Today marks the debut of ESPN’s new daily (M-F) show, NBA Today (real creative titling, I know.)
This “new” show is hosted by Malika Andrews (above right) but for all intents and purposes NBA Today is pretty much just a reworking of ESPN’s long running but recently canceled, The Jump.
The Jump featured Rachel Nichols (above left), Kendrick Perkins, Richard Jefferson and others and was noteworthy for having fresh NBA news and reporting, as well as for its entertaining bickering sessions between the inarticulate but lovable country bumpkin Perkins, and the sarcastic and condescending Jefferson. Nichols was the host and referee and would begin each show with a thoughtful monologue on whatever NBA-related topic happened to be at the forefront that day.
In a conversation with LeBron James associate Adam Mendelsohn (and by the way, why can LeBron always be found — either by happenstance or because he purposely inserted himself — at the epicenter of anything controversial happening in the NBA?) Nichols openly complained about being passed over (in favor of Taylor) to host the NBA Finals pregame and halftime shows. Nichols also strongly implied that Taylor was the choice largely because she was black.
Now Nichols is well-respected in NBA circles. She’s well-connected, bright and she built a reputation on being a spunky, solid interviewer. But Taylor was a continuously rising star at ESPN for years — charismatic, intelligent and, let’s face it, younger and more attractive than Nichols. A former two sport athlete at Georgia who (unlike Nichols) can bring a player’s perspective to her commentary, Taylor climbed the ranks at ESPN quickly, beginning with her early days as a college football sideline reporter. So when Nichols' comments came to light she was quickly branded on social media as jealous and petty. Moreover, her allegations of reverse racism no doubt didn’t sit well with many of ESPN’s African-American personalities, who aligned themselves with Taylor and were likely insulted by the insinuation that Taylor was getting opportunities not based on merit but due to skin color.
But this wasn’t even the worst part of the leaked recordings -- at least in terms of the damage it did to Nichols’ career. It was the pot shot she took at her ESPN bosses when expressing her dissatisfaction with their decision:
“... I wish Maria Taylor all the success in the world — she covers football, she covers basketball… If you need to give her more things to do because you are feeling pressure about your crappy longtime record on diversity — which, by the way, I know personally from the female side of it — like, go for it. Just find it somewhere else. You are not going to find it from me or taking my thing away.”
Okay, wait a minute… Your thing?… Sweet Rachel my dear, I hate to break it to you, but you don’t have a “thing.”
But I’ll get back to that...
Despite all of this taking place at the worst possible time for everyone involved -- just days before the NBA finals were set to begin -- ESPN didn't immediately discipline Nichols for her words. On the first episode of
The Jump after the recordings effectively
blew up the Twitterverse, Nichols began the show with a convoluted apology that referenced learning in journalism school the importance of “not being the story.” That was followed by reassurances that she respected Taylor and her work, and a declaration of gratitude for being a part of the ESPN team. Meanwhile, Perkins and Jefferson (who if you didn’t know, are both of black) spent their time looking mostly uncomfortable with the entire situation and trying to figure out what to say in support of Taylor without piling on and embarrassing Nichols. Perkins for his part came up with this fence-riding gem when addressing Nichols directly:
“I know your heart -- great person, great individual. My only hope is that we have a commitment overall to support each other through this process and continue to support each other through our journey.”
Process?... Journey?... Thanks Perk for the corporate-speak and vague, meaningless, platitudes.
But back to our story...
A few days later, it was Andrews who took over the sideline reporting role during the 2021 Finals (the gig that Nichols never wanted in the first place.) Andrews crushed it and in the process garnered herself some prime time exposure, ultimately parlaying the opportunity into the host role on NBA Today.
Taylor, who had been in contract negotiations around this time, wound up leaving ESPN. She’s at NBC now where she’s hosted very late night Olympics coverage and is now part of the Sunday Night Football studio crew with Tony Dungy and Drew Brees.
Nichols fate was sealed almost from the minute the recordings were first leaked. She failed to learn from the mistakes of so many ESPN colleagues that came before her. If she had, she would have known that at ESPN the rules are keep your mouth shut and don't be controversial. ESPN is a Disney property after all (one of the conservative company's many holdings) and it pays to be able to say (as ESPN fantasy football analyst Matthew Berry often jokes) “I'm a company man.”
But the thing is, it’s not a joke. History shows that at ESPN you either tow the company line or you're out.
Nichols should ask Bill Simmons what happens to you at ESPN when you butt heads with the bosses. Specifically, ask how it worked out when he was feuding with the network over the content of his B.S. Report podcast, editorial control of ESPN's sports and pop culture blog Grantland, critical comments he made about NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, and other issues. Because Simmons got his start with his home-grown Boston Sports Guy website he was likely used to a certain amount of independence and editorial freedom. So when ESPN disrupted that with concerns over what Simmons was saying on his podcast, as well as what he was tweeting and writing in his columns, it caused enough friction that the network chose not to renew his contract in 2015.
