Fox Sports inks a multiyear agreement to air the Concacaf Gold Cup and Concacaf Nations League through 2029; Dave Flemming leaves ESPN after 16 years; and Chris Evert will not be at Wimbledon after her ovarian cancer has returned. Plus news on ESPN CFP, Tim Bontemps, Brian Kelly and Tracy McGrady.
Fox Sports signs multiyear agreement to air Concacaf Gold Cup through 2029
Fox Sports announced on-air Wednesday that it has reached a multiyear agreement to acquire English-language rights to the Concacaf Gold Cup tournament and Concacaf Nations League through 2029. The company has carried the Gold Cup since 2013, but will air the Nations League for the first time.
The Concacaf Nations League first aired on FloSports in 2019 under a deal that did not include U.S. Men’s National Team matches. Those games continued to air on ESPN and Fox under separate deals with the U.S. Soccer Federation. A few years later, CBS Sports inked a deal to air Concacaf Nations League matches through its Paramount+ streaming service.
Concacaf president and FIFA vice president Victor Montagliani said in a statement that expansion of the partnership “reflects our strategy to increase the visibility and accessibility of our premier men’s senior national team competitions.” The deal comes a few months after Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch floated the company potentially considering “balancing or rebalancing” its sports portfolio to offset higher costs for NFL rights.
While men’s league matches will now be televised under the agreement with Fox Sports, the inaugural season of the Concacaf W Nations League will stream on Paramount+ with select matches also airing on CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network. The games will commence following the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which is airing on Netflix for the first time next year. CBS Sports announced a deal in February under which it will present all Concacaf Women’s competitions through the 2029-30 season.
Flemming leaves ESPN after 16 years
ESPN play-by-play announcer Dave Flemming has departed the network after 16 years, Sports Media Watch has confirmed, making the decision to spend more time with his family. Flemming called his final MLB game on ESPN this past Monday when the Atlanta Braves faced the San Diego Padres. Sam Neumann of Awful Announcing was first to report that Flemming is no longer working for ESPN.
Flemming recently began calling “MLB Sunday Leadoff” games on Peacock and NBCSN, and will be on the call this coming weekend for A’s-Angels alongside NBC Sports California analyst Dallas Braden, Angels Broadcast Television analyst Mark Gubicza and reporter John Fanta. Flemming is part of an NBC MLB play-by-play staff that also includes Jason Benetti and Matt Vasgersian.
In addition to MLB, Flemming was a longtime college basketball voice for ESPN, a role he began in 2010. He was also a regular presence on Saturday college football broadcasts and worked with Brock Osweiler and Stormy Buonantony for the last two seasons. Flemming has also called World Series the past four seasons for international television.
Outside of his national responsibilities, Flemming has been working as a broadcaster for San Francisco Giants baseball for more than two decades, primarily appearing on radio broadcasts with Jon Miller. In addition, he also contributes to Giants telecasts on NBC Sports Bay Area, although the bulk of those games feature Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow. Flemming began his career on radio broadcasts in Minor League Baseball for the Visalia Oaks and Pawtucket Red Sox, and he later became the radio voice of Stanford Cardinal football.
Evert to miss Wimbledon after ovarian cancer returns
ESPN tennis analyst Chris Evert announced on social media Thursday that she is undergoing treatment and recovery for a recurrence of ovarian cancer and will not be attending Wimbledon. A three-time singles champion at Wimbledon, Evert has covered the tournament with ESPN since 2011 after a previous run with NBC.
Evert wrote that she received the news following CT and PET scans and has already had surgery to begin the treatment and recovery. She has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer on two other occasions and called the disease “relentless,” but she pledged to “stay optimistic and determined in continuing to fight this battle.”
“Our thoughts are with our ESPN tennis colleague Chris Evert as she deals with this personal health issue,” Mike McQuade, EVP/production for ESPN, said in a statement. “We will certainly miss her at Wimbledon and wish her all the best. We look forward to having her back with us whenever she feels ready to return.”
ESPN coverage of Wimbledon begins next week and will include all matches available with an ESPN Unlimited subscription, a change from past years when those matches were available through ESPN+. Rece Davis and Malika Andrews will make their debuts as hosts for Wimbledon coverage, and Andy Roddick is providing analysis for matches and studio coverage.
Plus: ESPN CFB, Tim Bontemps, Brian Kelly, Tracy McGrady
- SEC Network will introduce a new lead broadcast team for Saturday night games consisting of play-by-play announcer Matt Schumacker and analyst Aaron Murray, according to a report by Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports. The “SEC Saturday Night” games have included Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic on the call for the last nine seasons. ACC Network will also have a new team per McCarthy, with Wes Durham calling games with analyst Max Browne.
- ESPN NBA reporter Tim Bontemps is in “advanced talks” to join the front office of the Atlanta Hawks, according to a report by Ryan Glasspiegel and Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports. Bontemps, who has been working for ESPN since 2018, writes about the league throughout the year and frequently appears on studio shows. Several former NBA writers and reporters have taken front office jobs in recent years, some of whom include Ben Pickman, Royce Young and Kevin Pelton.
- Brian Kelly is in discussions with CBS Sports about joining its college football coverage, according to a report by Ralph D. Russo and Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. Kelly, who formerly coached at LSU and Notre Dame, appeared in studio for CBS Sports Network earlier this year during its NFL Draft broadcasts. Glasspiegel reported earlier Wednesday for Front Office Sports that Kelly “is expected to be part of a three-man booth on Mountain West games” for CBS.
- NBC Sports analyst Tracy McGrady only signed a one-year deal with the company and is not sure if he will return to the “NBA Showtime” studio program next season, according to a report by Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports. McGrady worked with Maria Taylor, Vince Carter and Carmelo Anthony on the show, including on-site editions for “Sunday Night Basketball.” McGrady graded the group’s performance a B+ and said he “would love to be back with the camp.”
