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Jon Wertheim

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

L. Jonathan Wertheim (born 1970 in Bloomington, Indiana)[1] is an American sports journalist and author who has produced work in most major forms of media. He is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated magazine and has been part of the full-time SI writing staff since 1996.[2] As a correspondent for 60 Minutes on CBS, he has covered a wide-range of topics within and outside of sports. He is the author of eleven books and is an on-air tennis commentator, primarily for Tennis Channel. He has hosted and been a guest on multiple sports and news podcasts. He was Executive Producer and on-air reporter for the 2025 HBO Documentary Surviving Ohio State.

Sports Illustrated

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Wertheim is Senior Enterprise Writer for Sports Illustrated. He writes stories about professional tennis, basketball, mixed martial arts and other sports as well as deeply interviewed stories about the athletes who participate. He has also written stories that cover broader cultural and legal issues that relate to sports.[3] Examples are his reporting on the use of anabolic steroids by elite athletes[4] and the Ohio State University abuse scandal. The Ohio State reporting ("Why Aren't More People Talking About the Ohio State Sex Abuse Scandal?"),[2] focused on the decades-long abuse of male wrestlers by the team doctor, as well as the university's cover-up. It was the basis for the 2025 HBO Documentary Films Surviving Ohio State for which Wertheim was Executive Producer and on-air reporter.

Wertheim writes the weekly Tennis Mailbag for SI.com, in which he responds to readers questions and comments about the sport, business, and culture of tennis.

60 Minutes and CBS News

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Wertheim has been a correspondent for the CBS News program 60 Minutes since 2017[5] where he has covered diverse topics including Denmark's increasing wealth due to new generation weight-loss drugs[6], George Clooney's Broadway role as pioneering journalist Edward R. Murrow,[7] and the prevalence of Australian actors in Hollywood.[8] He was one of the reporters for the episode "A Central Ally/The Lost Music"[9] which received an Emmy nomination. He has been the author of a number of extended interviews with sports stars such as Caitlin Clark[10] and Rafael Nadal.[11]

Wertheim has produced stories for CBS News Sunday Morning including "Daria Kasatkina, the world's bravest tennis player"[12] about the Russian-born player who is openly gay and has been an outspoken critic of Russia's war on Ukraine. Kasatkina has since become a permanent resident of Australia.[13]

Books

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Wertheim is the author of eleven books, including Strokes of Genius: Federer, Nadal, and the Greatest Match Ever Played, which gives a stroke by stroke analysis of the 2008 Men's Singles Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and is a co-author (along with Toby Moskowitz) of the New York Times bestseller Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won, a wide-ranging statistical analysis of common misconceptions in American sports.

  • (2021) Glory Days: The Summer of 1984 and the 90 Days That Changed Sports and Culture Forever
  • (2016) This Is Your Brain on Sports: The Science of Underdogs, the Value of Rivalry, and What We Can Learn from the T-Shirt Cannon with Sam Sommers
  • (2014) You Can't Make This Up: Miracles, Memories, and the Perfect Marriage of Sports and Television with Al Michaels
  • (2014) The Rookie Bookie with Tobias J. Moskowitz
  • (2012) Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won with Tobias Moskowitz, L.
  • (2010) Blood In The Cage: Mixed Martial Arts, Pat Miletich, and the Furious Rise of the UFC
  • Strokes of Genius: Federer, Nadal, and the Greatest Match Ever Played (2009)
  • (2009) Venus Envy: Power Games, Teenage Vixens, and Million-Dollar Egos on the Women's Tennis Tour
  • (2008) Running the Table: The Legend of Kid Delicious, the Last Great American Pool Hustler
  • (2005) Transition Game: How Hoosiers Went Hip-Hop

On air television commentary

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Wertheim is a regular on-air commentator for Tennis Channel, regularly attending the Grand Slams and other tournaments where he often conducts on-court interviews with winning players after their matches. In June 2025, he was among the analysts and interviewers at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, France for TNT Sports (United States).

