Introduction
Roy Firestone (born December 8, 1953 in Miami Beach, Florida) is an American sports commentator and journalist. Firestone is a graduate of Miami Beach High School and the University of Miami.
Television career
Firestone began his career as a sports anchor and reporter in Miami, working briefly at WTVJ, before moving to Los Angeles as a sports anchor for KCBS-TV from 1977–85. From 1980-94, he was the host of ESPN's interview program SportsLook, later renamed Up Close. He also served as a color commentator for the network's first season of Sunday Night Football telecasts in 1987. Currently, he is the host of HDNet's Face to Face with Roy Firestone and AOL's Time Out with Roy Firestone.
He appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, Larry King Live, Super Dave Osborne and Nightline. He has also performed for numerous corporate clients including Anheuser Busch, Chevron, Nike, Whirlpool and Toyota.
Firestone also provided the voice of the classic cartoon character Egghead in the 1988 Warner Bros. compilation film Daffy Duck's Quackbusters, and appeared in the 1996 movie Jerry Maguire. He starred in a Married... with Children episode and presented the Al Bundy Sport Spectacular. Firestone also made an appearance as himself in a 1997 episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, and the "Bart Star" episode of The Simpsons.
He has been the subject of extensive criticism regarding what has been characterized as a "softball" and "chummy" 1992 ESPN interview with O.J. Simpson (or, as he called Simpson in the interview, "Juice") during which he asserted that Simpson's January 1989 arrest and subsequent conviction for beating his wife, Nicole, unfairly distorted Simpson's reputation to the point that Simpson was portrayed by the press as "the bad guy" merely for having "a little bit too much to drink." He further expressed his annoyance with the press' reports of Simpson's arrest and conviction for beating Nicole because the press, in reporting the facts, had the temerity to portray Simpson as "a wife beater" (the offense for which he was convicted). He then gave Simpson a free pass to downplay the criminal beating of Nicole and characterize it as an argument that got a "little loud," asserting that he and Nicole were "both guilty." These assertions, which were contrary to the public record, were not only unchallenged by Firestone, but were actively encouraged and endorsed by him. This criticism was renewed upon the release of the documentary "OJ: Made In America" which included an excerpt from the interview in which Firestone expresses these sentiments and where the "chumminess" is apparent.
Firestone currently appears as a guest regularly on Good Day L.A. which airs on KTTV in Los Angeles covering local and national sports.
Firestone is a lifelong fan of the Baltimore Orioles and served as a spring training batboy for the team as a teenager. He spoke on Saturday, September 29, 2012 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards during the unveiling of Brooks Robinson's statue at the ballpark.
Awards
- Seven-time Emmy Award winner
- Seven-time CableACE Award recipient