With Booger McFarland poised to move into the broadcast booth, the “Boogermobile” is reportedly no more. Also: the Yankees are not expected to buy back YES Network for another few months; ESPN’s Bill Polian is leaving the network; longtime golf writer Dan Jenkins has died.
Boogermobile shelved as McFarland appears headed to booth
ESPN will discontinue use of the so-called “Boogermobile” — an elevated cart that carried Monday Night Football sideline analyst Booger McFarland up and down the field during games last season — according to Sporting News. The decision, which seemed a formality after ESPN did away with the cart on its most recent NFL telecasts, does not mean McFarland is leaving MNF.
Author Jim Miller, who wrote the ESPN book “Those Guys Have All the Fun,” told the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast this week that ESPN will likely go with McFarland and Joe Tessitore in a two-man booth next season, unless it can lure Peyton Manning into broadcasting. A previous New York Post report said as much earlier this week. [Sporting News 3.8, Sports Illustrated 3.7]
SBD: Yankees’ YES purchase still months away
The New York Yankees are still months away from buying back the 80 percent stake in YES Network the team sold to 21st Century Fox in 2014, Sports Business Daily reported Friday. The Fox News Channel previously reported that the deal would go through on Friday.
According to SBD, the Yankees have partnered with Amazon, Sinclair Broadcasting and the private equity firm Redbird Capital on the purchase, which is worth $2.7 billion. The Yankees’ deal with Fox gave the team the right to buy back its stake if YES was ever put up for sale. YES is one of the 22 Fox-owned RSNs being sold to and divested by Disney.
Bloomberg first reported the Yankees’ intentions last year. [SBD 3.8]
Polian leaving ESPN
ESPN NFL analyst Bill Polian is leaving the network, it was announced Friday. Polian, who had been with ESPN since 2012, had taken on a prominent new role of late, as cofounder of the Alliance of American Football. [ESPN PR 3.8]
Golf writer Jenkins passes away
Golf Digest senior writer Dan Jenkins died Thursday at age 89. Jenkins had been with Golf Digest since 1985, after a two-decade run with Sports Illustrated from 1963-84. He spent 71 years as a sportswriter, starting straight out of high school with the Fort Worth Press in 1948. [AP 3.8]
