Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame 2019: Bob Ley: Professionalism Unmatched, Class Personified By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Wednesday, December 11, 2019 - 1:16 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
SVG is profiling this year's 10 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame inductees in the weeks leading up to the ceremony on Dec. 17 at the New York Hilton. For more information, CLICK HERE.
ESPN sportscaster Scott Van Pelt calls him the Moral Compass. Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer and ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman dubs him ESPN's North Star.
It's one thing to be admired for the professional you become. It's quite another to be beloved for the man you are. To many at ESPN - and the sports television industry at large - Bob Ley is both.
Winner of 11 Sports Emmys and four Edward R. Murrow Awards, Ley established himself as one of, if not the, preeminent anchors in modern sports television. One of the original employees when the network launched in 1979, Ley spent a spectacular four decades at the Worldwide Leader in Sports.
Bob has been the conscience of our company from the moment it began, says ESPN colleague Mike Greenberg. No one ever meant more to ESPN.
A New Jersey native and graduate of Seton Hall University, Ley got his career started at a very young age, working at a local cable system near his hometown in Northern New Jersey. He also groomed his voice as a public-address announcer for New York Cosmos soccer games at the old Giants Stadium.
LISTEN: Full Interview With Bob Ley on The SVG Podcast
In summer 1979, at age 24, Ley landed job interviews on back-to-back days: one was to become a weekend anchor and weekday reporter for New Jersey Public Television; the other was at a channel that didn't even exist. A primo gig in his home state that would also put him on-air in New York City and Philadelphia? Or who knows what at this E-S-P-N thing? Trusting in legendary execs and Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famers Scotty Connal and Chet Simmons, who interviewed him, Ley decided to pack his car and head for Bristol, CT.
It was an opportunity to do something fresh and new, says Ley of the decision. I didn't look at it as a major gamble. It's tough to make a bad career choice at 24. But it worked out well for me.
Thus began an employer-employee relationship for the ages. Many stars came and went from behind the ESPN desk in the 40 years that followed, but one of the great consistencies was the measured, even, and always informed tone of Bob Ley.
Among his notable moments behind the desk, Ley hosted the first-ever NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Selection Show in 1980; anchored hundreds of episodes of the network's iconic studio program, SportsCenter; and helped found ESPN's much-heralded investigative-news program, Outside the Lines.
On OTL, Ley was able to flex the journalistic muscles that defined his career. The show has been showered with numerous awards, including a Peabody for its coverage of the NFL's concussion crisis. The show prides itself on diving into the murkiest waters of sports culture and played roles in shedding light on critical issues like the USA Gymnastics sex-abuse scandal, the steroid epidemic in Little League Baseball, and the impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans.
In addition to his journalistic accomplishments, Ley also became the torchbearer for ESPN - and for much of sports media - for the sport of soccer in the U.S. He served as the primary studio host for ESPN's telecasts of global tournaments like the 2012 and 2016 European Championships, the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany, and the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups in South Africa and Brazil. Those international events have forever left a mark on Ley and remain some of his most treasured times in the business.
When you work with [Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer] Geoff Mason, especially in an overseas location, the phrase that becomes synonymous [with that] is sense of place. Bring [the location] to the people at home; it can be five seconds, or it can be 10 minutes. Remind them, they aren't just watching a sporting event on their television; they are in this country. Those of us who worked on those Cups know this, but you become a family. Those are seminal moments in my career. I stay in touch with so many people and those friendships deepen over the years.
Ley officially retired from ESPN in June, but his legacy is still felt within the halls of ESPN, with many at the network still beholden to the standard that he set not only for himself or his network but for all of sports television.
He remained a journalist to the core even as our medium grew more fractured and yelling at each other became a way to attract eyeballs, said Van Pelt upon the announcement of his retirement. His dedication to and mastery of the craft has made him a legend in our shop, as well as the manner in which he carried himself: dignity and integrity personified.
North America Stories
18/05/2026
Despite a bumpy start to the year, the provider of event-production support and ...
18/05/2026
Daktronics has partnered with the University of North Carolina to manufacture and install 11 LED displays totaling more than 10,000 square feet and more than 14...
18/05/2026
CBS LA has announced a multi-year partnership with the Los Angeles Rams, covering exclusive local broadcasts of Rams preseason games, weekly year-round programm...
18/05/2026
Skyline Communications has announced an integration between its DataMiner xOps p...
