• Loading stock data...
Friday, June 6, 2025

Return of ‘The Sports Reporters’: Jeremy Schaap on Reimagining a Classic

  • The show initially aired on Sunday mornings from 1988 to 2017.
  • Jeremy Schaap’s father was a longtime host. His goal for the revival: “To honor the show—and do justice to it.”
ESPN

One of the first sports books I read was Instant Replay by late sportswriter Dick Schaap and Packers guard Jerry Kramer. It was a pleasure to speak with Jeremy Schaap about the return of ESPN’s classic show, The Sports Reporters

The younger Schaap was a guest host and occasional panelist on the original version of the show, which aired on Sunday mornings from 1988 to 2017. (His father hosted from 1988 until his death in 2001; John Saunders hosted until his death in 2001.)

Schaap’s new Sports Reporters has been reimagined for YouTube and features four play-by-play announcers on NFL games: Joe Buck of ESPN, Mike Tirico of NBC Sports, Ian Eagle of CBS Sports, and Kevin Harlan of CBS and Westwood One.  

For many kids like myself, The Sports Reporters provided a glimpse into the glamorous world of sportswriters. Yes, it showed them discussing the biggest sports stories of the week. But they also discussed how they did their jobs, how they covered athletes, how they lived their fast-paced lifestyles.

“I can’t tell you how many people have reached out to me and said, ‘This is the show that I watched as a kid on Sunday mornings that made me want to be in this business. That excited me about this business, about having a role in it,’” Schaap told me. “I was one of those kids. I was older when the show came out; I was in college. But it’s such a formative part of my life. There’s so many people in the business that it means a lot to. That’s what I think is so special about it. It’s also a serious responsibility. To honor the show—and do justice to it.”

As a young journalist, Schaap literally grew up on the ESPN set with sports media legends like his dad, the late Joe Valerio and Saunders, as well as newspaper columnists Mike Lupica, Bill Rhoden, Mitch Albom, and Bob Ryan. He’s spoken to those living legends—and invited them back on to the show.

“I think of those guys [Rhoden, Albom, Lupica, and Ryan] as the Core Four. They were the guys on the last show in 2017,” Schaap says.

As for their return to the show, he said, “Mitch expressed immediate interest; Mike was a little more circumspect. … It’s certainly my hope [he’ll appear]. The chair’s always there for him.” 

Like Valerio, Schaap would also want to feature up-and-coming sportswriters. Back in the day, I remember watching the young Jemele Hill and Dan Le Batard on the show. Who will be the next generation? 

“There’s no doubt that we’re looking for new voices. It’s going to be a mix of more familiar voices, new voices, finding people out there who have something to say in a unique and compelling way,” Schaap says. “That’s part of the joy, I think, of the whole thing. It’s the search for new voices—and giving them a platform.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

NiJaree Canady

Stacked Texas Tech NIL Roster Now a Win Away From Softball Title

The Red Raiders have a winning formula with NIL and recruiting.
ESPN has not let NBA Countdown “marinate” as talent changes too frequently, ex-host Michelle Beadle tells FOS.
breaking

SiriusXM Parts Ways With Michelle Beadle, Cody Decker

Beadle, Decker exit three months before Stephen A. Smith takes their slot.

White Sox Deal Signals Ninth Inning for Reinsdorf’s MLB Legacy

One of MLB’s elder statesmen still has a lengthy to-do list.
exclusive

Layoffs Hit The Ringer, Spotify

About 15 employees lost their jobs this week.

Featured Today

May 27, 2015; Paris, France; Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) knocks the clay off her shoe during her match against Simona Halep (ROU) on day four of the French Open at Roland Garros

Roland-Garros’s Iconic Red-Clay Surface Is a Precise Alchemy

The exact science behind maintaining the French Open’s red clay.
Alex Jensen introductory press conference on Monday, March 17, 2025.
June 3, 2025

Alex Jensen Started Utah Utes HC Job While Still Coaching the Mavs

How Jensen began building an NCAA program while patrolling the Dallas sideline.
May 31, 2025

PSG and the City of Paris Can Join European Soccer’s Elite

What a maiden Champions League title would mean for the French club.
May 30, 2025

How the Champions League Anthem Took on a Life of Its Own

The composer didn’t know he wrote a timeless hit three decades ago.

Vanessa Richardson on ESPN’s ‘Hoop Streams,’ NBA Finals, Caitlin Clark

“We’re not trying to be ‘NBA Countdown.’ We’re trying to be a good hang,” Richardson said.
May 1, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Stephen A. Smith attends game six of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs between the Denver Nuggets and the LA Clippers at Intuit Dome.
June 4, 2025

Stephen A. Smith Political Pivot Continues With Non-Sports Sirius Show

One of the busiest men in sports media gets even busier.
exclusive
June 4, 2025

Michelle Beadle on Losing SiriusXM Slot to Stephen A. Smith: ‘I Don’t..

Smith will host a weekday show in Beadle’s former spot, as well as a weekly show.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

In Episode 7 of Portfolio Players, go inside the boardroom with Avenue Capital CEO and former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry on Giannis’s future, women’s sports, and upstart leagues like TGL and Unrivaled. 
June 3, 2025

MLB TV Ratings Jump: Fox Up 10%, ESPN Hits Eight-Year High

Each of the league’s national rights holders is posting audience gains.
June 3, 2025

NBA Playoff Ratings Up 3%, Pacers-Knicks G6 Sets Postseason High

The Thunder and Pacers face off in the NBA Finals starting Thursday.
exclusive
June 3, 2025

Jackie Redmond on Absurd Travel Between NHL Playoffs, WWE

Redmond covered four events in six nights across the continent.
Hosts of Inside the NBA on TNT
exclusive
June 2, 2025

Inside ‘Inside the NBA’ Transition to ESPN

Sources say ESPN management will take a hands-off approach to the show.