Similarly, Nichols should ask Jason Whitlock how ESPN handles on-air talent who disparage their colleagues. In 2006, Whitlock accused ESPN's Scoop Jackson of “ghetto posturing” and called his work “an insult to black intelligence.” It was not the first, nor would it be the last insensitive, overtly racist, or downright asinine comment that Whitlock would make. Indeed, he continues to spew
trash opinions, even as recently as last week. But more to the point, ESPN correctly read that Whitlock (as a writer and commentator) was a sensationalistic (and calculated) contrarian and a purveyor of radical thought designed to draw attention to himself, and the result of his rant against Jackson was Whitlock's dismissal from ESPN.
If Nichols didn’t learn from Whitlock to steer clear of the hot button in this country that is race, she should have learned it from Jemele Hill. Hill co-hosted Numbers Never Lie, His & Hers, and SportsCenter 6 on ESPN -- but not without controversy.
Jemele Hill
Hill had a history of inflammatory comments and wasn’t shy about speaking her mind. She once equating rooting for the Boston Celtics to claiming Hitler was a victim -- a remark for which ESPN suspended her. On the His & Hers show, she (and partner Michael Smith) would routinely opinionate on social issues and also sometimes go out of their way to inject and debate racial components of ostensibly benign sports stories (such as whether Serena Williams was the greatest women’s tennis player of all time.)
ESPN was no doubt aware of the tack Hill was fond of taking and tried to ignore it. But things began to unravel when she tweeted that Donald Trump was a white supremacist. The White House took exception and demanded an apology and the story made national headlines. Just a short time later -- in the middle of Colin Kaepernick’s movement encouraging NFL players to kneel during the national anthem as a call for social justice -- Hill spoke out against Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Jones had threatened to bench any player who “disrespected” the flag, to which Hill responded by urging fans to boycott Cowboys advertisers, should Jones follow through on his threat. For this, ESPN suspended Hill again and a short time later moved her off of the network to The Undefeated, an ESPN web property similar to Grantland. By the end of that year, Hill was gone from ESPN entirely.
It’s understandable that Nichols might have been unhappy with how ESPN was using her and that she believed she should have been given the NBA Finals hosting gig over Taylor based on having superior credentials and longer tenure. But do you know who else was unhappy with the way ESPN was using them?… Michelle Beadle.
Beadle was a fixture on ESPN for years. She co-hosted SportsNation, NBA Countdown, and in her second stint with the network, Get Up with Mike Greenberg. But Beadle wasn’t shy about hiding her frustration with the show or her opinions on delicate issues (such as the Ray Rice domestic abuse case.) On top of that, she was sometimes condescending towards those with opinions she felt lacked validity. Watching her on Get Up was sometimes uncomfortable; you could actually feel the tension and see how frustrated she was with the show’s format and lack of seriousness. She seemingly wanted the show to be something that it wasn't (similar to the way Hill and Smith aspired to make their shows more pop culture oriented.) Beadle unceremoniously left Get Up and ultimately moved on from the network altogether.
In the end you could say that Nichols fatal mistake was that she got too cocky. “You’re not going to do it by taking away my thing,” was her quote.
Nichols should ask some of the other talent at ESPN how protective they are of their “thing.” They’ll probably (correctly) respond by saying they don’t have a “thing.” Their “thing” is whatever the network and bosses decide their "thing” is. Personalities like Marcus Spears, Cassidy Hubbarth, Elle Duncan, Dan Orlovsky, Mina Kimes, Jorge Sedano, Anita Marks, and Katie Nolan have all learned this. All of them are Swiss Army knives, handling everything from sideline reporting, to in studio hosting work, remote reporting from home, and guesting on Max Kellerman's This Just In as well as the God-awful Around the Horn show. (Heck, the latter is pretty much the only on-camera work that Sarah Spain even does anymore.) It’s because all of these individuals understand that their "thing" varies from week to week depending on how ESPN decides to use them. Laura Rutledge understood this too. She bounced around the network handling varying roles before landing comfortably as the host of NFL Live. And who at ESPN could have a bigger beef about the way she's being used than Molly Querim, who sits in the dummy seat every day on First Take, where all she essentially does is throw out a topic and then sit on her hands quietly for ten minutes while Kellerman and Steven A. Smith do all the talking.
Look, discussing the lack of diversity in sports broadcasting, race, social inequity, domestic abuse, and all the rest is necessary and can be incredibly productive. And certainly all of the columnists, reporters, analysts, et. al. at ESPN are entitled to their opinions. But
the history at that network is clear -- you don’t get to have it both ways. You don’t get to enjoy the healthy paycheck and massive reach that ESPN provides -- and then get to say, write or tweet whatever you want. Nichols forgot that above almost all else, Disney wants to remain family-friendly and aims to produce content and promote talent that is non-controversial and advertiser friendly. Those who want to radically opinionate, stir the pot, or call out the company publicly are invariably shown the door. It’s why Lucasfilm (another Disney property)
dismissed Gina Carano from
The Mandalorian after tweets claiming voter fraud in the 2020 Presidential election, mocking the wearing of face masks to prevent Covid 19, and comparing conservatives who are criticized for their beliefs to Jews being persecuted by the Nazis. It’s not that Carano (or anyone else) can’t think, or say or do things that go against the grain -- it's simply that the cultures at the companies under the Disney umbrella just won't tolerate it.