In a hot mic incident on November 9, 2024, Wertheim made a joking comment about player Barbora Krejčíková's appearance, unaware he was on air. In response to his comment, Krejčíková posted a disappointed reaction on social media and Wertheim publicly apologized to her. He was temporarily suspended from Tennis Channel, returning on-air in January, 2025[14]

Podcasts and social media

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Wertheim was host for two Sports Illustrated podcasts. Beyond the Baseline (2018-2022)[15] covered a variety of tennis topics and interviews with players, coaches, and others involved with the sport behind the scenes. For the podcast The Record (2020),[16] Wertheim selected and discussed seven of the most consequential Sports Illustrated stories "about the moments that defined the most legendary athletes in sports." Since its inception in 2024, Wertheim has been a regular contributor to Andy Roddick's Served podcast[17] which can also be watched on YouTube.[18] He has been a frequent guest on other podcasts, including multiple appearances on The Dan Patrick Show, CBS Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley,[19] and The Rich Eisen Show.[20]

Wertheim maintains a social media presence, posting regularly on X/Twitter and Instagram.

Awards

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2023 Nominee 75th Writers Guild of America Awards "The Longest Running Oil Spill" – 60 Minutes (CBS News) Shared with Oriana Zill de Granados

2022 Recipient International Tennis Hall of Fame Special Award Eugene L. Scott Award for communicating honestly and critically about the game, and having a significant impact on the world of tennis.[21]

2020 Nominee Emmy Awards Outstanding Arts, Culture and Entertainment Report "A Central Ally/The Lost Music" 60 Minutes (CBS News) Shared with Katherine Davis and Bill Owens [22]

2019 Nominee Sports Emmy Awards Outstanding Sports Long Documentary "Strokes of Genius" Shared with: Ken Solomon, Angus Wall, Linda Carlson, Paul Davies, Mick Desmond, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Bob Whyley, and Andrew Douglas[23]

Personal life and education

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Wertheim has two adult children and lives in New York City with his wife.[24] In an interview for the New York Times before 2023's US Open tennis tournament, Wertheim talked about his writing habits and his pleasure in finding something "off the beaten path" to appreciate in the city. He described a Sunday routine that includes grocery shopping at Trader Joe's.[25]

He has an undergraduate degree from Yale University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania.[26]

References

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  1. ^ IMDB. "Jon Wertheim – Biography". IMDB. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
  2. ^ "L. Jon Wertheim". SI Vault. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  3. ^ "Articles by L. Jon Wertheim". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Archived from the original on 2025-05-14. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  4. ^ "The Godfather". SI. 2008-03-11. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  5. ^ "Jon Wertheim - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  6. ^ "The Land Of Novo I Sunday on 60 Minutes - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  7. ^ Wertheim, Jon (June 8, 2025). "In his Broadway debut, George Clooney tells the story of pioneering journalist Edward R. Murrow". CBSnews.com. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  8. ^ "A surprising number of Hollywood stars are Australian: how the country pumps out acting talent". CBSnews.com. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  9. ^ https://www.cbsnews.com/video/a-central-ally-the-lost-music/
  10. ^ Wertheim, Jon (September 29, 2024). "Caitlin Clark on the moment she'll "always remember" from her first WNBA season". Cbsnews.com. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  11. ^ Wertheim, Jon (May 16, 2021). "Raphael Nadal: The 2019 60 Minutes Interview". Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  12. ^ Wertheim, Jon. "Daria Kasatkina, the world's bravest tennis player". CBSnews.com. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  13. ^ "Kasatkina to represent Australia after gaining permanent residency". WTAtennis.com. March 29, 2025. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  14. ^ wendioliveros (2025-01-07). "Jon Wertheim Back on TC After 'Indefinite' November Suspension". Sportscasting | Pure Sports. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  15. ^ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-baseline-sis-tennis-podcast-with-jon-wertheim/id1005210315
  16. ^ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-record/id1507693639
  17. ^ "Served with Andy Roddick Tennis Podcast". Served with Andy Roddick. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
  18. ^ https://www.youtube.com/@ServedPodcast
  19. ^ "CBS News Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  20. ^ "The Rich Eisen Show". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  21. ^ "Hall of Fame Awards". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  22. ^ "2020-41st News-Doc Emmy Awards Nominations FINAL" (PDF). TheEmmys.TV. August 6, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  23. ^ "Strokes of Genius". IMDB.com. Retrieved April 27, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ^ "Jon Wertheim – Archive". March 31, 2014. Archived from the original on March 31, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  25. ^ Brown, T. M. (September 3, 2023). "Taking Time Out for New York". New York Times.
  26. ^ "Jon Wertheim". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
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