What’s it like for a pro athlete to go broke? ESPN decided to ask Curt Schilling.
Schilling will discuss how he was impacted by the recent collapse of 38 Studios, his taxpayer-backed video game company, in the new ESPN documentary “Broke,” which airs tonight at 8 p.m. to kick off the new season of the sports network’s 30 for 30 documentary series.
“Broke” director Billy Corben told The Wall Street Journal the documentary offers a “step by step guide on how to go broke” by telling the stories of athletes including Bernie Kosar, Andre Rison, Cliff Floyd and Schilling. “I never believed that you could beat me,” Schilling says in the preview. “I lost.”
Here’s a quick preview of “Broke” from the director:
Schilling returned to his job as an analyst on ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” program during Sunday evening’s broadcast, ESPN spokesman Ben Cafardo confirmed in an email to WPRI.com.
“He will appear regularly,” Cafardo said.
Schilling disappeared from ESPN in early May as 38 Studios’ troubles emerged into public view, then returned to the network June 3. The company filed for bankruptcy later that week, and ESPN announced June 16 that the former Red Sox ace would take a leave of absence from the sports network “as he works thru his business issues.”
Schilling has been an analyst on “Baseball Tonight” program since the 2010 season.
Curt Schilling won’t be appearing again on ESPN anytime soon.
ESPN and the former Red Sox ace have “mutually agreed” that he will take a leave of absence from the sports network “as he works thru his business issues,” ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys wrote on Twitter Saturday. “We expect he’ll return later this season.”
38 Studios filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection earlier this month, just two years after Rhode Island lured the company to Providence with a $75 million taxpayer-backed loan guarantee. Citizens Bank is suing Schilling for $2.3 million, alleging he guaranteed the company’s debts.
Schilling has been an analyst on ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” program since the 2010 season, and on June 3 he returned to the show for the first time since 38 Studios collapsed. The news of his leave of absence was first spotted by AOL’s Sporting News.
38 Studios is bankrupt, but Curt Schilling still has a job.
The former Red Sox ace returned to ESPN as an analyst on its “Baseball Tonight” program last Sunday, a spokesman told Sports Business Journal. He’s been with the network since 2010, the same year Rhode Island lured his game company here in exchange for a $75 million loan guarantee.
Schilling made another appearance on the program Thursday evening – the same day 38 Studios filed for bankruptcy in Delaware – alongside fellow ESPN personalities Karl Ravech and Tim Kurkjian.
It’s unknown how much ESPN pays Schilling for his appearances on the network. 38 Studios didn’t pay Schilling a salary over the past year, but the company did spend $39,424 on his travel expenses and $16,454 on his medical and dental benefits, court documents show.
Schilling also appearedtwice on Colin Cowherd’s ESPN Radio podcast during the first two weeks of May, after 38 Studios defaulted on a $1.1 million payment to the R.I. Economic Development Corporation.
Curt Schilling will have at least a part-time job even if 38 Studios goes under.
ESPN hired Schilling as an analyst for its “Baseball Tonight” program in April 2010, at the same time that the former Red Sox ace was starting intensive talks with Rhode Island officials about moving his game company here in exchange for a $75 million loan guarantee.
Schilling has kept the ESPN job for the last two years while serving as 38 Studios’ chairman and recently began his third baseball season with the network. He is still an active “Baseball Tonight” analyst as of this week, ESPN spokesman Ben Cafardo told WPRI.com.
There’s been “no change in his status,” according to Cafardo. Schilling has also contributed to ESPN Radio and ESPNBoston.com since joining the network.
“While the look is different, the manner is the same,” Chad Finn, The Boston Globe’s sports media critic, wrote in March. “Schilling has opinions as always, he’s being compensated well for them, and he’s sure as heck going to share them.”
Schilling joined reporters on an ESPN call as recently as March 28 to preview the upcoming baseball season. Asked about 49-year-old Rockies pitcher Jamie Moyer’s longevity, Schilling said: “I could not be more impressed. You know, right now my life at 45, the challenge for me is getting out of bed in the morning.”
October 2nd, 2012 at 9:39 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
