Some of you might not have realized this, but watching sports on TV would be a totally different experience if sportscasters were not around. They are an integral part of the programs that are televised regularly, and they somehow are quite the celebrities as well.

They have their fair share of fans and are also being paid a lot of money on a regular basis. Let's take a look at some of the most popular sportscasters in our modern-day, and let's see just how much they are able to make on a yearly basis.

 

Troy Aikman - $18 Million

Troy Aikman is a legend in the 'NFL,' and it's all for a good reason. The former quarterback made a name for himself in the sport, winning three Super Bowls while playing for the 'Dallas Cowboys' and it seems success follows him in everything he touches if his reported annual salary is anything to go by.

After his playing days, Troy landed a deal with 'Fox' as a sportscaster, having ventured into television sports commentary. Still, in February 2022, the star decided to leave the network and penned a lucrative contract with 'ESPN' that will see him take home a whopping $18 million per year for the next five years.

 

Terry Bradshaw - $5 Million

Terry Bradshaw is a powerhouse! If you doubt it, we’d have you know that this legend has dipped his hands in many pies, from being a professional football player to becoming an actor and finally a sports analyst and commentator.

Terry’s career as a footballer brought him into the limelight, and throughout his career, the player earned a total of four 'Super Bowl' titles. Since the voice actor retired, he has taken up the role of a TV analyst, and this new role has made Terry even more popular. Currently, the commentator earns an annual salary of $5 million. Suffice to say that Terry has a knack for being successful.

 

Adam Schefter – $1.2 Million

Adam Schefter always knew he wanted to become a TV journalist, so studying it in college was a natural choice. His life changed in 2004 when he landed a job with the NFL Network. He has been loyal to the network all these years and earns as much $1.2 million yearly.

The shows you can catch him on are NFL Live, Get Up, and SportsCenter. Schefter has always been a passionate writer. Actually, it was nice that he got to share his experiences in his publication called The Man I Never Met.

Rachel Nichols – $1.5 Million

Rachel Nichols went to Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. After graduating in 1995, she got into sports journalism right away. She was hired by ESPN in 2004 and was able to work for several shows. She transferred to CNN in 2013 and worked for them for three years.

She decided to return to ESPN in 2016 and was given a show called The Jump. Sources say she is able to make around $1.5 million yearly. Nichols is busy being a mom when she gets off work because she is raising two kids with her husband, Max Nichols.

Rece Davis – $1.5 Million

Rece Davis is one of those people who say that their work doesn't really feel like work. This is because his job as an ESPN sports journalist allows him to watch basketball games. Plus, he gets to share his opinions about it. He also gets to live comfortably because his annual salary is $1.5 million.

His contract with ESPN will last until 2021, but we're guessing there's a huge chance that it will get renewed when the time comes. Davis is mainly known for being a SportsCenter anchor. Aside from basketball, he is also passionate about football.

Hannah Storm – $1.5 Million

It's easy to remember Hannah Storm because her surname makes her sound like she's a superhero. Although not officially confirmed, sources online estimate her to be making around $1.5 million a year. This is thanks to her job at ESPN as an anchor.

You guys most probably recognize her for the appearances she had in the show, SportsCenter. Before working for ESPN, she experienced having jobs at CBS News, NBC Sports, and CNN. Her husband, Dan Hicks, is a sportscaster as well, and they are parents to three beautiful girls.

Jay Bilas – $2 Million

Jay Bilis is a successful college basketball analyst who really knows what he's talking about because he was also a basketball player during his younger years. Despite being selected by the Dallas Mavericks in 1986, he chose to play overseas for teams like Scaligera Basket Verona and Caja de Guipúzcoa.

He spent a couple of years working as an assistant coach, but he eventually pursued a broadcasting career in the mid-'90s. He currently makes around $2 million per year. Another career he pursued is a law career, and he has been working at Moore & Van Allen as an Of Counsel.

 

Curt Menefee – Annual Salary Undisclosed

Curt Menefee hasn't shared exactly how much his annual earnings are. His secrecy is giving us the impression that he just doesn't want to brag about how well he is paid. In 1997, he started his journey with Fox Sports. From sideline reporting, he eventually became a play-by-play commentator.

He now works alongside big names like Terry Bradshaw and Michael Strahan. If you want to see him in action, just tune into Fox NFL Sunday or the 2020 XFL. He most recently hosted a game between the Houston Roughnecks and LA Wildcats.

