Let’s Be Blunt About ESPN, Sam Ponder Split

Conspiracy theories are bound to abound when an outspoken conservative is let go by ESPN. That’s been the game for close to a decade and it will be the game going forward so long as Outkick exists. What else would that site have to cover if it gave up its most reliable ghost?

I think it’s tinfoil-hat-level conspiratorial to think that ESPN bosses were out to get Sam Ponder because of her political views (not as tinfoil-hat-level of thinking this is part of some effort to silence any pro-Florida State voices, though). I also think that it’s naive to think that her Twitter presence and social crusade didn’t play a role in deciding that her salary fit perfectly into the desired amount that ESPN needed to cut from its budget.

What happened to the ability to look at an issue and say “oh, I don’t care about this at all”? The issue of trans kids being allowed to compete in girls sports is a strange one to me. I think most people with really strong opinions on the issue are performing for whatever audience they have or want and the fact that people with no dog in this fight have made their opinion a part of their personality is a product of living online. Should it be tolerated by an employer? Honestly, I do not care if it is or isn’t.

For the sake of argument and this column, let’s assume that Ponder’s outspoken opposition to trans kids competing in girls sports was a problem for Disney. The problem isn’t her position. Kirk Herbstreit and Pat McAfee both have said the same thing in recent weeks. Dan Orlovsky did too and then pretended he didn’t.

The language I am going to use in this column may not always be kind. My goal is not to dump on Ponder or anyone in her situation. I want to explain how bluntly I believe the people that made this decision were looking at the facts in front of them.

The problem is Sam Ponder is outspoken and in a position that’s just not that important to the network. Not everyone can get away with the same thing. That’s been true since offices and employment were invented.

It’s also been true at ESPN for a long time. Stephen A. Smith called it out when Sage Steele claimed there were different rules for her than there were for everyone else when the former SportsCenter anchor faced backlash for questioning Barack Obama’s Black identity and Disney’s Covid-19 vaccine policy on Jay Cutler’s podcast in 2021.

Kirk Herbstreit and Pat McAfee represent something really important to ESPN. They are part of one of the network’s signature products, College GameDay. McAfee is a key cog in the new “stars only” identity of the network. The rules are different for them.

It’s the Barry Bonds approach. If you deliver more, you get treated better. You get a benefit of the doubt that may feel unfair to your colleagues that aren’t as fortunate, but “fair” is a sliding scale and a word with no set meaning.

No matter how fervently anyone may agree with Ponder, there’s no argument. The idea that the rules are different based on performance or star power makes sense. Stephen A. Smith couldn’t be Stephen A. Smith if he were not allowed to express opinions that make some people uncomfortable. 

The flip side of that is that anchors don’t get to have opinions. Well, maybe they do, but expressing those opinions is a little more risky. Only Mina Kimes or Kirk Herbstreit can be Mina Kimes or Kirk Herbstreit. Not only is telling you what they think a part of their job descriptions, but they have proven that there is an audience that will seek out their opinions wherever they are. If you’re ESPN, you’re willing to tolerate whatever discomfort talent like that may cause because you want their audience coming to you to get something no one else can deliver. 

Unfortunately for Sam Ponder, the network has decided she isn’t worth whatever headaches come with her. There’s a long list of people that ESPN can pay a lot less money to introduce a pre-recorded segment and then say “what do you think, Randy Moss?”.

Even though I do not think Sam Ponder or anyone else that isn’t the parent of a trans kid cares as much about this issue as they claim to, I still wish her well and hope she finds a new gig soon. I think she’s talented and she is entitled to her own opinions no matter what I or anyone else thinks of them. 

This is the media, and Sam Ponder is no different than any other entertainer. Perception and star power not only matter, but are linked and together determine your value to employers. 

Is that fair? 

Fair is a sliding scale.

Demetri Ravanos

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.