ESPN Fires Sam Ponder Amid ‘Budget Cuts’ After She Stands Alone in Defending Women’s Sports Against Transgender Athletes
Screenshot: ESPN
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.