Linda Cohn – $3 Million

While many young girls would watch different cartoons on TV, Linda Cohn was already watching televised sports. She later got into ice hockey and was able to play from high school until her time in SUNY Oswego. She started pursuing a career as a sports anchor in the '80s.

Her breakthrough came in the '90s when she was hired by ESPN. She is well recognized for being the longtime host of SportsCenter. Every year, she earns as much as $3 million. Cohn was previously in a relationship with Matt Voity but the two decided to call it quits back in 2019.

Suzy Kolber – $3 Million

Suzy Kolber doesn't really want to talk about how big of a paycheck she receives on the regular but she is estimated to be making around $3 million every year. She has been with ESPN since 1993 and has been assigned a wide range of roles over the years.

Aside from being a sportscaster, she also served as a co-producer and sideline reporter. She is undeniably a gorgeous woman and brands seem to love her because they book her as a spokesperson. She reportedly has done commercials for Pepsi-Cola and Chevrolet.

Samantha Ponder – $4.9 Million

Samantha Ponder can easily be mistaken to be an actress or model, but the career path she has chosen that of a sportscaster. You guys can catch her on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown. She is estimated to be making as much as $4.9 annually.

She is surrounded by the most talented athletes most of the time and it was only a matter of time before one guy had the guts to ask her out. That guy is former NFL player Christian Ponder and they've been happily married since 2012. The couple has three kids already as of today.

Michael Wilbon – $6 Million

Michael Wilbon taught he knew what success tasted like when he worked for The Washington Post as a columnist and sportswriter, but he was in for a surprise once he was hired by ESPN. He has been working for them for more than a decade now.

His annual salary is said to be at $6 million and this is definitely eliminating any kind of financial worries in his life. He is mostly known for being a host on the show called Pardon the Interruption. Wilbon apparently owns estates in Maryland and Arizona.

Scott Van Pelt – $4 Million

Scott Van Pelt is yet another talented sportscaster who you may have been seeing on the show called SportsCenter. He previously hosted a radio show called SVP & Russillo but he has been solely focused on his TV work since 2015. In a year, the money he makes reaches around $4 million.

Finding out how much he is able to make yearly will make you understand why he was okay with leaving his radio hosting job. Van Pelt has been happily married to his wife Stephanie since 2011 and they are currently raising two kids together.

Chris Berman – $5 Million

You can consider Chris Berman to be one of the first few men who actually built a successful sportscasting career thanks to ESPN. He was hired by the company just a year after it officially launched. He is well known for hosting SportsCenter.

Other shows Berman has hosted in the past were Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown. Sources say he earns a total of $5 million every year. His current net worth at 64 years old is $20 million. Berman hasn't left the company yet, but he had his schedule reduced since 2017.

Michelle Beadle – $600K

Michelle Beadle's bank account isn't as big as other names on this list. Yet, we're sure there's lots of potential for her to achieve way more in her career in the coming years. She previously earned around $600K annually in her hosting/reporting job at ESPN.

She got to host programs like Get Up!, Winners Bracket, and SportsNation. It was reported back in 2019 that she is leaving ESPN and had a buyout with the company. It's still unclear what network she will be working for next. Let's just hope her next job brings her big paychecks!

Mike Golic – $6 Million

Mike Golic is among the former professional athletes who ended up pursuing a broadcasting career after his retirement. He played football for teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Oilers, and Miami Dolphins. He actually started his broadcasting career while he was still playing for the Eagles.

He spent about 17 years hosting a show called Mike and Mike. Since 2017, he has mostly been hosting Golic and Wingo. He is reportedly making about $6 million in a year. Golic has three kids with his wife, Christine. Two are athletes, while one pursued broadcasting as well.

Skip Bayless – $5 Million

Skip Bayless has been working for Fox Sports since 2016. The money he is making per year is estimated to be around $5 million. He hosts a program called Skip and Shannon: Undisputed. Some of you might've not known this, but "Skip" isn't his real name.

He was born John Edward Bayless II, but his father just gave him a nickname at an early age. Prior to working for Fox Sports 1, he was working for ESPN2. He was a commentator for the show called First Take. Skip is also an author and has released a total of three publications in his career.

Howie Long – $4 Million

People first knew Howie Long for his NFL career. He played for the Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders from 1981 until 1993. After he decided to enter retirement, he made the not-so-surprising decision to pursue a career in broadcasting. He is working as the studio analyst of the NFL coverage of Fox Sports.

He is reportedly making as much as $4 million per year. He and his wife, Diane Addonizio, have been married since 1982, and they have three sons together. Two of their sons became football players too, but both of them are already retired as of today.

