Linda Cohn may be closing the book on one of the most iconic careers in sports television history, but she has no intention of slowing down.
After spending 34 years at ESPN and becoming the network’s longest-serving “SportsCenter” anchor, Cohn announced this week that she is stepping down from the worldwide leader in sports. While many fans saw the news as the beginning of retirement, Cohn says that’s far from reality.
Instead, the Hall of Fame broadcaster is gearing up for a new venture that she says will give her something she’s rarely experienced in her decades in television: complete creative freedom.
“I’m excited to see what’s next”
After announcing her departure, Cohn made it clear that she is embracing the future rather than mourning the end of her ESPN career.
“I’m excited for what’s next, and I’m not sad about it ending,” Cohn said.
She explained that her upcoming project, which is expected to be officially announced next month, will allow her to branch out beyond traditional sports coverage into topics including entertainment, music and pop culture, while maintaining the authentic personality viewers have come to know.
Cohn also plans to expand her work through speaking engagements, social media, digital content creation and her growing YouTube channel.
Far from disappearing from the public eye, she believes fans will actually see more of her than ever before.
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Retirement is not the right word
Although ESPN described the move as a retirement, Cohn doesn’t see it that way.
She stressed that she still has a long way to go and wants to continue using her platform to encourage future generations of broadcasters – especially young women hoping to break into sports media.
“I don’t want people to see the retiree word and think I’m going off into the sunset,” Cohn said.
She hopes the next phase of her career will allow her to continue sharing her experiences and prove that careers don’t have to end just because a chapter closes.
If she is remembered most for helping to inspire women to pursue careers in sports broadcasting, Cohn says she would consider that one of her greatest accomplishments.
The movement that changed everything
Cohn admitted that the idea of leaving ESPN only entered her mind after the company moved SportsCenter operations from Los Angeles back to Bristol, Connecticut.
After building a life in Southern California with her daughter, Sammy, the unexpected move forced her to rethink what she wanted professionally.
Instead of walking away immediately, Cohn signed a one-year extension that gave her extra time to evaluate her future while finishing her career on her own terms.
Looking back now, she believes it was the right decision.
A career built on persistence
Long before she became one of ESPN’s defining personalities, Cohn had to overcome obstacles that extended far beyond the television studio.
She has openly discussed growing up with low self-esteem after being bullied as a child because of her thick glasses.
Sport became both an escape and a passion.
When she started broadcasting, she felt the constant need to prove that her knowledge matched anyone else’s in an industry overwhelmingly dominated by men.
That determination fueled her rise from community radio in Patchogue, New York, to becoming one of the most recognizable faces in sports television.
Wins over ESPN
Even after arriving at ESPN in 1992, success did not come automatically.
Cohn recalled being called into her boss’s office just two years into her tenure and told that while everyone appreciated her knowledge, they wanted viewers to see more of her on-air personality.
At the time, she admits she purposely tried not to stand out.
She dressed conservatively, focused on reading highlights perfectly, and constantly worried about saying or doing the wrong thing.
Eventually she learned to trust herself.
As her confidence grew, so did her popularity with viewers, helping to transform her into one of ESPN’s signature personalities for more than three decades.
Sport has always been personal
For Cohn, sport has never been simply a profession.
Growing up on Long Island, she spent countless hours attending New York Rangers games with her father and lived through every heartbreaking Giants season with her family.
Those memories eventually came full circle when she attended both of the Giants’ Super Bowl victories over the previously undefeated New England Patriots — sharing one with her brother and the other with her son, Dan.
Those moments, she says, remind her why sports have always been woven into her family’s history.
More than just a sports center anchor
During his remarkable ESPN career, Cohn became far more than a news anchor.
She served as host, reporter, interviewer, writer, play-by-play broadcaster and one of the faces of ESPN’s memorable “This Is SportsCenter” commercials.
A former collegiate hockey goalie at SUNY Oswego, she also became one of the network’s most recognizable hockey voices in recent years.
Her contributions were recognized in 2017 when she was inducted into the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame.
ESPN president Burke Magnus called Cohn “a legend” whose impact on the network goes far beyond what viewers saw on television.
One last sign off
Cohn’s last day SportsCenter will feature performances at 18.00, at 22.00 and 11 p.m. ET, ending one of the longest and most influential careers in sports broadcasting history.
While it marks the end of an era at ESPN, Cohn insists it’s just the beginning of something new.
TMSPN Tag
Very few broadcasters become synonymous with a network as Linda Cohn became synonymous with SportsCenter. Her longevity, credibility and ability to evolve over more than three decades helped pave the way for countless broadcasters that followed. Her record for the most SportsCenter appearance can stand for generations.
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