Depending on your point of view, Sage Steele is either free or she just became less relevant by leaving ESPN. I am not here to tell you which one is right, but rather to ask what reasonably comes next for her?
Whatever you think of her politics, Steele clearly has respect as a broadcaster. In a time when who is hosting SportsCenter is less relevant than ever, she was deemed important enough and talented enough for ESPN to keep on staff for sixteen years.
There was never a chance that Steele’s lawsuit against ESPN was going to end any way other than it did. The two sides settled and she is moving on from Bristol.
So where can we expect her to land? She has a known name in this industry. That is going to be valuable to someone in sports media.
Because of the way Sage Steele left ESPN though, we cannot rule out the possibility that her media future does not include sports at all. Mocking Barack Obama and being afraid of the Covid-19 vaccine are kind of red meat for the right wing news audience. Combine those two things with the fact that she had very public beef with Ron DeSantis’s archenemy, the Walt Disney Company, and it is possible there is no free agent more valuable to the likes of Newsmax or FOX News.
As that audience looks for alternative outlets for entertainment, adding a known name with timely, conservative credibility is important to traditional TV networks. That could mean someone in that space is willing to offer Steele a paycheck that is just too big to pass up.
But this is a sports media site, so let’s put that scenario on the shelf for right now and look at four possible paths in sports media for Sage Steele moving forward.
FOX
Come on. We’re all thinking it. A sports background and a conservative point of view? Sage Steele checks a lot of boxes for the Murdochs.
With Clay Travis, the company proved that it does not mind mixing sports and politics (ironic, right?). Why couldn’t Steele anchor a day part on FOX News during the week and then be part of a studio team or a sideline reporter for the broadcast network’s NFL or Major League Baseball coverage on the weekends? Travis, by the way, has been openly campaigning for FOX to make this move for the last two years.
OUTKICK
Speaking of Travis, why let the bosses get any glory? Right wing politics and sports is exactly what Outkick does. Travis himself has said that the vision for the site is to be the “bridge between FOX Sports and FOX News.”
Whether you think the company is building a lineup of shows with a unique point of view or not is irrelevant. It is building a lineup of shows that cater to a specific audience and that audience likes Sage Steele. While the site has already picked up Charley Arnolt and Dan Dakich, Steele would be the biggest addition to Outkick’s lineup of personalities too outspoken for ESPN.
LEAGUE NETWORK
Would NFL Network, NHL Network or MLB Network be a possibility for Sage Steele? Why not? She is a name their audiences know and she has more than shown her prowess as a studio host.
A deep tie to a single sport is not necessary. Rich Eisen was not the NFL broadcasting icon he is now when he was hired to help launch NFL Network. Brian Kenny was better known for ESPN’s boxing coverage than baseball before he landed at MLB Network.
No matter what viewers think of her politics, she has credibility as a sports broadcaster. More than 16 years as one of the faces of SportsCenter will do that.
NBC
Sage Steele was part of ESPN’s coverage of golf from 2017 until 2022. She made an impression on the sport at The Masters…and unfortunately, the sport made a literal impression on her at The PGA Championship.
NBC’s depth chart is just too thin when it comes to studio hosts. Mike Tirico is the anchor for everything that isn’t the NFL, where he is in the booth. Adding Steele could give the network a face of its golf coverage while also adding star power to Golf Channel, where she could host something with more regularity.
Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