Charissa Thompson – $700K

Charissa Thompson took up Law and Society when she studied at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Still, it looks like she found herself pursuing a career in sportscasting. She had a two-year run with ESPN and was seen on shows like SportsNation and Numbers Never Lie.

She left the network back in 2013 and moved to Fox Sports, where she became the host of Fox Sports Live. Sources say she earned around $700K every year. Charissa doesn't just host shows about sports, for she also hosted Extra and Ultimate Beastmaster.

Jimmy Johnson – $400K

Jimmy Johnson works for Fox NFL Sunday as an analyst and is estimated to be earning at least $400K in a single year. This isn't his biggest achievement in his life because he actually has an impressive portfolio as a football coach. He coached the Dallas Cowboys during two of their Super Bowl wins.

Johnson has also been able to step out of his comfort zone and appear in reality shows in the past. He was among the people who competed on  Survivor: Nicaragua back in 2010. He knows how to invest the fortune he was blessed with, and this is why he decided to put up a restaurant in Miami.

Terry Bradshaw – $2 Million

Terry Bradshaw was a popular NFL star who enjoyed winning a total of four Super Bowl Championships with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After he stopped playing, he became a sports analyst. Many of you have probably seen him on the show called Fox NFL Sunday.

He is estimated to have at least $2 million in earnings every single year. A lot of people would also recognize him for the different acting roles he has been given over the years. He continues to be an active actor and was just on the show called Last Man Standing in early 2020.

Colin Cowherd – $2 Million

Colin Cowherd's last name might sound funny to some, but there's nothing to laugh about when it comes to how successful he has become. His success comes from his broadcasting career, which started out as a local one. Everything changed when ESPN hired him in 2003.

He is among those hosts who originally hosted SportsNation. He later moved to Fox Sports in 2015, and his annual salary is said to be at $2 million today. Cowherd is definitely the complete opposite of a coward because he has made several controversial remarks over the years.

Tony Kornheiser – $6 Million

Tony Kornheiser has done it all. He pursued sports writing, TV hosting, and radio hosting. He spent many years working for The Washington Post as a writer. He was focused more on hosting in recent years and he was able to make $6 million years through this.

He previously hosted Pardon the Interruption and NFL Monday Night Football but as of today, he has yet to book a new regular hosting gig on TV. What keeps him busy is his podcast called The Tony Kornheiser Show. His podcast studio is located in his restaurant called Chatter.

Mike Greenberg – $6.5 Million

Mike Greenberg was one of the two Mikes who host the radio show called Mike and Mike. He was previously a host on SportsCenter, but since 2018, he has been hosting the show called Get Up!. He can afford to buy anything he wants because he makes $6.5 million yearly.

Outside of hosting, he is also fond of writing books. He even knows how it feels to be on the bestseller list of The New York Times. Greenberg is married to a woman named Stacy, and they have a daughter and son together.

Stephen A. Smith – $8 Million

Stephen A. Smith was a basketball player back in college, but it looks like he wasn't meant to become an athlete professional. He instead pursued a broadcasting career and has remained loyal to ESPN. He's seen on shows like First Take and SportsCenter.

The network surely loves him because he gets to earn around $8 million in a single year. Smith has also gotten into acting over the years, and he was able to appear on the show, General Hospital. He was already a fan of the show before scoring his cameo role.

Jim Rome – $30 Million

Jim Rome is a successful radio host who has already been pursuing a career in radio hosting even before he got his Communications degree. Today, he regularly hosts his own radio show called The Jim Rome Show and sources estimate him to earn around $30 million yearly.

He also did TV hosting at one point and was the host of his own show called Jim Rome Is Burning. He first worked for ESPN but he eventually transferred to CBS. Rome, his wife Janet, and two sons live a peaceful life in their beautiful home in Irvine, California.

Kevin Harlan – $400K

Kevin Harlan was always exposed to professional sports because his father, Bob Harlan, used to be the CEO and Chairman of the Green Bay Packers. He didn't really pursue a career as an athlete, and he has always been interested in a broadcasting career.

In fact, he started as early as high school. He was eventually hired by CBS in 1998 and is now making about $400K on a yearly basis. His skills in broadcasting are always well recognized, and he has been named NSMA's National Sportscaster of the Year twice already.

Dan Shulman – $1 million

Dan Shulman initially pursued actuarial science when he started studying at the  University of Western Ontario. He later discovered that his true calling was in the broadcasting industry. His first major job was at TSN, but he was hired by ESPN in 2001.

