'Woke' ESPN fires anchor who stood up for women in sports: 'I barely said anything…'

Left-of-center sports network ESPN fired “Sunday NFL Countdown” anchor Samantha Ponder on Thursday for what the network is billing as budgetary reasons.

Ponder was described by Outkick as “the only female voice within Disney since the departure of Sage Steele to speak out against 'trans women' (as in men) competing in women's sports.” Ponder not only defended Kansas City Chiefs' Harrison Butker for his faith-based speech at Benedictine College, but also praised ESPN “College Gameday” host Kirk Herbstreit for recently insisting that men don't belong in sports female

She also posted, “It's not hateful to demand justice in girls' sports.”

I've barely said anything publicly about this and I've gotten so many messages, stop me on the street to say thank you + tell me stories about girls who are afraid to talk out of fear of losing their jobs/being hateful names It's not hateful to demand justice in sports for girls https://t.co/teNoMDWNW4

— Samantha Steele Ponder (@samponder) May 25, 2023

The decision to fire Ponder drew outrage from former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines, host of OutKick's “Gaines for Girls” podcast, which sparked the above comment, and former ESPN anchor Sage Steele.

“So ESPN fired @samponder, the only woman on the network to publicly say men don't belong in women's sports. 3 weeks before football season? Sam is one of the most beautiful and genuine women I've ever met never met along with @sagesteele who met a similar fate…not a coincidence,” Gaines wrote.

So ESPN fires @samponderthe only woman on the network to publicly say that men don't belong in women's sports. 3 weeks before football season?

Sam is one of the most beautiful and genuine women I have ever met @sagesteele that he had a similar fate… not a coincidence. pic.twitter.com/igeC87UOnK

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) August 15, 2024

Steele, a former “SportsCenter” anchor, left in August 2023 after settling a lawsuit she filed after she was pulled from the air in October 2021 in opposition to the company's vaccine policy against COVID-19.

In a video posted to X, Steele expressed his support for Ponder, saying, “It's all going to work out.”

“This is another loss for ESPN, but it's a gain literally for the rest of the world because now you're going to see the real Sam Ponder,” Steele said. “Everything will work out, and I hope you're ready. She's a gem.”

i love you @samponder ❤️ pic.twitter.com/2IMwURVfMN

— Sage Steele (@sagesteele) August 15, 2024

Here's a quick sampling of responses to the story, as seen in X:

There is nothing left @espn. It's a dying, sad shell of a once great sports network.

Burn in hell for firing her.

— David Wohl (@DavidWohl) August 15, 2024

Pathetic… The woke media has just woken up.

This is why ESPN is failing.

— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) August 15, 2024

In my lifetime, Disney went from family viewing to a disease of the family and reality itself.

Disney, ABC, ESPN show the signs of a well-developed systemic disease that is progressivism.

— newmanian (@newmanian2) August 15, 2024

Hopefully she gets hired by FOX Sports for the football season.

— Andrea Katherine (@AndreaKatSTL) August 15, 2024

ESPN is a woke communist network infested with democrats. If Sam supported Kamala Harris, she would be promoted. done

— God bless Donald Trump (@grandeleague1) August 15, 2024

i met @samponder when I covered college football @FOXSports. He is one of the most hard-working, intelligent and accomplished professionals in sports media. This is tragic.

— Steve Eubanks (@jseubanks) August 15, 2024

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The longest-serving writer for BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a teenager. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.

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