ESPN Inks Extension With 80-Year-Old Vitale

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Hall of Fame basketball analyst Dick Vitale, who turned 80 this month, has signed a new extension with ESPN that will keep him with the sports network through the 2021-22 season.

The still-boisterous Vitale signed up for this season last May.

“I’m so honored and proud to be a little spoke in the big wheel that ESPN is in the world of sports,” said Vitale. “ESPN is my second family, and all the beautiful people I’ve have the opportunity to work with over the years are so important to me.”

Vital joined ESPN during the 1979-80 season, just after the network was launched. He will continue to work as a game analyst, contribute to SportsCenter and ESPN.com

“Dick’s passion for college basketball and commitment to the sport over the last four decades is unrivaled,” said Stephanie Druley, ESPN executive VP of event and studio production. “We are thrilled to have such a great ambassador for the game on our air now and in the future.”

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.