After unexpectedly laying off NFL analyst Ryan Clark on Monday, it appears ESPN is just getting started.
According to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, who first broke the Clark news, ESPN is expected to lay off longtime baseball announcer Karl Ravech after 33 years with the network.
ESPN’s Decision on Ravech
While an ESPN spokesperson declined to comment on Marchand’s report, it appears the network is simply undergoing another round of layoffs. However, few expected Ravech to be among those affected, especially in the middle of the MLB season while serving as the network’s lead baseball play-by-play announcer.
In fact, Ravech was on the call less than 24 hours earlier for Monday night’s matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies.
Further in Marchand’s report, Ravech was reached by phone Tuesday morning and had yet to be informed, as ESPN planned to notify employees later that morning.
Ravech’s History With ESPN
Ravech first joined ESPN in 1993 and has served in several different roles during his time with the network.
He started as a SportsCenter anchor before eventually hosting Baseball Tonight and ESPN’s on-site coverage of the World Series.
Around 2013, he truly emerged as one of the network’s lead play-by-play voices. He also became a staple of the Little League World Series, one of the most popular baseball events ESPN has the rights to broadcast.
However, with Sunday Night Baseball transitioning to NBC, while ESPN still broadcasts select MLB games — including Monday night’s matchup — the network apparently saw an opportunity to move on from a prominent voice like Ravech as part of another round of unfortunate summer layoffs.
ESPN Set to Lay Off Longtime MLB Broadcaster After 33 Years