Education and early career Skipper attended
Lexington Senior High School in
Lexington, North Carolina. He then attended
UNC-Chapel Hill and earned a bachelor's degree in English literature. After receiving his master's degree in the same field from
Columbia University, he went to work for
Rolling Stone, beginning as an executive assistant before being promoted. He also worked for
Us and
Spin before becoming senior vice president of
Disney Publishing Group.
ESPN In June 1997, Skipper became senior vice president and general manager of
ESPN the Magazine. In October 2005, he was named as executive vice president of content. On January 1, 2012, he became president of
ESPN Inc. and co-chairman of
Disney Media Networks. In 2017, Skipper's contract with ESPN's parent company, Disney, was extended through 2021. In his time as president, Skipper was noted for negotiating large television rights contracts for sporting events, including a nine-year, $12 billion deal with the
National Basketball Association and a $7.3 billion deal for the
College Football Playoff, as well as all four
tennis Grand Slams and golf's
Masters Tournament. On December 18, 2017, Skipper revealed that he had been struggling with
substance addiction, and announced that he would be resigning as president of ESPN in order to focus on treatment. John Skipper told
The Hollywood Reporter that a cocaine extortion attempt led to his ESPN departure. His predecessor
George Bodenheimer served as acting chairman of the company during the transition to new leadership. In the wake of Skipper's announcement, the
New York Times reported that he "didn't have a reputation for partying or erratic behavior" among coworkers at ESPN or confidants in his personal life.
DAZN Group On May 8, 2018, it was announced that Skipper had been hired as executive chairman of DAZN Group, a British international sports media company. Skipper will operate out of New York City. The company subsequently announced plans to launch its international sports streaming service
DAZN in the United States later in the year, anchored by a deal with British promoter
Eddie Hearn to hold major
boxing events in the U.S. to carry on DAZN. Skipper explained that he wanted the service to eventually be a larger competitor to entities such as ESPN and compete for more significant sports rights, but that they wanted to "build our brand in this country, expose the quality of our technology and start to meet people." Of his personal condition, Skipper added that "I'm in a great place. I am excellent, quite healthy. I think you can tell that. I have a level of acceptance and enthusiasm going forward."
Meadowlark Media In January 2021, Skipper joined former ESPN personality
Dan Le Batard to launch Meadowlark Media, a content company focused on sports. He will remain at his position at DAZN. The company most recently signed a deal with
Apple TV+. == Legacy ==