A Conversation with Rich Eisen on the Golden Age of ESPN, His New Show & More

Rich Eisen has a new podcast called “This Was SportsCenter,” and it is exactly what it sounds like. He is sitting down one-on-one with the anchors who defined an era of sports media, going deep into what it was actually like behind the scenes, and pairing every conversation with archival footage and photographs that turn each episode into a nonstop ride down memory lane. The first episode with Dan Patrick is out now. The golden era of “SportsCenter” is something every sports fan has an opinion about, and Eisen has a very specific answer for exactly when it was, what ended it, and why the smartphone is more responsible for the shift than any decision made in a boardroom. He also goes back to host “SportsCenter” for the first time in 23 years and has thoughts on what that experience told him about the show's past and present. Rich Eisen left ESPN for NFL Network in 2003 and is now back in the fold as NFL Network becomes part of the ESPN universe. There are real questions about whether two juggernauts like Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter can coexist on the same network, and Eisen addresses those directly. He also shares whether there is someone he’d like to host with on “SportsCenter,” and the answer is as emotional as you would expect. CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction and How This Was SportsCenter Came Together 0:36 The Origin Story: From a Breakfast Meeting With Jimmy Pitaro to a Podcast 5:22 When Was the Golden Era of SportsCenter and What Ended It 9:39 Rich Eisen Returns to ESPN and NFL Network Joins the Family 12:01 Will There Be Room for Rapoport and Schefter on the Same Network 12:14 Does He Have Another SportsCenter Date Planned and Who Would He Do It With Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices