Kathy Johnson Clark retires from ESPN

[blake]

She hasn't made an announcement, but her Twitter bio has been updated to say retired ESPN commentator. Perhaps she might want to try commentating elite again or she's retiring for good. She's definitely earned the retirement.

 

[irichluck21]

NOOOOOOOOOOO

The queen

 

[QuietColours]

It looks like she updated it to "retiring":


Slightly less abrupt, but still sad!

 

[irichluck21]

So her final year.

UGHHHH

I wonder who is going to step into the main role, I assume Sam will?

 

[MaryClare]

So her final year.

UGHHHH

I wonder who is going to step into the main role, I assume Sam will?

What does Sam do other than her NBC gig?

 

[crdubb17]

What does Sam do other than her NBC gig?

She does a lot of the NCAA gym stuff. When Bart and Kathy are commenting together, Sam I’d usually the ‘on the floor’ reporter. Kathy has only done a couple of meets this year, and there have been different commentators filling in (Bridget Sloan comes to mind). There’s honestly a ton of NCAA commentators (they tend to have different ones for different conferences), but there are some gems like Sam, Kennedy Baker, and Amanda Borden.

 

[Sasha]

I knew it had to happen someday, but I'm not ready.

 

[rlayt]

Sad day. She’s the GOAT.

 

[wishfulgoddess]

I was so sad to read that! She will certainly be missed.

 

[Beamer]

She is THE single best gymnastics commentator I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. I am sad.

 

[RedBirdie]

I'll miss her honesty when it comes to NCAA judging.

 

[MaryClare]

Love her. She can’t just be on twitter, he has to be elsewhere on the gymnternet too. Incognito

 

[RedBirdie]

Wondering if she quit in frustration, or was pushed out for being critical of scoring.

 

[cuuf]

I think its a bigger deal that a Florida coach openly called for reform of the scoring in NCAA.

 

[Sasha]

It just gets more depressing:

 

[esta]

It just gets more depressing:

Very interesting. Bart is older than her, has he vocalized publicly the same pressure to retire that KJC is facing? Or, is he not getting that pressure at all?

 

[Sasha]

I haven't heard. Neither of them should be under that pressure, IMO, but I would hope that Kathy hasn't been singled out. Though it certainly wouldn't be a first in the television industry.

 

[Beamer]

Can we start a petition to keep Kathy Johnson Clarke as a commentator? She is SO loved in the gymnastics community, I wouldn't be surprised if we could get a couple thousand signatures. And perhaps seeing the support would put pressure on ESPN. I don't want to see Kathy be "aged" out, and neither do a lot of people.

 

[Denn]

WTF?! I hate to invite speculation, but... WHO is pressuring her to retire?

She is pretty much universally loved by the all in the gymnastics world, no? Honestly, I don't think I have ever heard anyone say anything but positive things about her and those positive things are often superlatives.

 

[Beamer]

WTF?! I hate to invite speculation, but... WHO is pressuring her to retire?

She is pretty much universally loved by the all in the gymnastics world, no? Honestly, I don't think I have ever heard anyone say anything but positive things about her and those positive things are often superlatives.

I imagine it would have to be the channel she works for as a commentator. Wouldn't that be ESPN? Or does she commentate on other networks?

Now who specifically at the network, I don't know.