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.
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.
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.