Salary: $7 million per year
Harold Craig Reynolds’s captivating smile helped propel him straight from the Major League Basketball field into the sports analyst career for the MLB Network and Fox Sports. Born in 1960 in Eugene, Oregon, Reynolds quickly proved himself as a talented athlete, playing both football, basketball, and baseball at Corvallis High School. Reynolds eventually chose to go with basketball and debuted in the major league in 1983 to a very successful career.
He was awarded the annual Roberto Clemente Award for his contributions to the community as an MLB player, and also inducted into the Canada College Hall of Fame in 2013. Since then, the accomplished baseball player became a commentator at ESPN but was fired 10 years later for allegations of sexual misconduct. He has since sued ESPN and won a 7-figure settlement. Post-ESPN, the sportscaster went on to join the MLB Network and Fox Sports. Reynolds is a devout Christian and claims his relationship with his faith is much more important and fulfilling for him than anything he ever did professionally.
Patrick Cash - BBC
Salary: $1 million per year
Australian tennis player Patrick Hart Cash, also known simply as Pat Cash, is considered one of the best tennis players of all time and was inducted into Sport Australia's Hall of Fame in 2015. His monumental victory in 1987 at the Wimbledon championship propelled him to fame and legendary status. Cash claims his main passion outside of tennis is playing the guitar and spending quality time with his children. The tennis champion was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1965 and quickly rose to prominence even during his early years as a promising junior player. In 1981, Cash was ranked as the world's No. 1 junior tennis player.
Since retiring, he mostly hosts CNN's Open Court show which primarily focuses on tennis, and also sportscasts as a TV color commentator for the BBC. He also coached many top tennis players including Greg Ruseksi and even Mark Philippoussis. Cash is currently opening tennis academies in a variety of cities across the world.
Michael Strahan - Good Morning America
Salary: $17 million per year
Michael Strahan, the NFL defensive player who spent his entire career with the New York Giants, has led a very distinguished football career before retiring in 2007 and turning into a football analyst on Fox NFL Sunday. Strahan's NFL career is full of awards and honors, from breaking the records for most sacks in a season while playing the NFL, to being elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but his great list of accomplishments doesn’t end there. Strahan also receiver 2 Daytime Emmy Awards for his appearances in "Live with Kelly and Ryan" between 2012 and 2016. He was born in Houston, Texas in 1971, to athlete and military parents.
It didn't take Strahan long to follow his family’s footsteps and quickly became a serious NFL prospect. By age 22 he was already enlisted in the New York Giants and went on to become one of their leading players. The successful NFL player and commentator also spend a lot of time and money in philanthropic pursuits and helped fund various Junior League programs such as Children at Risk and Homecorp which helps low-income individuals become homeowners.
Steve Levy - ESPN
Salary: $700,000 per year
Steve Levy is a very familiar face for ESPN's SportsCenter weekly show which is watched by over 3 million people. The famous announcer covers everything from Hockey to MLB Baseball. He claims to have been passionate about sports from a very young age, but due to his lack of athletic build - he chose to go the broadcasting route instead. He started his broadcasting journey working in the college radio and for local TV stations and newspapers in his hometown of Bellemore, New York. He then went on to call NHL and college football games, eventually leading him to his current job at ESPN's SportsCenter.
Levy has also made appearances in various films such as Fever Pitch, The Game Plan, and The Ringer. In a recent interview, the sportscaster recommends young people to take every opportunity they get in their chosen field, and put aside your ego or else someone else will take it (the opportunity).
Sean McDonough - ESPN
Salary: $80,000 per year
As one of TV’s most diverse broadcasters, Sean McDonough is known as a main play-by-play announcer for ESPN's basketball games. McDonough joined ESPN in 1989 and has worked with CBS Sports since 1990. In 2014, he was chosen to enter the Hall of Fame for WAER. McDonough's family is also tied to sports, with his father being Will McDonough, a famous Boston Globe sportswriter who worked with NBC and CBS Sports. ESPN Press Room reports that McDonough is also the founder and president of the Sean McDonough Charitable Foundation, and was responsible for raising and donating nearly three million dollars to various children's charities.
Fans were glad to hear that McDonough became ESPN's lead play-by-play announcer for Monday Night Football, but the broadcaster was let go just 2 years later and returned to classic announcing. In 2012, he was diagnosed with superior canal dehiscence syndrome. Luckily McDonough had a successful surgical operation and was back to work just a few months later.