Salary: $300,000 per year
Known by many as “Doc”, Mike Emrick is one of the most recognizable voices in hockey and has participated in play-by-play announcing for some of the most important games in the sport’s history. With almost 4 decades of experience, Emrick is a highly awarded sportscaster and has received the NHL’s Lester Patrick Award in 2014. What’s special about this achievement, is that he is the only person to have ever received it for media work rather than participation.
The NHL sportscaster also received 6 national Emmy Awards for excellence in sports broadcasting, with him being the only hockey commentator to have ever received one, much less six. In 2011, Emrick was also the first member of media to have been inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. Emrick often commentates with Glenn “Chico” Resch, and the two are referred to by fans as “The Devils’ broadcasting pair”. Emrick is also known for his many achievements outside of the game, including his incredible vocabulary and having survived a fight with cancer.
Curt Menefee - Fox
Salary: $3 million per year.
NFL Sundays are one of the most important (if not the most important) shows on television for American football fans, and Curt Menefee who is the host of the show certainly is a big part of it. The 54-year-old American sportscaster is well-known for his positive and energetic commentary.
Menefee has received many awards for his sports anchoring and reporting, from the Associated Press Award for Best Sports Reporter to four Katie Awards for Best Sportscast and Best Sports Special.
Whit Watson - The Golf Channel
Salary: $3.5 million per year
Sportscaster Whit Watson joined the Golf Channel in mid-2010 and has been working as an anchor and host there ever since. Watson hosted many play-by-play commentaries for major events including the PGA Tour and LGPA Tour. He is also a keynote speaker for sports conferences and solicits invitations for speeches, corporate appearances, and various other events through AthleteSpeakers.com.
Watson’s career has been without any major scandal or drama and he was awarded 4 Emmys during his work for The Golf Channel. He had worked at ESPN for seven years prior to joining the Golf Channel. His career began when he was hired for Orlando Magic as a TV and radio producer between 1993 and 1997 and also appeared in the historical documentary show "ESPN SportsCentury" in 1999 as himself.
Mark Chapman - BBC
Salary: $1 million per year
Mark Chapman (not to be confused with Mark David Chapman who was responsible for John Lennon's death) is a British sportscaster from Rochdale, Lancashire who has been working for the BBC since 1996. Chapman is the presenter of BBC's famous Match of the Day 2 and hosts The Monday Night Club radio show.
Chapman is also a writer and has released two books about soccer. His first book was released in 2010, entitled “Heroes, Hairbands and Hissy Fits: Chappers' History of Modern Football” where he breaks down various critiques of football players, and another book in 2017 titled "The Love of the Game: The Agonies and Ecstasies of Parenting and Sport". The book aims to help parents implement sports in their kids’ lives.
John Madden - CBS, Fox, ABC, and NBC
Salary: $8 million per year
John Madden, one of the key figures behind the NFL's legacy, is just about the most recognizable name related to the NFL today. The former NFL player, coach, sportscaster and entrepreneur was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and led the Oakland Raiders to win the 1976 Super Bowl. He also received 16 Emmy Awards and came 2nd in Yahoo! Sports Top 50 All-Time Network Television Sports Announcers list. His lively and unique announcing style caused him to become one of the most beloved and popular sports newscasters of all time. Madden's biggest commercial success to date is his series of Madden NFL video-games, running since 1988 and published by EA Sports.
The series has been massively successful and had made him a personal profit through licensing his name to the game. Outside of the football scene, Madden has briefly appeared in various films and radio, he's also known to have a fear of flying and would often ride trains instead of airplanes to get to where he was needed. He owns a customized coach-bus called the Madden Cruiser and uses it to travel and get around the country.