Clayton Kershaw’s first turn in the SportsNet LA booth gave him a chance to explain something he said has followed him for years: the idea that he simply didn’t want to talk.
During last Tuesday’s game against the Atlanta Braves, Kershaw joined Joe Davis in the broadcast booth while Kirsten Watson handled her usual reporter duties. The Dodgers lost the game, but Kershaw said the experience of working as an analyst was an enjoyable one.
Looking back on his playing days, Kershaw said he never loved the media side of the job.
“Honestly, when I was playing, I never wanted to speak to the media or do anything like that,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to be like a jerk about it.
I just didn’t like talking about myself more than I had to. I didn’t enjoy that side of it.”
He made it clear that the public read on him never fully matched the reality. From his perspective, the issue was never a lack of interest in baseball or in discussing it.
“I think a lot of people misconstrued [me] for like, ‘Oh, he’s just not a talker. He doesn’t want to do it,’” Kershaw said.
“But, I mean, that’s pretty far from the truth. I really love baseball, and I love talking about the game.
So the natural fit is to be able to do that in broadcasting. I thought about that.”
That move into broadcasting had already started to take shape before Tuesday. Kershaw was hired as an analyst for NBC Sports before the season began, and he had already made a couple of appearances on the network’s broadcasts this year. He was also hired by the Dodgers as a special assistant in the front office.
His return to the organization has kept him close to Dodger Stadium throughout his first year of retirement. In May, he came back as a spectator to watch his former teammates, his first appearance in that role. Before that, he was back on Opening Day to start his broadcasting career, then returned the following day to throw out the ceremonial first pitch and take part in the 2025 World Series champions ring ceremony.
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