As of today, he makes around $1 million per year. Most of you remember him for hosting  Sunday Night Baseball. However, he decided to leave the show back in 2017 because he wanted to spend more time in Toronto with his family. He apparently struggled to balance his personal life with his career.

Cris Collinsworth – $4 Million

Just like Troy Aikman, Cris Collinsworth was also busy making money on the field prior to becoming a sportscaster. He spent about eight seasons playing for the Cincinnati Bengals. He is well recognized for his work with the NFL Network, NBC, and Showtime.

In fact, he won a total of fifteen  Sports Emmy Awards already. He is currently making about $4 million every single year. He is often seen on NBC Sunday Night Football. Back in 2019, he was given the opportunity to voice himself in the animated comedy show called American Dad!.

Chris Fowler – $3 million

Chris Fowler first landed a job at the Denver-based station called KCNC-TV. However, he only got to feel the true feeling of success in 1986 when he landed a job at ESPN. He spent more than two decades as the host of College GameDay, but he decided to leave the show in 2014.

He's still with ESPN today, but he is mostly seen on shows like Saturday Night Football and ESPN College Football. Sources say he earns $3 million per year. Fowler's gorgeous wife is Jennifer Dempster. Fun fact: She used to appear on ESPN's BodyShaping TV series back in the '90s!

Marv Albert – $2 Million

Marv Albert is an established sportscaster who is well known in the basketball industry. He is just as legendary as most popular players because he also made it into the  Basketball Hall of Fame. After over five decades in the industry, he still isn't doing much retirement planning yet.

He is the lead announcer of Turner Sports, and he makes about $2 million in a year. Albert once went through a rough patch because of an indecent abuse scandal. NBC decided to fire him, but they're one forgiving company because they re-hired him after less than two years.

Johnny Weir – $65K

It's not every day that you see a male sportscaster rocking a full face of makeup. Johnny Weir is definitely breaking barriers and stereotypes with his unique persona. He first became successful as a figure skater, but he later proved that he has many talents.

He got into writing, acting, and broadcasting. He serves as an analyst and commentator for different skating events. He is estimated to be making at least $65K a year from his broadcasting career alone. Weir became an active actor in 2020 when he was given a role in the show called Spinning Out.

Kirk Herbstreit – $2 Million

Kirk Herbstreit played football during his younger years. Yet, he later realized that he wants to pursue a career as a sportscaster. Over the years, he became mostly known for his job at College GameDay as an analyst. He is making about $2 million on a yearly basis.

He has been married to his wife Allison since 1998. Their love story is fit for a movie because he was a star athlete, and she was a cheerleader. They have two sons together who both grew up to be football players as well.

Grant Hill – $2 Million

Grant Hill has been used to earning a big salary for many years now because he had a fruitful career in the NBA. He got to play for teams like the Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, and Orlando Magic. When he got into broadcasting, he still continued to get richer by the minute.

Today, he makes around $2 million annually from his job at CBS as a broadcaster. Hill is such a likable guy, and this is why companies love getting him as a spokesperson. He has worked with TAG Heuer, McDonald's, and Nike.

Gary Neville – $1.9 Million

Gary Neville used to play soccer for the national team of England and the soccer club Manchester United. There was also a point wherein he had become a soccer coach. However, the highlight of his life in recent years has been his career at Sky Sports as a pundit/commentator.

He was first hired by the company in 2011, the same year he officially went into retirement from soccer. Sources say he received a pay raise in 2016 and is making around $1.9 million yearly as of today. Neville is married to a woman named Emma Hadfield, and they have two daughters together.

Michael Strahan – $17 Million

Michael Strahan has been living a nice life for many years now. Before his success as a sportscaster, he was already generating lots of earnings thanks to his NFL career. He spent a total of 14 years playing for the New York Giants.

He started pursuing a career as a host/analyst during the late 2000s after he retired from playing football. His career has gotten way better in recent years. Strahan was promoted as a full-time host on Good Morning America in 2016. Currently, he's making a whopping $17 million yearly!

Troy Aikman – $7.5 Million

Troy Aikman used to be an NFL player. He's one who can definitely look back at his career with a smile on his face because he won three Super Bowls with his team. Aikman has remained quite popular even after retiring because he pursued a sportscasting career.

He was already wealthy when he was an athlete. Now, his new career allows him to increase his fortune by $7.5 million annually. He is best known for his work on NFL on FOX. Aikman is all about new beginnings, and he just entered his second marriage back in 2017.