Darren Rovell
794 Posts

Darren Rovell
794 Posts
Strong Reporting, speed, great connections in industry, alt market betting (memorabilia, crypto etc)
Role
Senior Executive Producer
Experience
21 years
Location
New Jersey

Summary

Darren focuses on all the stories happening in the business of betting from public companies to where the public is siding on each game. Darren started betting in 2000, the same year he started at ESPN at the age of 22. That’s also the year he started covering the beat as part of his sports business reporting. Rovell worked for ESPN for 12 years in two stints and CNBC for six years before coming to The Action Network in 2018.

Experience

Darren is a sports business reporter who loves covering the betting beat, but also loves covering any business. His book, “First in Thirst” on the history of Gatorade, was named among the Best 30 Business Books of 2005 by Soundview Summaries. His CNBC documentary, “Swoosh: Inside Nike,” was nominated for an Emmy. He won an Emmy for his coverage of Barack Obama winning the presidency on an NBC News show that night in 2008.

Education

Darren went to Northwestern and graduated with a degree in Communications. He was sports editor of the weekly paper, The Northwestern Chronicle and sports director of the radio station, WNUR

More from Darren Rovell

Rovell: Vaynerchuk Explains why VeeFriends Share Names of Children Book Characters

Two VeeFriends characters that have the same name as children books are merely a coincidence, entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk said Wednesday. Vaynerchuk, arguably the most influential force today in collectibles and

Darren Rovell
May 4, 2022 UTC

Rovell: Movie Theaters Will Give Caesars a Greater Sportsbook Presence in Michigan

A movie theater operator made news on Monday when it announced that it would turn some of its theaters into sportsbooks. Michigan-based Emagine Entertainment, which owns 344 theaters housed on

Darren Rovell
May 2, 2022 UTC

Rovell: Grading the Month of April for Top NFTs

Yes, the NFT world is exploding. The key for investors/gamblers is to figure out when the hot potato is going to turn cold. With April coming to end, we

Darren Rovell
May 2, 2022 UTC

Malik Willis' Fall Cost Him at least $7 Million

Liberty quarterback Malik Willis not only slipped out of the first round on Thursday night, he fell into the third round and was selected 86th overall by the Tennessee Titans.

Darren Rovell
Apr 30, 2022 UTC

Rovell: What's Next for NCAA After Mark Emmert Steps Down?

Mark Emmert announced Tuesday night he will step down as NCAA president 14 months from now. It’s a really good idea. Despite what the description for NCAA president read

Darren Rovell
Apr 27, 2022 UTC

Altered Honus Wagner Card Sells for $1.52M

Another Honus Wagner card in horrible condition sold for more than $1 million on Monday. The Wagner, slabbed by grader PSA as altered, had both its sides cut off. The

Darren Rovell
Apr 26, 2022 UTC

Rovell: Why the First-Round Running Back is Going Away in the NFL Draft

The running back is dead. At least as far as the NFL Draft is concerned. Don’t believe me? Just look at the stats. In the five drafts from

Darren Rovell
Apr 25, 2022 UTC

Rovell: Jay Wright's Early Retirement a Sign of NIL & Transfer Portal Impact

Career-ending decisions are complicated ones, but when Villanova head men’s basketball coach Jay Wright retired on Wednesday night, I had one thought. The game outside the game is

Darren Rovell
Apr 21, 2022 UTC

Everything Woj Got Wrong About Gambling in Kyrie Irving vs. Boston Fans Rant

After Kyrie Irving’s much-publicized and predictable issues with Boston Celtics fans after Game 1, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnorowski decided to use the dynamic between fans and player

Darren Rovell
Apr 20, 2022 UTC

Blackmon Becomes First Active MLB Player to Endorse Sportsbook

Athletes make natural partners as brand ambassadors and endorsers for legal sportsbooks in the United States, but most of the time they are retired. For the first time, an active

Darren Rovell
Apr 20, 2022 UTC

Rovell: USFL Kicks Off Today, But Old USFL Owners Still Own Their Trademarks

This Saturday night, a league with the old USFL name, the old USFL team names and the old USFL logos will kick off. There’s just one problem. The USFL

Darren Rovell
Apr 16, 2022 UTC

Rovell: Buyer Won’t Have to Pay for Brady's Last Touchdown Ball

A ball that was billed as Tom Brady’s last touchdown ball that was sold a month ago for $518,000 won’t be sold after all. Attorney Jeffrey Lichtman,

Darren Rovell
Apr 15, 2022 UTC

Demand High for Robinson Memorabilia Ahead of 75th Anniversary

The 75th anniversary on Friday of Jackie Robinson’s breaking of the color barrier is bound to boost the collectibility of the Brooklyn Dodgers great, but the truth is the

Darren Rovell
Apr 14, 2022 UTC

Did Magic Johnson Turn Down Nike Deal That Could Have Made Him a Billionaire?

The story of Magic Johnson turning down Nike founder Phil Knight’s offer to give him stock in 1979 was given new life this week when the story was

Darren Rovell
Apr 13, 2022 UTC

Nike Loses Despite Scheffler Winning in Tiger's Shoes

Earlier this week, Nike brushed off the fact that Tiger Woods came back to the Masters wearing FootJoy spikes. They said they were committed to Tiger being comfortable and would

Darren Rovell
Apr 11, 2022 UTC
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On Social
Betting Highlights
Favorite Bet of All-Time
Biggest betting moment was winning $68,000 from $1500 bet on Northwestern to win the Big Ten. They didn’t but I took a buyout shortly after halftime.
Most Heartbreaking Bet
Hawaii-San Jose State game. I love the unders. I hit the under at every possible number throughout the game. Of course it was the only game that year that didn’t have a punt.
Specialties
  • Strong Reporting
  • Speed
  • Great connections in industry
  • Alt market betting (memorabilia, crypto etc)