ikecomp

The keyword there is that it "used" to be the rule. You're not hiring someone out of college with a communication/journalism degree. You're hiring a personality.

The reason for that is he's not just an analyst. He's a "color" analyst meaning he is there to entertain as well as breakdown the game he played. ESPN fully understood they were getting a passionate and emotional personality when they hired Ray so you can't expect him not to be that now just because he's on the air in a suit. It's the same reason Michael Strahan, Shannon Sharpe, Deon Sanders, Michael Irvin, Charles Barkley and Shaq have jobs. They are not just there to inform you but inform you and entertain you. So in that regard, they are part of the news.