Costas has made recent appearances on CNN, with anchor Don Lemon hinting at an official partnershipGETTY IMAGES
Bob Costas is "joining CNN as a contributor," where he is "expected to offer perspective on sports issues as that industry grapples with the coronavirus pandemic and a range of cultural and racial issues" in U.S. society, according to Brian Steinberg of VARIETY. Over the decades, Costas has "grown from doing play by play to weighing in on some of the biggest issues in the sports business." There was "no word in the announcement as to whether Costas might also contribute to Turner Sports" (VARIETY.com, 7/20). YAHOO SPORTS' Jason Owens noted WarnerMedia News & Sports Chair Jeff Zucker, who presides over CNN, and Costas "worked together when Zucker was an executive at NBC." Costas officially left NBC in '19 after a "longtime role as the face of the network's sports coverage." He has made "recent appearances on CNN, with anchor Don Lemon hinting at an official partnership with the network when Costas joined him on July 8 to talk about former NBA player Stephen Jackson's anti-Semitic comments" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/20).
