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10 of the Top Sports Media Personalities

Richard Janvrin by Richard Janvrin, July 30, 2025

Sports Media Personalities

Whether on a television show, podcast, or streaming platform, we all have our favorite sports media personalities. Whether it’s for their personality, read on the game, humor, or ability to discuss additional subjects, we all have our top sports analysts.

With that, picking the top sports media personalities is a highly subjective task.

Below, I’ll list the 10 that, over the years, I’ve come to enjoy. Yes, there is more than this, but for the sake of a list, I’m keeping it to 10.

See who I consider the best sports analysts going right now.

Pat McAfee

To me, it’s an undisputed fact that McAfee is one of the top sports media personalities out there today.

McAfee was the punter for the Indianapolis Colts from 2009 to 2016, and he was one of the best in the game.

Then, as his career winding down, I remember him announcing he was going to Barstool, and ESPN’s Michael Wilbon (ironically considering where McAfee is today) tried to urge him and those around him not to do it and get back on the football field (I’m paraphrasing, but you get it).

Well, today, McAfee has made more money as a famous sports analyst than he ever did as a football player.

He eventually went off on his own with The Pat McAfee Show, secured multi-million dollar deals with FanDuel, one of the top online sports betting apps, and eventually licensed his show to ESPN for millions of dollars (the exact amount isn’t quite known, but it’s rumored to be about $85 million).

McAfee has a great personality. He’s a former NFL player, and thus, he gets access to players like Aaron Rodgers that we don’t see anywhere else, and is uniquely one of the best sports analysts.

We also get interview content that we don’t get elsewhere, and part of that is McAfee’s background and the way he approaches media.

It’s mostly positive, and he and the rest of the cast aren’t afraid to make some “off-color jokes.”

It’s the perfect blend of humor and analysis.

Stephen A. Smith

Smith often gets accused of being the personification of “what’s wrong with sports coverage today.”

While I understand that to some degree (yes, I’m tired of the Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James debates), you cannot refute the fact that Stephen A. is entertaining and does some amusing things.

He now has his own podcast, and he’s ventured off into other subjects, including politics, but Smith and First Take/Cold Pizza were a massive part of the millennial childhood.

Kirk Herbstreit

When it comes to college football, Herbstreit is the go-to. He appears on College GameDay and also does NFL color commentary.

He dives into the X’s and O’s and has a breadth of knowledge about both games.

Charles Barkley

Barkley may be one of the most powerful sports personalities on the market today. There was a time when LIV Golf wanted to hire him as a golf analyst. His opinions are often unfiltered, and he provides coverage that fans so desperately want: authentic, unfiltered, and not “politically correct.”

There’s a difference between being a “hot take machine” and being “brutally honest.”

Barkley was a phenomenal player, winning the MVP in 1993 and going to 11 All-Star games.

Inside the NBA is a pre and post-game show for the NBA that draws a large audience. His banter with Shaquille O’Neal is always a must-watch.

Daniel Jeremiah

One of the best NFL Draft and college football evaluators is Jeremiah. He has worked in NFL front offices and knows many of the executives personally, which helps him gauge which teams may be interested in heading up to the NFL Draft.

He appears on NFL Network and his podcast, Move the Sticks.

Jeremiah covers a bevy of topics and is perhaps the most requested guest on every show leading up to the NFL Draft. He’s truly one of the best best sports analysts.

Mike Renner

When it comes to year-round NFL Draft analysis, Renner of CBS Sports has a great way of relaying information to fans of draft prospects. He now hosts a podcast for CBS Sports with former Chicago Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long, covering both college and the NFL.

His analysis is common sense, and he often has a great process for evaluating talent.

Tony Romo

Romo went through a period of being both beloved and hated, and I believe he’s closer to beloved than hated now.

His claim to fame was calling plays when he first started on color commentary for NFL games.

He was one of the first quarterbacks to recently play in the NFL and start covering games.

Romo had recently seen it all. Not to take anything away from Troy Aikman, but he’s been out of the NFL for so long that things have changed.

So, when Romo came onto the scene, it was a fun new way to watch the game.

Part of the hate Romo may have gotten was his lack of pre-snap analysis, but it’s rumored CBS asked him to tone that down for whatever reason, even though he was one of the top sports media personalities.

Greg Olsen

Fans love Olsen, not only for his color commentary but also because he was moved from the No. 1 analyst on FOX in favor of Tom Brady.

Olsen was a tight end in the NFL, and he excels at breaking down plays and communicating them in a clear and easy-to-understand manner.

Even with him being bumped for Brady, he didn’t let that dissuade him, and he brings out his best each week.

Peyton and Eli Manning (ManningCast)

If you want an alternative way to watch Monday Night Football, you can now with the ManningCast, which features both Peyton and Eli Manning.

Of course, we are aware of the accomplishments of both players.

Eli, the younger brother, won two Super Bowls.

Peyton, who also won two Super Bowls, is considered one of the best quarterbacks ever, winning five MVPs, two Offensive Player of the Year awards, and more.

They provide entertaining commentary on the game and feature numerous excellent guests to enhance it.

Also, hearing Peyton and Eli break down a game is something worth tuning into.

NFL Stock Exchange Podcast

The lesser-known “entity” and sports media personalities on this list, the NFL Stock Exchange podcast with Trevor Sikkema and Connor Rogers, is always a must-watch when they release an episode.

From college football scouting analysis and NFL coverage, Sikemma and Rogers have long-form content with thoughtful insight and analysis that you simply don’t get anywhere else because they’re not tethered to a 5-minute segment on TV.

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