No. 40: Chris Berman

This fall will be one giant on-air going away party for Chris Berman, who helped build the NFL’s popularity via the iconic Sunday NFL Countdown. ESPN has said that Berman won’t be hosting its football shows next year, but Berman’s agent told The New York Times: “Chris is not retiring. Loves what he’s doing too much and is too young to hang ’em up.” Don’t be surprised if Berman, who has often been a de facto PR vehicle for the league, ends up with some role on NFL Network.

— Richard Deitsch