ESPN Aired The Last Ever ‘Mike and Mike’ And Things Got Emotional

Mike & Mike aired for the final time on Friday, bringing a 17-year run of the popular ESPN radio morning show to a close. The final broadcast and simulcast on ESPN 2 drew a number of fond farewells from former guests, employees and of course Golic and Greenberg themselves.

The end of the show was not without a bit of controversy, as the split of the longtime radio partners became a bit of a long-running drama itself. Reports indicated that the end of the show ruined their off-air relationship, though that fact was later disputed. Still, it was an awkward end to one of the staples of ESPN’s programming.

But no one appeared to be at odds on Friday, as the duo reminisced about their favorite moments and brought back popular segments for a final time. They also got a number of on and off-camera congratulations from sports legends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMZgoauUCMY

ESPN president John Skipper even joined the program, reminiscing on the 18-year-run and announcing that the network will build a Mike & Mike playground with the help of a nonprofit called Kaboom.

Skipper also revealed that Greenberg’s new show with Jalen Rose and Michelle Beadle will debut next spring.

A lot has changed since the first show aired on January 2, 2000 and Friday’s final show, but neither Mike is leaving ESPN after the show ends. Golic’s new show with his son starts later this month.

The show also had a kind of a studio audience, with the family of people who worked on the show watching. And SportsCenter’s ESPN broadcast joined SportsCenter’s ESPN broadcast joined the final minutes of the show.

https://youtu.be/Mit1S-gmBfQ

The show ended with the families of both Mikes joining them on camera as the two said their final goodbyes.

“The most important words I can think of today are ‘thank you,'” Greenberg said before the lights quite literally went out on the set for the final time.

Plenty of people on Twitter expressed their thanks to the show using the #MMSayThanks hashtag on Twitter, including many of their coworkers at ESPN.

https://twitter.com/miketirico/status/931528891365281792

It’s clear Mike & Mike’s departure will leave a hole in the mornings of many people, but they’ll each be back soon enough.