Karl Ravech is all smiles broadcasting the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. (Photo by Sam Balkansky/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The Washington Post via Getty Images
After 33 years with the “Worldwide Leader” (as ESPN liked to bill itself) Karl Ravech finally bid adieu to the network. To be clear, (a) it was not his choice and (b) his goodbye actually came nearly two months after the company let him go.
In July, ESPN went through what has become an annual bloodletting, wherein there are mass firing across all levels of the network. Back in 2011, ESPN hit its peak subscriber numbers, with roughly 110 million per month. With cord cutting across the board, it now sits at about 60 million. Figure that each subscriber represents about $8/month, and the math says that ESPN takes in nearly $5 billion less per year than during its heyday. And/but, the they still posted operating income of $2.9 billion in 2025.
Ravech was part of a group of front-facing ESPN names let go (along with Ryan Clark, Cam Newton, and others), as well as many as 30 behind-the-camera crew. But, Ravech petitioned to keep the mic for the Little League Classic and for the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Over the years, Ravech has become inextricably tied to the latter event.
ESPN has broadcast the LLWS every year since 1987, and Ravech took the play-but-play reigns in 2006. With the wipeout of the 2020 event, this was Ravech’s 20th year in the Dennis Levin Broadcast Booth at Lamade Stadium. Earlier this summer Ravech told the Washington Post: “This event, more than anything else, is my thing. I love this place. And I think most people recognize me because of this.”
The specifics of Ravech’s agreement with ESPN have never been divulged, but reports state that he was paid in the low to mid-seven figures. Further, it is unknown if there was still time on his contract when he was let go. However, with little chance to fill his slot before their marquee broadcasts, the network gladly accepted Ravech’s offer to continue on even after receiving his pink slip. Ironically, Ravech told reporters that he would have been open to keeping his job at a reduced salary, but the higher-ups at ESPN never broached that topic with him.
As the longtime host of Baseball Tonight, and the voice of Sunday Night Baseball since 2022, which ESPN lost to NBC this year, Ravech was a stalwart at the network. He has also called college baseball (including the Men’s College Baseball World Series annually), college basketball, and anchored SportsCenter when he first joined the company back in the ‘90s.
Two weeks ago the Westwood One Sports Night show asked Ravech about the LLWS:
“The most surreal part has been the notes of gratitude, the notes of frustration that I’ve received (from fans). That part has been so overwhelming and gratifying and heart-warming, that’s really sort of the overriding emotion that I have at this point.”
And that was before last Sunday, when he signed off for the last time on ESPN and from Williamsport. Prior to the championship game between Henderson, Nevada and Curaçao, the LLWS honored Ravech on the field to a standing ovation from the nearly 25,000 in attendance. And then, towards the end of the game, Ravech’s longtime broadcast partner Eduardo Pérez came into the press box to present the linchpin of ESPN’s coverage with a framed photo of “Ravy” and the whole LLWS broadcast crew.
Curaçao ultimately won the game 11-2, and after they received their championship banner, Ravech, classy as always, signed off by thanking ESPN for giving him the opportunity to call this event for so many years. It was hard to tell, but it didn’t appear as if there was a dry eye in the press box.
For those baseball fans who have grown up with Ravech’s voice as the background of their baseball watching – whether in Williamsport with the Little Leaguers, in Omaha with the college kids, at special ballparks around the country, or in typical big league stadiums on Sunday nights – don’t give up hope yet. Ravech recently told USA Today:
“I’’ll miss the people I love and the work that I love, but I’m looking forward to a little break. There will be a next.”
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