Adrian Kennedy Karsten (March 13, 1960 – September 2, 2005) was an American

sports reporter Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...

, best known for his work as a college football sideline reporter for

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

. He was also known for wearing his trademark suspenders.

Reporting career

Karsten was born in

Horicon, Wisconsin Horicon is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,655 at the 2010 census. Geography Horicon is located at (43.4482, -88.6329). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which ...

, and graduated from Horicon High School in 1978. He attended

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Chart ...

and graduated in 1982. He was a member of the

Sigma Chi Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American fraternal literary societies. The fraternity has 244 active (undergraduate) chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has initiated more tha ...

Fraternity A fraternity (from Latin ''frater'': "brother"; whence, "brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in ...

. ESPN hired Karsten as a production assistant in 1983 and he began reporting in 1991. He was mainly known for being a college football sideline reporter. Karsten was known in the

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from tw ...

community for his 'side-line' style reporting while anchoring during ESPN's broadcasts of the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consist ...

. Karsten hosted the Tour de France from 1994 through 2000—more than any other American host. ESPN fired him in 2003 for

alcohol dependence Alcohol dependence is a previous (DSM-IV and ICD-10) psychiatric diagnosis in which an individual is physically or psychologically dependent upon alcohol (also chemically known as ethanol). In 2013, it was reclassified as alcohol use disorder ...

Legal issues and death

In July 2005, Karsten pleaded guilty to not reporting $607,000 that he made between 1999 and 2002 for his work at ESPN. Karsten was sentenced to eleven months in prison and nine months of confinement at his home for

tax evasion Tax evasion is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to reduce the tax ...

. He never showed up at a Federal prison in

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota, the city is the home and birthplace of the renowned Mayo Clinic. Ac ...

. He committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

, by hanging himself in his garage in

Green Lake, Wisconsin Green Lake is a city in Green Lake County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 960 at the 2010 census. The city is located on the north side of Green Lake. The city of Green Lake is the county seat for the county of Green Lake. The To ...

, just before he was scheduled to report to prison.''The American Mind'' - August, 2005
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References

External links

1995 Tour de France: Adrian Karsten - ESPN and ABC
via

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Karsten, Adrian 1960 births 2005 suicides American television sports announcers American people convicted of tax crimes Northwestern University alumni Journalists from Wisconsin People from Horicon, Wisconsin Suicides by hanging in Wisconsin Arena football announcers College football announcers Cycling announcers People from Green Lake, Wisconsin 20th-century American journalists American male journalists 2005 deaths