Salary: $500,000 per year
Gus Cornelius Johnson (not to be confused with Gus Johnson the comedian, Gus Johnson the basketball player, or Gus Johnson the football player) is a play-by-play sportscaster for Fox Sports and is well known for his wild and passionate calls. You can easily say that his broadcasting style is more than just unique and fans love the energy and extroverted style he brings to the games he’s commentating on.
In fact, Johnson’s calls have been so exaggerated at times that Complex.com hosted an article listing his 25 most over-the-top calls, most notably and at first place, was his call “He’s getting away from the cops speeds!” when referencing Chris Johnson’s running with the ball towards an eventual touchdown.
Marv Albert - TNT
Salary: $2 million per year
Kenny Albert's father, Marv Albert, is an honored American sportscaster whose contributions to sports led to him being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Often nicknamed "the voice of basketball", the popular sportscaster enjoyed a long career that just seems to have started slowing down now that he's almost in his 80s. Beyond his sportscasting career, he is also a popular figure in media and entertainment and has made numerous appearances on late-night shows, films and TV shows. Albert was a guest on David Letterman's show more than 53 times and has appeared in everything from Futurama, the Simpsons, NBA Jam and the 2015 comedy film Trainwreck.
In addition, Albert has done voiceover commentary in the NBA Live video games made by EA Sports for 6 years. Albert was forced to leave NBC after 20 years of work due to allegations of sexual misconduct, and his job was taken over by Bob Costas. He was brought back just 2 years later and has since worked with various other sports outlets.
Bill Raftery - CBS
Salary: $2 million per year
Bill Joseph Raftery is an award-winning NBA analyst and former head coach at Fairleigh Dickinson and Seton Hall Universities. With a total of 154 wins as a coach, Raftery gained much experience which he still uses to this day when analyzing NBA games for CBS sports. The sportscaster grew up in a Catholic Irish family to Irish immigrants and earned a history B.A. from La Salle in 1963. A documentary film named "With a Kiss" about Raftery was produced and narrated by his son. The film tells the story behind the color commentator's 35 years at his broadcasting career.
Raftery is well-known for his many unique commentary phrases during play-by-plays, with "Onions!" being his most recognized quote. He's also the president of an event and marketing firm which sustains 5 employees and allegedly earns 6 to 7 figures a year.
Jason Dasey - CNN, BBC, ESPN
Salary: $1 million per year
Australian broadcaster, journalist and editor Jason Dasey has worked with BBC, CNN, ESPN, Disney and Money FM. He is also the founder of his own Singapore-based media company called "Cockatoo Media". Dasey also conducts workshops in Asia for presenters and journalists who want to improve at their craft.
Dasey has hosted numerous events for both business, culture and sports. During his time with ESPN, he hosted the popular 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2017 UEFA Championship League Final. After more than 25 years abroad, Jason moved back to his home country of Australia and set up shop in Brisbane and Sydney.
Sean McDonough - ESPN
Salary: $80,000 per year
As one of TV’s most diverse broadcasters, Sean McDonough is known as a main play-by-play announcer for ESPN's basketball games. McDonough joined ESPN in 1989 and has worked with CBS Sports since 1990. In 2014, he was chosen to enter the Hall of Fame for WAER. McDonough's family is also tied to sports, with his father being Will McDonough, a famous Boston Globe sportswriter who worked with NBC and CBS Sports. ESPN Press Room reports that McDonough is also the founder and president of the Sean McDonough Charitable Foundation, and was responsible for raising and donating nearly three million dollars to various children's charities.
Fans were glad to hear that McDonough became ESPN's lead play-by-play announcer for Monday Night Football, but the broadcaster was let go just 2 years later and returned to classic announcing. In 2012, he was diagnosed with superior canal dehiscence syndrome. Luckily McDonough had a successful surgical operation and was back to work just a few months later.