Former New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez has “sealed a deal” to become a contributor with ABC News, according to the New York Post.
The Post reported that the former baseball star would appear on a variety of ABC News platforms, including “Good Morning America” “Nightline” and “World News Tonight” to become a “contributor for sports, family and even financial segments.”
ABC News did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment. Reps for ABC and A-Rod declined to comment to the Post.
The Post’s Emily Smith reported that Rodriguez wouldn’t appear on ABC News too often, speculating “once a month,” but also noted “it could be more if he does well.”
Rodriguez is considered one of the greatest hitters in the history of Major League Baseball, but his career was often derailed by a variety of scandals related to performance-enhancing drugs. He currently works as an MLB analyst for Fox Sports, and the Post reported that his baseball commentary would remain exclusive to Fox.
The Seattle Mariners selected Rodriguez with the first overall pick in the 1993 MLB Draft and he went on to play 22 years in the majors. The 41-year-old hit 696 home runs during his career with a lifetime batting average of .295.
He was suspended for the entire 2014 season because of his involvement with the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drugs scandal. During the course of his career, he earned over $441 million dollars, according to baseball-reference.com.
5 Reasons Why Bill Simmons' 'Any Given Wednesday' Tanked After Four Months (Photos)
Bill Simmons - the sports guy with the magic touch. He practically reinvented sportswriting for the web at ESPN.com. He founded Grantland, a legendary (and now defunct) website. His podcast was a killer! So why was his HBO talk show "Any Given Wednesday" canceled after just four months? Read on to find out.
1. No buzz
The premiere of "Any Given Wednesday" got people talking, not because of anything Simmons said, but because many viewers speculated that guest Ben Affleck was drunk when he went off on a tear about the New England Patriots and Deflategate. Unfortunately for Simmons, Affleck's spiel was pretty much the last time anyone discussed his show. "It never resonated with audiences," Simmons admitted in a statement.
2. The host
Simmons may be great online and on a podcast, but on TV? He's a bit ill-at-ease and stiff as a host. It didn't help that HBO decided to do the show essentially as a talk-radio broadcast, with a cheap set and virtually no music or graphics.
3. Low ratings
Well, duh. Bad numbers mean cancellation. But the ratings for "Wednesday" were especially atrocious. The premiere drew a respectable 260,000 total viewers. But by the Oct. 26 show with guest Larry Wilmore, the audience was down to 82,000 - an appalling 68% decline.
4. HBO's strategy shift
"Wednesday" was ordered up by the regime of former programming chief Michael Lombardo. But he was given the heave-ho earlier this year, and now new HBO programmer Casey Bloys (pictured) is eager to make his mark on the network. See ya, "Wednesday"!
5. "Wednesday" wasn't the point
Don't worry about Simmons. He has an overall deal with HBO, so he will be back in some other form on the network. And he still has podcasts and a new website, The Ringer. Maybe "Wednesday" was just a start. A false start.
Quick cancellation takes a bit of the gilt off former ESPN scribe’s golden touch
Bill Simmons - the sports guy with the magic touch. He practically reinvented sportswriting for the web at ESPN.com. He founded Grantland, a legendary (and now defunct) website. His podcast was a killer! So why was his HBO talk show "Any Given Wednesday" canceled after just four months? Read on to find out.
