ESPN, majority owned by The Walt Disney Company, has fired Sam Ponder, the popular host of Sunday NFL Countdown.
The network officially cited budget cuts as the reason. This decision comes on the same day the network also severed ties with former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III.
Both terminations have been described as part of ESPN’s efforts to balance its books before the fiscal year concludes at the end of September, according to The Athletic who first reported the news.
Ponder, who has been with ESPN since 2006, was reportedly still under contract when the decision was made. The sudden termination raises questions about the network’s true motivations, particularly given Ponder’s recent outspoken defense of women’s sports in the face of growing controversy over transgender athletes competing in women’s competitions.
Critics argue that her firing is less about budget cuts and more about silencing dissenting voices that challenge the progressive orthodoxy dominating the sports world.
Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer and vocal advocate for the protection of women’s sports, expressed her outrage on social media, saying, “So ESPN fires [Sam Ponder], the only woman at the network who publicly said men don’t belong in women’s sports. 3 weeks before football season? Sam is one of the most beautiful, genuine women I’ve ever met along with @sagesteele who had a similar fate….not a coincidence.”
So ESPN fires @samponder, the only woman at the network who was publicly said men don’t belong in women’s sports. 3 weeks before football season?
Sam is one of the most beautiful, genuine women I’ve ever met along with @sagesteele who had a similar fate….not a coincidence. pic.twitter.com/igeC87UOnK
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) August 15, 2024
Gaines’ tweet references Sage Steele, another prominent ESPN personality who found herself at odds with the network’s management. Steele was sidelined after criticizing vaccine mandates and questioning former President Barack Obama’s racial identity, sparking speculation that ESPN is engaging in a broader purge of voices that don’t align with its political agenda.
Here’s a video of Steele weighing in on Ponder’s firing through a heartfelt video message:
I love you, @samponder ❤️ pic.twitter.com/2IMwURVfMN
— Sage Steele (@sagesteele) August 15, 2024
Jim Hᴏft is the founder and editor of The Gateway Pundit, one of the top conservative news outlets in America. Jim was awarded the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award in 2013 and is the proud recipient of the Breitbart Award for Excellence in Online Journalism from the Americans for Prosperity Foundation in May 2016.
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