Keith Olbermann
He revolutionized sports broadcasting with his witty, rapid-fire delivery on ESPN, then pivoted to become a fiercely opinionated and influential voice in cable news commentary.
Born 1959 (age 67)·American sports and political commentator·Birthday: January 27·Baby Boomers
Biography
Keith Olbermann's career is a tale of two distinct, volcanic acts. First, he reshaped sports television. Alongside Dan Patrick on ESPN's SportsCenter in the 1990s, he injected a generation of highlights with literary references, sharp wit, and an attitude that treated sports with both reverence and a knowing smirk. That era made him famous, but it was his second act that made him a political lightning rod. In 2003, he launched 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' on MSNBC. The show, built around his 'Special Comment' segments, became a fiery, theatrical hub of liberal commentary during the Bush administration, scoring high ratings and fierce criticism in equal measure. Olbermann's style—combining a sportscaster's timing with a polemicist's passion—proved that cable news could be built around a singular, unpredictable personality, for better or worse.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Keith was born in 1959, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Keith Was Born
The biggest hits of 1959
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur
Best Picture
Ben-Hur
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Keith's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1959Born
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1964Started school
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1972Became a teenager
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Could drive
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1977Could vote
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Turned 21
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1989Turned 30
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 40
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 50
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 60
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 67 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-anchored ESPN's SportsCenter during its 1990s rise to cultural prominence, defining a new, personality-driven style of sports broadcasting.
- Created and hosted 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' on MSNBC, a top-rated prime-time news commentary program that peaked in influence during the mid-2000s.
- Won the Best Sportscaster award from the California Associated Press three times during his early career in local news.
Did You Know?
He is a devoted fan of the New York Mets and has frequently incorporated baseball history into his commentary.
He briefly returned to ESPN in 2013 but was dismissed after just two years.
He has worked for every major American sports network: CNN, ESPN, Fox Sports, and NBC Sports.
“The business of government is not to make the world safe for democracy. The business of government is to make the world safe.”
