Steven Ruiz left The Ringer for Fox Sports, ending a five-year run writing NFL analysis and hosting podcasts under Spotify's flagship sports vertical. Fox confirmed the hire but did not disclose title or compensation. Ruiz's final Ringer byline ran Monday.
Ruiz joined The Ringer in 2019, before Spotify acquired the company for $196 million in February 2020. He became a senior writer covering NFL draft evaluation and in-season storylines, appearing regularly on *The Ringer NFL Show* and contributing to video content on the company's YouTube channel, which crossed 2.5 million subscribers in late 2024. His draft coverage, particularly quarterback analysis, drew consistent engagement during April's peak traffic windows. He was not among the 90 Ringer and Spotify employees laid off in December 2023 during cost reductions following the Megaphone podcast-tech write-down.
Fox Sports has been methodically expanding written and digital NFL coverage ahead of its exclusive Big Ten football rights launch in fall 2024 and its FIFA World Cup package beginning in 2026. The company currently employs 47 reporters and columnists across its digital properties, according to LinkedIn data, up from 39 in January 2023. Fox does not break out digital revenue separately but disclosed in its Q2 2024 earnings that advertising tied to digital NFL content grew 18% year-over-year, driven in part by betting-focused modules embedded in game previews and injury updates.
The timing matters. Fox will carry 24 to 27 Big Ten football games per season starting this fall under its seven-year, $1.2 billion agreement announced in August 2022. The network needs credible written coverage to support shoulder programming and social amplification around marquee matchups, particularly Ohio State and Michigan games that anchor Saturday primetime windows. NFL writers with draft pedigrees translate cleanly to college talent evaluation, a format Fox used extensively during its Pac-12 era before that conference collapsed into the Big Ten and Big 12.
The Ringer has not announced a replacement. The company still employs 12 full-time NFL contributors, including Danny Kelly and Danny Heifetz, but Ruiz's departure removes one of its few writers who could toggle between draft scouting and weekly game columns without tonal whiplash. Spotify has not published updated headcount for The Ringer since folding it into its broader sports audio and video org chart in mid-2023. Bill Simmons, the founder, has not commented publicly on Ruiz's exit.
Fox's hire follows a broader pattern. The network added former ESPN NFL reporter Dianna Russini in May 2023 and former Yahoo Sports columnist Charles Robinson in November 2023, both into expanded multimedia roles that include written columns, studio appearances, and podcast integration. Russini's signing came with a reported salary in the low-to-mid six figures, though Fox does not confirm writer compensation. The strategy mirrors what Barstool Sports and The Athletic executed during their growth phases: acquire credible beat voices, then extend them across video and audio to maximize per-employee content output.
Ruiz's Fox role has not been detailed beyond "expanded responsibilities." That phrasing typically signals studio availability, podcast hosting, or pre-game digital hit obligations rather than pure column work. Fox Sports Radio, which syndicates to 375 affiliates, has added weekend NFL programming in each of the past three years and could use recognizable digital voices to fill shoulder slots during draft season and training camp.
Watch whether Fox assigns Ruiz to Big Ten coverage by August. The network will promote its first full season of college football heavily during NFL preseason windows, and a known NFL draft analyst breaking down Quinn Ewers or Jalen Milroe offers clean cross-promotion. Also watch The Ringer's next NFL Draft podcast lineup in early 2025; losing Ruiz creates a gap in a format that drove 14 million downloads during the 2024 draft week, per Podtrac estimates.
Fox announced $18.5 billion in total sports rights commitments through 2028 during its December 2023 upfront presentation. It needs the written and podcast infrastructure to justify those bets.
The takeaway
Ruiz's move to Fox reflects the network's build toward Big Ten and World Cup cycles, not a talent war with The Ringer.
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