Many professional athletes struggle with the idea of hanging up their sneakers for good and moving on to the next phase of their lives when they retire. So some of them just don’t do it. Instead, they go into coaching or make the move to the front office and work on the business side of their respective sports. And those who are really lucky break into broadcasting and actually get paid—typically, paid very well—to watch and call games for companies like ABC, NBC, ESPN, and more.
However, not all athletes-turned-broadcasters are created equal. In fact, if there’s one thing that we’ve learned over the years, it’s that not all athletes are able to transition smoothly into the world of broadcasting. And it makes us appreciate those who are able to do it all the more. So with that in mind, we put together A Definitive Ranking of the Best Athletes Turned Broadcasters, featuring 20 former athletes from a variety of different sports who segued seamlessly into broadcasting once their playing days were over. You might be surprised to see who made the cut.