[NYT] A Disparaging Video Prompts Explosive Fallout Within ESPN

Malika for Finals MVP

 

Given her impressive performance during the NBA Finals, ESPN’s Malika Andrews is viewed as a strong candidate to succeed departing Maria Taylor as host of “NBA Countdown,” sources told FOS.

But Andrews is not a slam-dunk. She’s never anchored or hosted a show, noted sources. The young star has worked primarily as a reporter.

ESPN’s is loaded with talented anchors and hosts, all with NBA experience, who can potentially succeed Taylor. Management may prefer to keep Andrews on the sideline while tapping a more experienced anchor for the host job.

Among them: Cassidy Hubbarth, host of “Hoop Streams;” “SportsCenter” anchor Elle Duncan; and former “Countdown” host Sage Steele.

Rachel Nichols, host of ESPN’s daily NBA show “The Jump,” is not in the running for the “Countdown” post, said sources.

 

Olympics, NFL, Notre Dame Football

Highlighted by host roles for the Olympics and the NFL – including as a host and contributor for Football Night in America and Super Bowls – Taylor will work across premier NBC Sports properties. In Tokyo, her very first assignment as part of the NBC Sports team, she will join Mike Tirico as host for Prime Plus, and will also serve as a correspondent. — NBC

With NBC and Amazon planning on partnering on Amazon Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football,” when it begins in the fall of 2022, Taylor could be part of its exclusive broadcasts as a sideline reporter or a host. No deal is completed with Amazon, though sources say they like Taylor’s work. — NYP

 

https://theathletic.com/2729279/2021/07/26/espn-maria-taylor-nbc-olympics-michael-phelps/

So what happens next for ESPN? Well, Taylor’s departure leaves interesting openings and opportunities. Before we get to that, let’s again note the epic management failure by ESPN senior management to let one of your best on-air talents — someone under 40 who worked for you since 2014 — out the door. Taylor was a pro no matter the assignment — college football sideline reporter, including for the national championship game; “College GameDay” reporter; women’s college basketball host; “NBA Countdown” host; and Finals host.

What will happen with her jobs at ESPN? Here’s how I would play it.

• Taylor was the lead reporter on the ABC Saturday night college football crew featuring Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit. This is an easy decision for management. Holly Rowe should move from the Joe Tessitore/Greg McElroy crew onto the top crew. Rowe is a terrific reporter and has deep experience in college football. Rowe moving up would give other reporters at ESPN the opportunity to move up to bigger assignments.

• Taylor was the host of the Women’s Final Four, and a good one — passionate and knowledgeable about the sport. ESPN’s coverage of women’s college basketball is excellent and they are fortunate to have talented analysts and play-by-play broadcasters throughout the company. One of those is LaChina Robinson, who is best known as a women’s basketball analyst, but she can also host. Her passion for women’s college basketball is nonpareil and she would slot seamlessly into this higher-profile position.

• Taylor was a primary reporter on “College GameDay,” and ESPN is in a very good position of depth when it comes to college football reporters. Quality staffers such as Molly McGrath, Allison Williams, Marty Smith, Kris Budden, Laura Rutledge, Roddy Jones and many others can filter into “GameDay” if ESPN desires.

• Finally, the NBA. ESPN has a couple of roles to fill with Taylor hosting “NBA Countdown” and the NBA Finals. Multiple sources said Rachel Nichols will not be the Finals host next year, so she won’t be part of this analysis. I think Cassidy Hubbarth would be a well-suited candidate to host “NBA Countdown” and the NBA Finals. She has a ton of NBA hosting experience and is well-liked by those who work with her. Chemistry is a major part of a studio show, and Hubbarth has one of the most important traits of a strong studio host — the ability to make her analysts look good. ESPN has plenty of competent in-house people who have hosted either “Countdown” or the NBA Finals before (Sage Steele, Hannah Storm, Michael Wilbon and Doris Burke), but I anticipate management would like to start fresh given the negative press. I would expect Malika Andrews to continue as an NBA sideline reporter as well as a writer for ESPN.com. Andrews is a gifted writer and has always said writing and reporting are her passions. At 26, she has plenty of years to studio host if she so chooses down the road. Right now, I’d think she would want to continue in a hybrid role that gives her the opportunity to report on-air and write for the website.

• As for Nichols: In the near-term, I expect her to continue on “The Jump,” which has long been ESPN’s best NBA show. Her disparaging comments about Taylor on a leaked recording of a private conversation will continue to follow her in-house and rightly so. Pure guesswork: I think there’s a real chance ESPN/Disney attempts to buy Nichols out of her current contract. Nichols is well-liked by NBA top executives, as NBA commissioner Adam Silver made clear, and did terrific reporting work while at CNN and Turner Sports from 2013 to 2016. She was considered a valuable on-air asset by Turner’s top bosses when she worked there and I could see a return to Turner down the road.