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ESPN Hired 'America's Best Sportswriter' On Thursday

Originally posted on The Spun | By Kameron Duncan | Last updated Mar 6, 2025 1:28 PM ET

ESPN's coverage of certain sports has been under scrutiny in recent weeks, but the company has hired one of the top sportswriters in the country on Thursday.

ESPN has announced that Dan Wetzel will be joining the company as a senior writer, after working with Yahoo Sports for over 20 years.

ESPN describes Wetzel as "one of America’s most widely read and decorated sports writers of the past two decades," noting that he will begin with the company on March 17.

ESPN says that Wetzel will work in "investigative reporting, news analysis [and] feature storytelling" while appearing on podcasts, television and streaming.

Another top journalist, Ralph D. Russo of The Athletic, called Wetzel "America's best sportswriter" in a reaction to the announcement on Thursday, showing just how well-regarded Wetzel is by his peers.

America's best sportswriter. Nice guy, too. https://t.co/MWuQdqbhCM
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoATH) March 6, 2025

Wetzel has been a New York Times bestselling author, and he has covered a variety of sports and events, including the Olympics and the World Cup. He helped write the 2014 film "Life of a King," which starred Cuba Gooding Jr. as a real-life former convict who begins a chess club for young men.

Wetzel has written several books, including "Glory Road," which told the story of the 1966 Texas Western basketball team - the first to put a lineup of all Black players on the floor. That book was adapted into a Disney film starring John Lucas, Derek Luke and Jon Voight.

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 28: ESPN logo on a camera cover prior to the UFL football game between the St. Louis Battlehawks and the DC Defenders on April 28, 2024, at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Lee Coleman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

The move comes as ESPN has been criticized - along with other outlets - for its coverage of certain sports. College basketball fans have been upset with games being preempted by other sports or programming, and NBA fans have called out personalities like Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins for their negative view on the sport.

ESPN has also moved on from some of its more notable writers and personalities in recent years, with names like Zach Lowe, Jayson Stark and more leaving the outlet.

We'll see what the future holds at ESPN, but hiring Wetzel appears to show a continued commitment to having some of the top names in the sports journalism space at the network and in the company.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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