In Nashville, Nate Rau reports FS1's Clay Travis has "inked a deal to take his entire sports media brand under one umbrella with Fox Sports," in which he will "continue licensing his Outkick the Coverage website to Fox." Travis has also "signed an agreement that will increase his television presence" on FS1. The details on Travis' TV, radio and podcast roles "will be released in the coming weeks." Over the years, Travis has "built a popular, but divisive, sports media brand" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 6/26).
HOKIE, HOKIE, HOKIE HI! IMG and Virginia Tech on Tuesday announced that Jon Laaser, who has called Double-A Eastern League Richmond Flying Squirrels games since '10 and has "done work on TV and radio calling VCU basketball games, has been hired by Virginia Tech as the new voice of the Hokies." In Virginia, Andy Bitter noted Laaser replaces Bill Roth, who left recently after 27 years "for the same position at UCLA." Laaser has "spent four years as a television and radio broadcaster for VCU's men's and women's basketball games" (ROANOKE TIMES, 6/24).
FRAN-CHISE PLAYER: In N.Y., Zach Schonbrun notes ESPN's Fran Fraschilla since '04 has been the net's "go-to source for information" on int'l players for the NBA Draft. During Thursday's Draft, when as many as five int'l players "were projected to go in the first round, including three in the lottery phase, Fraschilla was called upon to provide detailed analysis of each, with film footage that he helped procure." Fraschilla, whose "primary role at ESPN is as a college basketball analyst, considers his international scouting to be like detective work" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/26).
SERVING UP AN ACE: SI.com's Jon Wertheim wrote Andy Roddick’s work on FS1 as an analyst is "consistently excellent." His "wit is quick, his sense of irony sharp, his knowledge of sports vast." Wertheim: "I suspect that soon ... he will spend more time in tennis" (SI.com, 6/23).
