Darren Rovell
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Darren Rovell (born June 30, 1978) is a sports business analyst who works for The Action Network. He previously worked for
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
.


Early life and education

He attended and graduated cum laude from
Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...
in Evanston, Illinois, in 2000, where he is on the advisory board for graduate programs in sports administration. He majored in theater. However, he also hosted a college radio show about sports business. Rovell interned for FoxSports.com.


Professional life

Rovell was recruited out of college as a sports business writer for ESPN.com. He reported on sports agents, endorsements, and contracts frequently on
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
's '' SportsCenter''. Rovell joined
CNBC CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...
in 2006.Darren Rovell Profile, Biography, About
CNBC.com
He has anchored five primetime documentaries for
CNBC CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...
: * ''Swoosh! Inside Nike'' * ''Inside Track: Refueling the Business of NASCAR'' * ''As Seen on TV'' * ''Business Model: Inside the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue'' * ''Behind The Counter: The Untold Story of Franchising'' Rovell wrote the book ''First In Thirst: How Gatorade Turned The Science of Sweat Into A Cultural Phenomenon'' and co-wrote the book ''On the Ball: What You Can Learn About Business From America's Sports Leaders'' with David Carter. He also reports on non-sports business matters for
ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
. Rovell was part of the '' Outside the Lines'' report that disclosed the
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
's investigation into whether
Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
quarterback
Johnny Manziel Johnathan Paul Manziel ( ; born December 6, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the FCF Zappers of Fan Controlled Football (FCF). He played two seasons with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) and was also a me ...
was earning money from the sale of autographs, in potential violation of NCAA rules. On November 28, 2018, The Action Network announced that Rovell was joining the company as a senior executive producer reporting to Michael J. Leboff.Strauss, Ben
Darren Rovell on his move from ESPN to the Action Network: 'They're buying me as a brand'
The Washington Post. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2019.


Controversy

In November 2009, Rovell made controversial remarks in an article regarding an American athlete,
Meb Keflezighi Mebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi (; Ge'ez: መብራህቶም ክፍልእዝጊ, ''Mebrāhtōm Kifl'izgī''; born May 5, 1975) is a retired Eritrean-born American long distance runner. He is the 2004 Olympic silver medalist in the marathon and fin ...
, the first American to win a
New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor (commercial), sponsor) is an annual Marathon (sport), marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest mar ...
since 1982, by suggesting that he was a ringer. He later apologized. On November 17, 2011, Rovell sent a tweet to his followers on
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
, asking them to come forward with stories about how their businesses were losing money during the 2011 NBA lockout. A high school senior named "Tim," annoyed with Rovell's behavior at the time, created a fake name and email account, telling Rovell online that he owned an escort service in New York frequented by NBA players, which was losing 30% of its business. Rovell failed to verify the authenticity, and ran the story in a CNBC column. "Tim" came forward with the story months later to the website Deadspin, because, he said, "he's just such a xpletiveon twitter all the time just got fed up."
Deadspin ''Deadspin'' is a sports blog founded by Will Leitch in 2005 and based in Chicago. Previously owned by Gawker Media and Univision Communications, it is currently owned by G/O Media. ''Deadspin'' posted daily previews, recaps, and commentaries o ...
made Rovell aware of his mistake. On the same day, Rovell released an apology on CNBC saying, "there will always be people out there who want their 15 minutes of fame and not really care how they get there."


Awards

Emmy Award for his contribution to
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's 2008 Election coverage.


Personal life

Rovell married Cortney Brooke Schlosser in a
Jewish wedding A Jewish wedding is a wedding ceremony that follows Jewish laws and traditions. While wedding ceremonies vary, common features of a Jewish wedding include a ''ketubah'' (marriage contract) which is signed by two witnesses, a ''chuppah'' or ''hu ...
in 2008.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rovell, Darren Living people CNBC people American sports journalists 1978 births 20th-century American Jews Northwestern University School of Communication alumni News & Documentary Emmy Award winners ESPN people American television journalists People from Roslyn Heights, New York American male journalists Roslyn High School alumni 21st-century American Jews