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- Fanduel Sports Network (formerly Bally Sports Detroit and Fox Sports Detroit) has undergone significant changes of staff in recent years.
- The longtime diffusers Mickey York and Trevor Thompson have recently been released from the network.
- The network has changed its name several times since 2019 and its owner declared bankruptcy in 2023.
There have been many new names around Fanduel Sports Network Detroit In recent years, and this does not even have the name of the network – which has changed twice.
Longtime host and network journalist Mickey York announced that his position had been interrupted on May 6. Two days later, the legendary journalist for the Red Wings camera, Trevor Thompson, confirmed to the free press that his position at the Fan Sports Network had also been eliminated.
These are only the most recent changes in a few tumultuous years for the network, formerly known as Fox Sports Detroit (1997-2019) and Bally Sports Detroit (2019-24).
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Here is a summary of the main broadcast changes that have taken place on the local sports network of Detroit since 2019.
May 3, 2019: Sinclair buys RSN Sports Fox
The Walt Disney Company and 21st Century Fox agreed on December 14, 2017, which would have put regional Fox sports networks, including Fox Sports Detroit, under the control of ESPN. However, this agreement was only authorized by antitrust regulators after Disney agreed to sell All of his regional sports networks (RSN) to another buyer.
This buyer ended up being Sinclair distribution groupWho bought the Disney RSNS with $ 10.6 billion on May 3, 2019, putting Fox Sports Detroit under the control of Sinclair. And although it was under a new property, the network has kept the name Fox Sports Detroit for two more years.
March 17, 2021: the renowned Bally Sports Detroit network
Just in time for the opening day of the MLB 2021 season, Diamond Sports Group (the Operational Branch of Sinclair) changed the name of its regional sports networks, inaugurating the short duration Bally Sports Detroit era.
The RSN denomination rights were sold in Bally’s Corp., the former fitness brand that has evolved into a casino chain.
Even if the network has been renamed, the programming has been roughly the same, with the Detroit TigersPistons and Red Wings always available on the channel.
March 14, 2023: Diamond Sports Group declares bankruptcy
Diamond declared for bankruptcy Less than two years after its Big Bally brand change, requiring financial support after missing an interest of $ 140 million on its debt of almost $ 8.7 billion.
This decision has caused many changes around Diamond, bankruptcy forcing the end of relations with several MLB, NBA and NHL franchises. Detroit franchises, however, were not affected throughout the 2023 season, although the changes quickly came in other forms.
October 3, 2023: the Play-By-Play of Tigers advertiser, Matt Shepard, dropped
After the end of the 2023 season, Bally Sports announced that the advertiser Play-by-Play Tigers Matt Shepard would not come back for the 2024 season. Shepard was the main advertiser of television since 2019, when Diamond began to broadcast Tigers games.
Shepard has been in the company since 1999 in various roles, working as a radio voice by game for basketball by Michigan Wolverines and football from Michigan before joining Tigers broadcasting.
He would soon become clear why Shepard and the network separated.
November 9, 2023: Tigers hire Jason Benetti to become a play-to-play television advertiser
About a month after Shepard left the Tigers stand, the tigers hired the star broadcaster Jason Benetti Be the team’s full -time game advertiser.
Benetti, who grew up in Chicago, was the main Play-By-Play advertiser for the 2019-23 White Sox Sox and obtained national recognition from his work. He also worked in the past with ESPN and NBC and continues to work with Fox for national assignments.
What made Benetti hire so splashing, apart from his national recognition of the name, is that Benetti was hired by Ilitch Sports + Entertainment rather than Diamond. This decision apparently inaugurated a more practical approach to the owners of Tigers and Red Wings in the staffing of their broadcasters on the network.
And it was only the start of a large turnover.
May 1, 2024: Comcast Drops BALLY SPORTS DETROIT
Shortly after the conclusion of the seasons of the pistons and the Red Wings, Comcast announced that it would be Drawing Bally Sports DetroitOn a dispute on transport costs, leaving XFINITY customers in the Detroit region without access to the channel.
It was a huge interruption for fans of tigers, who had to change the television suppliers, download the Bally Sports application (with a load of about $ 20 per month) or pass without the Tigers games until the problem was solved in July.
August 23, 2024: Pistons and Red Wings agree with the diamond
Fans of Pistons and Wings did not have to face the interruptions of their programs, however, thanks to an agreement The teams made with Diamond before the 2024-25 season.
Other NBA and NHL teams have not been so lucky, because Diamond has abandoned teams such as Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pélicans as part of its bankruptcy restructuring agreement.
The network tried to Place its Tigers cover Before the 2025 season, but has so far continued with its contractual obligations.
October 16, 2024: Bally Change her names on a fanduel sports network
Diamond Sold the names of name From his RSN to Fanduel, putting the local sporting broadcasters of Detroit even further.
Although this change has not yet created significant effects for the dissemination of tiger, piston and Red Wings games, it has launched a multitude of personnel changes around the network.
December 20, 2024: John Keating announces retirement
In the middle of the most recent season of the Red Wings, the emblematic host of Detroit TV John Keating announced that he would retire At the end of the Red Wings season.
Keating welcomed pre-match and post-match shows for Tigers and Red Wings and was one of the most decorated television personalities in Detroit history, winning several local Emmys during its work decades.
Keating started on his own conditions at the end of the Red Wings season. However, other broadcasters did not go in such graceful terms.
February 26, 2025: Johnny Kane left the Tigers broadcasting team
When the Tigers announced their broadcasting team for the 2025 season, the journalist of the sideline Johnny Kane was mysteriously left from the list. Kane stayed with Fanduel as a touch journalist and backup advertiser for Piston Games.
Kane also started to host the program “Sportscaster’s Open Mic” on WJR-AM (760) in March. It is possible that the decision was taken by Ilitch and not Fanduel, which could explain why Kane is always in the network under the umbrella of the pistons. Kane refused to comment on the decision at the time.
Since then, he appeared in the broadcast of the tigers sporadically, and had to be broadcast for each match from May 9 to 14, according to the Tigers.
The same day, Kane’s name was left aside the tiger broadcasting list, it was revealed that the team had selected Daniella Bruce to be the new journalist on the Tigers field.
May 6, 2025: Mickey York says that the position was terminated
Mickey YorkWho was with the network in various roles on the camera since 2000, announced on May 6 that his position in Fanduel had been interrupted.
York had been a popular pre-match and post-match host for tigers and pistons. He also worked as a journalist and hosted other programs when the network was under the Sports Fox umbrella.
May 7, 2025: Trevor Thompson’s position is eliminated
Rinkside’s long -standing journalist, Trevor Thompson, suffered the same fate as York, the news that fled one day after York’s announcement.
Thompson started the same year as York, working mainly as a journalist in Red Wings programs. Thompson, originally from Dresden, Ontario, was appointed recent inducted from the Dresden’s sports temple.
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.