Who is Sage Steele? Why Was She Replaced on ESPN By Michelle Beadle?
National Basketball Association fans were surprised when Michelle Beadle replaced Sage Steele on "NBA Countdown" a week before the actual playoffs. Since 2013, Steele has been the host of the NBA pre-game and halftime shows on ABC and ESPN so removing her from the anchor chair came as a surprise for many.
It can be recalled that earlier this season, Beadle took over Steele's gig as the anchor of the NBA games weekday coverage on ESPN, while Steele remained as host of the Saturday primetime and Sunday afternoon games. Recently, however, Beadle has also taken over the Saturday primetime and Sunday afternoon games, leaving Steele with no role on ESPN's NBA coverage.
In a press release, ESPN vice president of original content Kevin Wildes mentioned looking forward to what's ahead of Beadle's career. However, he did not mention the reason behind her replacing Steele.
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"Like a great point guard, she makes everyone around her better and we're looking forward to this next chapter in Michelle's career as she leads us forward on 'NBA Countdown,'" said Wildes.
There are speculations that the probable reason ESPN fired Steele was the social media controversies she got stirred in last year and earlier this year. Back in January, she came under fire after openly blaming Trump's travel ban protesters for causing her to miss a flight. In November last year, she was also blasted for criticizing Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans on Twitter.
What made Steele's removal from "NBA Countdown" even more controversial was that the announcement was made on the day that ESPN issued new reporting guidelines, in which news personalities are restricted from discussing political issues on the network's platforms.
Though Steele has been replaced on "NBA Countdown," she will continue hosting "SportsCenter on the Road," which covers sporting events like The Masters.
Meanwhile, Beadle, now a full-time host, will lead ESPN's coverage of the NBA throughout the postseason, as well as ABC's coverage of the Western Conference and NBA finals.
