Few network football analysts have created their own lane quite like Mina Kimes at ESPN. Her profile did not grow from the gridiron or from glory days on the field. Instead, she built her path out of a passion for the sport she grew to love. The daughter of a U.S. military veteran and Korean immigrant, Kimes graduated from Yale and set out to become an award-winning investigative journalist for both Fortune and Bloomberg.
Then in 2014, she pivoted, calling her own audible when ESPN made a phone call that changed her career outlook forever.
“ESPN reached out to me when I was a features writer. They asked me if I would consider pivoting to writing features about sports,” said Kimes. “They knew that football was a passion of mine because I was this very serious business journalist, but I was posting just dumb s**t about football constantly and wrote a personal essay about football.”
That phone call marked Kimes’ entry into what has become a consistently blossoming career with the worldwide leader in sports. After beginning with ESPN The Magazine, she expanded across multiple platforms, including digital and print, as well as television, radio and podcasting.
Ranking Among the Best
In 2018, Mina Kimes elevated her passion for football by launching The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny. The podcast became a haven for in-depth football discussion and thoughtful analysis. Kimes admitted she never expected a show hosted by her and her dog to endure. The sports podcast industry has experienced significant attrition over the years.
However, her — and Lenny’s — efforts recently earned the project a top-10 ranking in the Barrett Media Top Sports Digital Shows.
“It’s very generous and very kind,” said Kimes. “The digital show ranking I really appreciate. Over the last year or so, I’ve put a lot of work into it with incredible help from my partners at Omaha Productions toward trying to grow the podcast on YouTube. I understand how important that is for our industry, and I really appreciate that recognition.”
Kimes’ work earned further recognition when ESPN named her a full-time NFL analyst on NFL Live in 2020. Over the past five years, Mina Kimes said the show’s audience growth has fueled expansion. She noted that NFL Live now explores angles other daily NFL programs often avoid.
“When we rebooted the show five years ago, one of the things we all agreed upon was we wanted to trust fans to meet us where we were instead of talking down to them. Also not talking about the same topics everyone else was discussing,” noted Kimes. “Our producers trust us to do topics that are pretty complicated and detailed. We have found that fans really respond to that and tell me all the time they feel like they’re learning something when they watch.”
Barrett Media also recognized Kimes, ranking her the fourth-best sports television talent of 2025. The honor carries special meaning for Kimes, who hopes more women continue to earn national recognition from executives for the inroads they have made in sports media.
“I don’t even think my mom would rank me fourth,” joked Kimes. “You’re seeing women in bigger roles, certainly at ESPN. I hope to see that number continue to grow and hope to see more women on rankings like Barrett Media’s. Also, more women in different types of roles like mine, which is pretty unique.”
An All-In Approach
Kimes’ approach to content mirrors her passion for the entire league. Podcasting provides greater flexibility than television, which operates within a more structured format. Her focus centers on covering the league in a way that gives every team real estate on The Mina Kimes Show Featuring Lenny. Kimes says she pays close attention to analytics, which often reveal which topics resonate most when she dives into the data.
“Our audio numbers this year kept going up in addition to the digital views. That really speaks to how much people want really detailed football talk,” said Kimes. “I really try to cover the whole league. Podcasting can be a complement to television. If you feel that your team nationally is not getting enough analysis, come listen to my show.”
Another metric Kimes monitors is engagement in the comments on each episode. She views that feedback as coming from listeners who genuinely consume her work. She contrasts it with traditional social media reactions. As digital engagement and YouTube views continue to climb, she sees distribution growth as a primary focus for the year ahead.
“I find the digital engagement for the show is one of the few places on the internet I will look. Too often on social media, it’s people who aren’t consuming your work. It’s just people with opinions that have nothing to do with the content of what you’re providing. For my show, these are people that are listening and sometimes they’re really mad with me, and that’s okay as long as they’re listening and care to share their thoughts,” explained Kimes.
An ESPN Super Bowl
With ESPN preparing for its first Super Bowl broadcast in 2027, Mina Kimes said she is energized by the opportunity ahead. She praised the network’s football coverage as best-in-class. Kimes expects that commitment to become even more visible as the countdown to game day intensifies.
One element Kimes believes sets ESPN apart is the number of voices contributing to the network’s NFL coverage. That depth will only increase with added programming, further promotion and an all-gas, no-brakes approach to football’s crown jewel in Los Angeles.
“If you don’t already watch NFL Live, and know the way we talk about the sport, then I hope that more people will learn about us and watch,” said Kimes. “We’ll have a lot of exposure as we get closer to the game. I think our show [NFL Live] is a great representation of what our network can do. The Super Bowl will be a great opportunity for us to welcome people in and see that.”
ESPN has yet to reveal details about how it will present the Super Bowl. In the past, the network has housed the College Football Playoff and presented several alt-casts designed to cater to different viewer preferences for game day coverage.
Kimes believes an alt-cast approach to the Super Bowl could appeal to some viewers. However, it may not resonate with others.
“There are people who want more detailed football talk during games. One of my favorite things about The Manningcast is when the brothers get nerdy,” said Kimes. “As long as there is an understanding that success isn’t massive numbers for every single alt-cast. Instead, find a passionate audience. That’s how an alt-cast can thrive.”
As ESPN barrels toward its Super Bowl moment in 2027, Mina Kimes is not chasing the spotlight — she is building something sturdier. Trust from viewers who want to be challenged, and from listeners who crave depth over decibels. Trust from an industry still learning that authority in football does not have to come from a playing résumé, but from preparation, perspective and passion.
Mina Kimes carved out her lane by refusing to talk down to fans. She also refused to shrink herself to fit an outdated mold. Whether on NFL Live, hosting her podcast alongside Lenny, or dissecting the league’s most complex matchups, her approach remains steady. She respects the audience, and she respects the game.
“I just want to be better at things I’m already doing,” said Kimes. “I don’t even think the things I’m doing will be different [in 2026] but just do them better. On the digital side, I hope to continue to learn and figure out what my listeners and viewers want but not being overly responsive to that. I’m still chasing ideas. Trusting that my audience will be interested in it is something I would like to continue to do.”
Mina Kimes did not grow up under stadium lights. She built her platform one smart rep at a time. As the biggest event in sports inches closer, she stands as proof that in modern football media, the most powerful lanes are not inherited — they are created.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
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