18/05/2026
eCLUTCH, the hybrid esports platform powered by iKOMG, has announced an expansion of its distribution across Europe, MENA, Africa, and Asia, along with new cont...
18/05/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/05/2026
With 22 games this season, the production team looks forward to tweaking and enhancing the coverage
After 8,660 days off the air, the WNBA returned to NBC yest...
18/05/2026
(L-R) Midori Francis and Natalie Erika James attend the Saccharine premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 22, 2026, in ...
18/05/2026
The Australian Defence Force uses L3Harris T4 and T7 robots for explosive ordnan...
18/05/2026
Continued investment across Europe and Germany is expanding local teams and improving access to stock, regional expertise, and specialist broadcast support.
CV...
17/05/2026
Back to All News
Oasis Premieres on Netflix June 19
Entertainment
17 May 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Summer, sunshine, the beach, parties. T...
16/05/2026
Boris FX Continuum Pairs AI Precision and Advanced Creative Controls
Jessie Electa Petrov May 16, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic de...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Seattle Sounders FC and Seattle Reign FC, in partnership with RAVE Foundation an...
15/05/2026
Dan Brumm has served as sound designer on Bluey, the Australian children's t...
15/05/2026
The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated are accepting applications for the 6th annual Mark Brunner Professional Audio Schola...
15/05/2026
Netflix has announced an expanded NFL schedule for 2026 and beyond under a four-year partnership extension with the NFL through the 2029-30 season. Each season,...
15/05/2026
Ateme is supporting TVRI (Televisi Republik Indonesia) with a contribution and d...
15/05/2026
Concacaf has announced the launch of a new website and mobile app built on Deltatre's FORGE platform. Concacaf.com and the mobile app, available on iOS and ...
15/05/2026
Eutelsat has announced the launch of QBC Business Economic Channel by Qatar Media Corporation, broadcasting in 4K/UHD via Eutelsat's 7/8 West video neighbo...
15/05/2026
Major League Soccer has announced four original content series timed to the 2026...
15/05/2026
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) has announced it will exhibit and present at InfoComm 2026, taking place June 13-19 at the Las Vegas Convention Cente...
15/05/2026
InfoComm 2026 will take place June 13-19 (exhibits June 17-19) at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The show will include sessions and exhibits covering broadcas...
15/05/2026
Tracy McGrady's Ones Basketball League (OBL) and FuboTV Inc. have announced ...
15/05/2026
Disguise has partnered with Creative Technology (CT) to deliver visual playback ...
15/05/2026
Sony Electronics has announced two new products for professional imaging: the Alpha 7R VI full-frame mirrorless camera and the FE 100-400mm F4.5 GM OSS super-te...
15/05/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
15/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
15/05/2026
For sports organizations, the most valuable assets are often the most sensitive:...
15/05/2026
The NFL's broadcast partners released their 2026 regular season schedules ye...
15/05/2026
Besides drawing on experience with boxing, the production integrates specialty c...
15/05/2026
Daniel Roher attends the Tuner Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Theatre on January 22, 2026 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Neilson Bar...
15/05/2026
86% of media planners would move more linear TV budget to CTV if they had show-level targeting and reporting - and 65% would also shift dollars from programmati...
15/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Clear-Com will showcase new communications solutions and major platform updates at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N7005), June 17-19, in the North and Central Halls of t...
15/05/2026
Following an outstanding inaugural year in 2025, Rise AV is proud to announce the return of its flagship leadership initiative, Elevate. The programme continues...
15/05/2026
Berklee Announces Lineup for Inaugural AI Music Summit The three-day event puts musicians at the center of the future of music creation, ethics, and the indus...
15/05/2026
Lightware returns to InfoComm 2026 with a focused showcase of scalable USB-C connectivity, next-generation AV-over-IP solutions, and technologies that help over...
15/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Delivering a live, arena-scale production of a massively popular band is no small feat. Between expansive in-arena LED walls and a global live stream fed to onl...
15/05/2026
Connection is the heartbeat of any strong community, and with live streaming becoming more accessible in the modern era, it's much easier for faith-based or...
15/05/2026
Powered by GX 3 media servers, optimised IP-VFC workflows and on-site engineering expertise, the production delivers high-performance visuals for one of the wor...
Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame 2019: Bob Ley: Professionalism Unmatched, Class Personified By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
