The long-serving senior fantasy football analyst Matthew Berry has resigned from ESPN.
Berry, whose influence has grown from regular columns at ESPN.com to the “Fantasy Focus Football” podcast and ESPN2’s “Fantasy Football Now,”The shocking announcement was made via social media on Monday
“When I came to the company in 2007, fantasy football was a niche of a niche, and ESPN was way behind the market leader. And now, many years later, I am so incredibly proud of all the work we have done together to bring fantasy football into the mainstream and, specifically, make ESPN the leading game and content destination for fantasy players everywhere,” Berry WriteIn a statement
So… some personal news: This is my last week at ESPN. pic.twitter.com/cDcVgN2BSc
— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) July 11, 2022
Berry was hired in 2007 and quickly scaled up ESPN’s fantasy football coverage as the game grew in popularity over the last decade and a half. His weekly “Love/Hate”Fantasy football enthusiasts have made columns a regular part of the NFL season. However, his conversational style and humorous writing style has helped to make the game more accessible for new players.
“Matthew Berry expressed a desire to explore new opportunities beyond ESPN. After discussing it with him, we agreed to support it,” ESPNIn a statement. “Since joining 15 years ago, Matthew has provided a distinctive and creative voice and been a catalyst in the proliferation of fantasy sports. He is dedicated and talented, and we wish him the best in his next endeavor.”
ESPN statement about @MatthewBerryTMRMonday will see the last appearance of, who will be making one final ESPN broadcast. https://t.co/SjjIeO4jgH pic.twitter.com/muxrUOBatl
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) July 11, 2022
Before completing his final week at the company, Berry will be making one last appearance on ESPN Monday. While Berry didn’t reveal his next professional move at this time, he did share some details. Write in a follow-up tweet that he’s “excited about the future.” In 2019, Berry made a small appearance in Marvel’s record-breaking box office hit “Avengers: Endgame.”
It’s unclear who will replace Berry at ESPN as NFL teams prepare for training camps next month, which typically creates a renewed focus on pre-draft fantasy football coverage. Berry’s podcast partners and fellow analysts Field Yates and Stephania Bell may be next in line.
In September 2021, ESPN Fantasy Football AnnouncementIt established a new all time record for sign ups, with an increase of 21% over 2020 and an increase by 3% over the previous high of 2019. It’s EstimateThere are approximately 40 million fantasy football players in the United States alone.