Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Culture
CultureEntertainmentSports

Longtime ESPN Commentator John Saunders Dead at 61, Colleagues Offer Condolences

Posted byBy Kiersten Willis | Published on: CommentsComments (0)
John Saunders (ESPN)

John Saunders (ESPN)

John Saunders, an ESPN commentator for nearly 30 years, has passed away at age 61. Saunders had been a figure of several shows on the network.

The announcement was made live on “SportsCenter” this morning, and a cause of death has not been revealed.

According to a statement by ESPN, Saunders was the host of in-studio and play-by-play programming. He covered college football on special editions of “College Football Live,” college basketball and NFL highlights. He hosted “The Sports Reporters” for 15 years and co-hosted “SportsCenter” during football season.

The broadcaster also hosted the World Series, the MLB All-Star Game and the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. Hockey was a sport that Saunders took up in college, having earned a scholarship to attend and play at Western Michigan in the mid-1970s. The Canada native had been an all-star defenseman in the Montreal junior leagues and would transfer from WMU to Ryerson Polytechnical in Toronto. There he became an all-star with the Ontario University Athletic Association.

“John was an extraordinary talent and his friendly, informative style has been a warm welcome to sports fans for decades,” ESPN president John Skipper said in the statement. “His wide range of accomplishments across numerous sports and championship events is among the most impressive this industry has ever seen.”

Outside of the industry, Saunders was a founding member of The V Foundation, which launched in 1993. He also served on the board of directors.

Since his death was announced, many colleagues have shared their thoughts about the journalist.

Jemele Hill, who was on a panel with Saunders at the National Association of Black Journalists convention Aug. 5, became emotional when recalling his interest in being a mentor.

On Twitter, she called Saunders a “champion.”

Frequently outspoken Stephen A. Smith couldn’t find the words to describe how he felt.

NFL reporter Jim Trotter said he had “no words” about the loss of his colleague, calling it an “awful day.”

Robin Roberts called her colleague and friend an “amazing man in many ways.”

NBA All-Star Jamal Mashburn also expressed his condolences.

Saunders leaves behind his wife Wanda, and two daughters Aleah and Jenna.

Still independent.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top