COMPLEX' Adam Caparell reported Shams Charania confirmed that he is staying with The Athletic and has "agreed to a new contract" with the media outlet, where his NBA reporting and writing has appeared since '18. A source said that Charania had "held discussions with several other media outlets," but he "ultimately decided to re-up with The Athletic." He was "expected to be a hot commodity" this summer -- his contract expired yesterday -- with "many of the same outlets from two years ago showing similar interest" (COMPLEX.com, 8/31).
STAYING IN THE GAME: In N.Y., Andrew Marchand cites sources as saying that Vince Carter is joining ESPN as a full-time analyst. Carter, who concluded his 22-year playing career in March, has “long had designs on becoming an analyst and was looked upon as a top broadcasting free agent once he finished playing.” He has already dabbled in TV and radio, including “previous work for ESPN and Turner” and calling the Jr. NBA Global Championship for Fox (N.Y. POST, 9/1).
PLAYING IT SAFE: Fox named its full roster of NFL broadcast teams for the '20 season, and SI.com's Jimmy Traina wrote the net "passed on going outside the box for an analyst for its No. 2 team." With Charles Davis now at CBS, Fox "had a chance to do something fun and creative, but instead paired" Kevin Burkhardt with Daryl Johnston. Fox "clearly wanted to play it safe." Traina: "Just a total blown opportunity here as Johnston keeps the seat warm" for Seahawks TE Greg Olsen (SI.com, 8/31).
WORKING ON A NEW PITCH: FORBES.com's Jared Wyllys profiled Marquee Sports Network's Ryan Dempster and noted since retiring in '13, Dempster has "transitioned from the mound to the stage, doing work on television as an analyst on MLB Network and in standup and improv comedy." Dempster now has his own show on Marquee called "Off the Mound" that is modeled "after the late-night style shows he grew up watching." Along with "being an avenue for his humor and for his desire to have a late-night style show, Dempster has seen 'Off the Mound' as an opportunity to further humanize the players and, hopefully, make fans less apt to boo them when they struggle" (FORBES.com, 8/31).
