So it is getting to the point in sports, where TV stations are now trading sports announcers?  Monday Night Football will next season air on ESPN, and Sunday Night games will move to NBC.  When hearing of the MNF team consisting of Joe Theisman, and Pardon the Interruption’s,  Tony Kornheiser, Michaels made it clear he did not want to work with Theismann. 

NBC gave up quite a bit for Al Michaels services, ESPN will be receiving: a broader access to the Olympics aired on NBC, the rights to re-air NBC coverage, the rights to broadcast the Ryder Cup (golf), Notre Dame football, the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness.  The final piece that brought this deal together was the rights to a cartoon rabbit named Oswald, who goes back to the Disney/ ESPN family, which somehow over the years Walt Disney lost the rights to.  Oswald was a character Disney made back in 1927, prior to Mickey Mouse.