Kenny Mayne is leaving ESPN because Worldwide Leader won’t show him the money
Updated 11:31 AM;
Today 11:29 AM
ESPN anchor Kenny Mayne announced Monday he is leaving the network after 27 years with the Worldwide Leader.Kelly Backus / ESPN Images
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Money talks. Even in broadcasting.
I am leaving ESPN. Salary cap casualty. Thanks for the opportunity Vince Doria & Al Jaffe & for taking my solicitations Herman/Stinton/Lynch. I will miss the people. I will miss the vending machine set up over by the old Van Pelt joint. We had everything. IntoTheGreatWideOpen#
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In a conversation with The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch, the 61-year-old Mayne revealed the decision came down to money.
Herman/Stinton/Lynch.
I will miss the vending machine set up over by the old Van Pelt joint.
We had everything.
In addition to anchoring, he produced feature pieces including Mayne Street, in which he played a fictionalized version of himself, according to ESPN. These often aired on Sunday NFL Countdown.
Before his time at ESPN, Mayne saw some success in college sports. The native of Kent, Wash., attended Wenatchee Valley Community College where he earned an honorable mention junior college All-American quarterback in 1978, according to ESPN. He went on to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, where he played two years of football and graduated before signing as a free agent with the Seattle Seahawks in 1982.
Mayne joined ESPN on a full-time basis in 1994. He had previously worked for Seattle’s KSTW from 1982-89, then did odd jobs including telemarketing, sales, and even garbage can assembly, but he repeatedly pitched ESPN, and eventually got some freelance work there and then a full-time job there. At ESPN, he worked on
SportSmash and
SportsCenter, then did horse racing and
Sunday NFL Countdown features called
The Mayne Event, then scripted series
Mayne Street and then the world-travelling
Kenny Mayne’s Wider World of Sports before rejoining
SportsCenter in 2013. Here’s a classic
The Mayne Event clip:
ESPN announces new deal for Chris Berman on same day Kenny Mayne tweets he’s leaving the Worldwide Leader
Posted May 11, 5:15 AM
ESPN announced a new deal Monday with legendary anchor Chris Berman.Phil McCarten/Invision/AP
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You say goodbye, I say hello.
Kenny Mayne announced on Monday he is departing ESPN, calling himself a “salary cap casualty.” The 61-year-old Mayne, who had been with the Worldwide Leader for 27 years, broke the news on Twitter.
I am leaving ESPN. Salary cap casualty. Thanks for the opportunity Vince Doria & Al Jaffe & for taking my solicitations Herman/Stinton/Lynch. I will miss the people. I will miss the vending machine set up over by the old Van Pelt joint. We had everything. IntoTheGreatWideOpen#
Clara Gaspar
Updated: May 11 2021, 10:54 ET
KENNY Mayne is a much-loved sports anchor, known for his dry humor and hilarious sayings.
But the TV star has announced he will be leaving ESPN. Here s what we know about his departure.
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Who is Kenny Mayne?
Kenny Mayne, 61, is a popular SportsCenter anchor and ESPN personality.
Mayne has always had a keen interest in sports. He played football for two seasons at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Kenny started out serving as a freelance reporter and field producer for ESPN from 1990-1994.
He officially joined the network in 1994, covering their motorsports and horse racing coverage.