Adnan Virk (July 29, 1978) is a Canadian sportscaster. He is known for his work on ESPN, the MLB Network, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and DAZN and TSN. He also produces and hosts the weekly podcast Cinephile with Adnan Virk show covering cinema news and interviews with entertainment celebrities, as well as co-hosts the football podcast The GM Shuffle with former NFL executive Michael Lombardi.
Early life[]
Virk was born in Toronto, Ontario to Zakaria and Taherah Virk; his parents had immigrated to Canada from Pakistan. In 1984 the family relocated to Kingston, then in 1989 to Morven, a small town just outside Kingston, where his parents owned and operated a gas station and Zack's Variety store. After graduating from Ernestown Secondary School, where he played basketball and soccer, Virk studied Radio and Television Arts at Ryerson University.
Career[]
From 2003 to 2009, Virk hosted several programs on The Score, and was an associate producer for Sportscentre at TSN. He was also the co-host of Omniculture and Bollywood Boulevard at Omni Television. In 2009, he joined Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) as a host and reporter for Raptors TV, Leafs TV and Gol TV Canada.
ESPN[]
In April 2010, Virk joined the ESPN family of stations in Bristol, Connecticut. After joining ESPN, he became one of three main anchors for Baseball Tonight. During 2014 spring training, he began calling play-by-play for an ESPN affiliate. In the baseball off-season, he hosted SportsCenter and Outside the Lines. He would also fill in for Keith Olbermann on Olbermann. He was the host of a movie podcast Cinephile on ESPN. In addition, he was also the main studio host for ESPN College Football and also hosted College Football Final.
On February 3, 2019, Virk was fired following an investigation regarding leaks of ESPN information to the media. Virk and ESPN later agreed not to pursue litigation against each other.
DAZN and MLB Network[]
In March 2019, it was announced that Virk would host the new MLB studio program ChangeUp for DAZN, a subscription streaming media service based in London. In addition, Virk will appear on MLB Network. He is also hosting boxing events.
WWE[]
In April 12 2021, it was announced that Virk would become the new play-by-play commentator for Monday Night RAW, replacing Tom Phillips.
On May 25, 2021 WWE announced it had mutually parted ways with Virk to which Virk on social media thanked WWE for the opportunity.
Personal life[]
Virk was born to a Pakistani Canadian Ahmadi Muslim family, and considers himself a practicing Muslim. He lives in New Jersey with his wife Eamon, whom he married in 2007. They have four sons.
External links[]
Adnan Virk at the Internet Movie Database
