and began his career in Miramar, Florida as a columnist in Miami Herald during the '90s. He frequently appears on ESPN as a guest in shows such as Outside the Lines, The Sports Reporters, and College GameDay. However, Le Batard's career has not been without controversy. The acclaimed sportscaster was revealed to use his platform as a member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America to manipulate the Baseball Hall of Fame Votes, as-well-as being suspended for 2 days for mocking LeBron by taking out a billboard of his as a parody.

Billy Ray Brown - CBS

Salary: $2 million per year

Old-school Golfing legend Billy Ray Brown is a true veteran of the sport and played from 1987 until the late '90s. Brown is also a true Texan. He was born in Houston in 1963 and has had many accomplishments during his golf career including 3 PGA Tour victories.

Brown had to cut his golfing career short due to wrist injuries. After his retirement from competitive golf in 1999, he went on to report for ABC sports for 8 years before joining The Golf Channel. If you're an avid sports card collector, you can purchase a Billy Ray Brown trading card on Amazon for just around $3!

Mike Francesa - Mike’s On: Francesa on the FAN

Salary: $3 million per year

Popular talk show radio host Mike Francesa is the host of Mike and the Mad Dog radio show, one of the most famous and successful radio shows in America. Prior to starting his solo career, Mike was a sportscaster for CBS Sports and WFAN, covering various events, mostly related to the NFL. Francisca also hosts the weekly "The NFL Now" radio show and the night-time "Sportstime" on CBS Radio Network.

The acclaimed radio host stated in 2016 that he plans to retire once his contract with WFAN expired, and signed off for the last time in December 2017 by thanking fans of the show. Just a few months after retiring, Francesa launched a mobile app called "Mike's On" with a subscription-based payment model, which streams his show and archived interviews. The app's $8.99 monthly cost was widely criticized by various news outlets, with headlines such as "Buyer, beware! Mike Francesa's pricey new app just another way for the Sports Pope to con the masses", you can safely say that the move was not too well received.

Eleanor Oldroyd - BBC

Salary: $200,000 per year

BBC Radio Back in the mid-'80s, Eleanor Oldroyd began her career as journalist and broadcaster in local radio by covering cricket, paving the way for female sportscasters at a time when there were virtually no women in that field. She has been working for BBC Radio since 1986. Despite claiming to not be a very sporty person, she says that she fell in love with cricket and would watch it often with her dad.

Oldroyd is a very big activist for women's equality in sports and is proud of being one of the first female sports broadcasters. In a recent interview with "The Set Pieces", she claims to feel very lucky to be in her position and to live at a time when women are much more accepted and taken seriously in sports. She is also the author of the book "Composers of Barnes - The Flow of Inspiration" which is a biographical profile of eight of the leading composers from Barnes.

Howie Long - Fox

Salary: $16 million per year

Retired professional NFL player, actor and sportscaster Howie Long spent his entire 13-season career with the Los Angeles Raiders. The almost 60-year-old former defense footballer was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000. After retiring from the NFL in 1993, Long took his bulky build and formidable personality and pursued a career in acting with a focus mainly towards action films. The actor played a few roles in films such as Broken Arrow with John Travolta and 3000 Miles to Graceland with Kurt Russel and Kevin Costner.

The actor even got his own lead role in the 1998 action thriller Firestorm. Long has also appeared in various TV shows and commercials for many companies from Coca-Cola to Hanes and even Chevrolet. He also wrote a book called "Football For Dummies" that was mostly aimed at fans of football who wanted a better understanding of the game. Long is currently a studio analyst for Fox Sports' NFL coverage.

Peter Gammons - ESPN

Salary: $250,000 per year

Peter Gammons is one of the world's leading veterans in baseball writing, with almost 50 years of experience writing for The Boston Globe, Sports Illustrated, and ESPN and THe Athletic. The 74-year-old sportswriter received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award for outstanding baseball writing in 2004 and was also voted as National Sportswriter of the Year 3 times in the past few years.

Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, the city is proud of his work in sports and has proclaimed January 9, 2009 "Peter Gammons day" by the president of the Boston City Council. Gammons is also an avid fan of rock and blues and has released several albums whose proceeds went to charity. Gammons worked for ESPN from 1989 but ultimately quit the network 20 years later in order to free up his extremely demanding schedule to pursue other lifelong challenges. He currently works for the MLB Network as a TV analyst.

Brent Musburger - ESPN, ABC, CBS

Salary: $4 million per year

In 2017, the ESPN broadcaster who was enjoyed for decades by millions of Americans decided to call it quits and retire from broadcasting. We are talking of course about none other than Brent Musburger. Some of you might remember that the accomplished veteran broadcaster was also the lead voice for CBS Sports back in the '80s. In a recent interview just before his retirement, Musburger claimed he was excited to finally get a chance to use all the flight miles he racked up during his many years of broadcasting for some travel fun.

Musburger was an absolute pioneer in his field and was truly the first network play-by-play announcer to change the norms of the time by expressing his opinions and predictions before and during matches. This was unheard of at the time and we can all thank (or accuse) Musburger of today's much more open and expressive style of broadcasting. Musburger called everything from the NBA Finals to NFL games. He is a big proponent of sports handicapping and part of his plan for retirement is to help his family start a sport handicapping business in Las Vegas.