Chris Mortensen is an American award-winning sports journalist and writer who worked mostly for ESPN. He did work for ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown, Monday Night Countdown, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, and ESPN.com and has been active since the first 1990s. Read on to find out more about his life, work, and private details.
Early life and Biography
Chris Mortensen was born in Torrance, California, USA, on November 7, 1951. Regarding his education, he attended the North Torrance highschool in Torrance, California, after which he enrolled into the El Camino College. During the Vietnam War , he served two years within the USA Army.
Journalism Career
Mortensen himself revealed that his journalism career began when he realized that he could not compete in football, basketball nor baseball, past his highschool years. so as to stay on the brink of the game because it was his passion, he changed his mind about being an educator and a teacher and decided to chase a career as a competitive sports journalist. He started his career with the Daily Breeze newspaper in his hometown of Torrance, California, all the way back in 1969. Since then, because of his amazing add the industry, he has won 18 awards in journalism.
In 1978, he won the National Headliner Award for Investigative Reporting altogether categories. In 1987, he won the George Polk Award for his reporting work. Since he’s a person of the many talents, in 1999, he made a documentary titled “The Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling”. Perhaps the foremost wide-known story he has been involved in is that the Deflategate controversy of 2015, when 11 of 12 footballs utilized in the AFC Championship Game between New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts were lighter by 2 pounds per sq in , meaning they were deflated. However, just one out of twenty-two tests showed the balls were lighter.
Chris Mortensen also authored a book in 1991, titled “Playing for Keeps: How One Man Kept the Mob from Sinking Its Hooks into Pro Football”, a book handling Mafia ties within college sports.
Personal Life
Mortensen features a son, Alex, who was a free agent quarterback within the National league . He played for the Tennessee Titans, but he was cut from the team in 2009.
On January 15, 2016, Mortensen reported through a politician ESPN statement that he’s affected by Stage 4 throat cancer. He took a medical leave of absence from his regular on-air work with the cable network to seem for treatment and specialise in his health.
Chris Mortensen Net Worth 2021
From his three decades in sports journalism, Chris Mortensen managed to urge a net worth of around $6 million.