Skip to main content
Come Fan with UsSunday, June 21, 2026

Keith Olbermann Out At MSNBC; Here’s Hoping He Returns To Sports

If you buy something from a link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Keith Olbermann is leaving MSNBC, and Friday night’s show will be his last with the network. It’s been a surprise-filled Friday night in sports thus far, with career Blue Jay Vernon Wells being sent to the Angels, and ex-Sox Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon headed to the Rays. This story, though, is the most surprising, and it’s worth considering whether he could -- or would -- return to the world of sports.

We don’t know why MSNBC let him go -- my theory is that it’s a cost-cutting measure and that they’ll fill the time slot with someone who won’t break the camera at the end of every show -- but it’s worth remembering his less-than-amicable exit from ESPN over a decade ago.

The job, as Olbermann noted in a 1998 commencement address at his alma mater Cornell, wasn’t fulfilling: It gave him “dry heaves,” and it would “make me ashamed, make me depressed, make me cry.”

Personally, I liked Olbermann better as a sports anchor. He could be funny, but he wasn’t expected to wad up paper, or quiver his lip, or what have you. Here’s hoping we get to see that Olbermann sometime soon. In the meantime, after the jump, check out a clip from his 1990s days at SportsCenter. And Good Lord, check out Brett Favre.

See More:

More in General

GeneralFromPosting and Toasting
An SB Nation New Yorker needs our helpAn SB Nation New Yorker needs our help
GeneralFromPosting and Toasting
General
Sabastian Sawe breaks 2-hour barrier, shatters marathon world recordSabastian Sawe breaks 2-hour barrier, shatters marathon world record
General

The mythical two-hour mark was broken at the London Marathon.

By Bernd Buchmasser
A Huge Dog
THE HISTORY OF CHARGING THE MOUND, EPISODE 1THE HISTORY OF CHARGING THE MOUND, EPISODE 1
Play
General
Super Bowl 60 coin toss resultsSuper Bowl 60 coin toss results
General

The Seahawks and Patriots will open the Super Bowl with the coin toss to determine who starts with the ball. We have the full coin toss results for Super Bowl 60.

By David Fucillo
General
Marc Marquez completes a comeback for the agesMarc Marquez completes a comeback for the ages
General

MotoGP’s Marc Marquez completed a comeback for the ages with his 2025 title

By Mark Schofield
General
How to make sure SBNation.com appears in your Google search resultsHow to make sure SBNation.com appears in your Google search results