Sam Ponder, who was vocal about trans-inclusion in women’s sports FIRED from ESPN
ESPN fired Sam Ponder, the reporter who took a stand for trans-inclusion in sports, while calling it a cost-cutting measure.
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Sam Ponder (image via Instagram)
As per reports by The Athletic, Sam Ponder had been let go by the ESPN. While it has been labeled as budgetary changes, rumors speculate the actual reason of the firing.
Ponder made seven figures per year. Since the fiscal year concludes in September, her lay off had been called a way to cut-cost, as per sources by The Athletic. She was left with one year out of the 3-year contract with the ESPN which was worth more than $3 million. However, fans speculate that it being called a business decision was only a cover-up.
The internet felt the oddity of an analyst who took stand for trans-inclusivity in women’s sports, getting fired as a cost-cut measure. Ponder often expressed her controversial political opinions. As a result, her tweets from when she spoke upon the issue, have been going viral. However, no confirmation had been given by her or ESPN on the matter.
Sam Ponder had been at ESPN since 2011. She served as a reporter for college football and basketball broadcasts, as well as the Longhorn Network. Along with that, she served as the host of “Sunday NFL Countdown” since 2017. But the history did not matter because if rumors were true, Ponder did not stick to ESPN’s “stick to sports” motto.
Internet outraged after ESPN’s decision to fire Sam Ponder
The news about Sam Ponder getting fired spread like wildfire. The internet went into an outrage at the possible motive behind ESPN’s move. People noted that Ponder was the only female at a sports network openly speaking up on sensitive issues.
Soon after the news spread, Riley Gaines, the host of OutKick’s “Gaines for Girls” podcast, too. joined in in defense of Ponder. She pointed out that both her and Ponder having similar fate was not a coincidence.
The internet was quick to point out that former ESPN personality Sage Steele was similarly fired after expressing controversial opinions. She also was one of the first person to publicly post about Sam Ponder on X. In the video, she talked about Ponder’s talents while implying that she did not believe ESPN’s decision to fire Ponder was a cost cutting measure.
Both the videos were filled with comments favoring Sam Ponder. People definitely read in between the lines and spoke straight up with their speculation. She was among the very few people who called for fairness for women in sports.
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Anubhav Bajpeyee
(211 Articles Published)