John Sabol is back home where his love of sports and TV career began. John, a former WJW Fox 8 sports intern, is Fox 8’s weekend sports anchor and weekday sports reporter. He is a northeast Ohio native growing up in Hudson. He is also a Kent State University alum where he received a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. If his name sounds familiar, it’s because he is the younger brother of Fox 8 morning meteorologist Scott Sabol. Scott is the oldest and John is the youngest of five children.
John’s love of Cleveland sports started as a kid when his dad and brother took him to countless Indians and Browns games at old Municipal Stadium and to Cavaliers games at the Richfield Coliseum where John watched the Cavs and his childhood idol Mark Price. His two most memorable Cleveland sports memories are the 2016 Cavs championship and attending Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. Even though the outcome of that World Series still stings, John still dreams of watching Rajai Davis hitting that game tying, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning of Aroldis Chapman. John still feels if that rain delay did not occur, the Tribe would have won the World Series!
Prior to his career coming back to Cleveland, John had stops at WVNS-TV 59 News in Beckley, WV and WOWK-TV 13 News in Charleston, WV. In 2013, John won the West Virginia Broadcasters Association “Best Sportscast” award. Most recently, John worked the unique role as both news and sports anchor on WFTS-TV in Tampa, FL for nearly 7 years. In addition, he served as the station’s lead sports anchor/reporter and host of numerous TV sports specials. John got the taste of championship sporting events covering the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final, the Tampa Bay Rays in the postseason, the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship, countless other bowl games and other sporting events in the Bay area. John has interviewed some of sports’ biggest names including LeBron James, Tiger Woods, Shaquille O’Neal, and Derek Jeter, but the most memorable and favorite interview he did was with Babe Ruth’s daughter, Julia Ruth Stevens, on the 100th anniversary of the first spring training game in St. Petersburg, FL in 2014.
John also co-hosts a sports podcast with his brother called “Sabol Brothers on the Baseline” available on Apple and Spotify. With every episode, John and Scott interview former professional Cleveland sports athletes or other sports historical figures. They tell a unique side of Cleveland Sports history while also tackling some current sports topics. John is very active on social media. Give him a follow on Twitter: @John_Sabol and on Facebook: @JohnSabolTV!
Outside of TV, John still finds time to pick up a glove and baseball to play catch, he enjoys golfing (trying not to lose a dozen balls), traveling and exploring the Metroparks and the greater Cleveland area with his wife and high school sweetheart, Alyssa, their daughter and golden retriever.
