In Riley Gaines’ view, nothing happens by chance. The former Kentucky swimmer and current OutKick podcast host quickly came to the defense of Sam Ponder after ESPN parted ways with the “Sunday NFL Countdown” host on Thursday.
Gaines took to social media, speculating that Ponder’s firing was not just a coincidence but a calculated move by the network.
“So ESPN fires Sam Ponder, the only woman at the network who publicly said men don’t belong in women’s sports, just 3 weeks before football season?” Gaines posted on X. “Sam is one of the most beautiful, genuine women I’ve ever met, along with Sage Steele, who faced a similar fate….not a coincidence.”
Ponder’s departure from ESPN, along with NFL analyst Robert Griffin III, reportedly stemmed from budget cuts, despite Ponder having two years left on a five-year contract. However, Gaines and others see a deeper reason behind the decision.
Sage Steele, a former “SportsCenter” host, also exited ESPN in 2023 after a legal settlement with the network. Steele had been sidelined following her comments criticizing ESPN’s COVID vaccine mandate in October 2021. Like Ponder, Steele had voiced her support for Gaines, who has been an outspoken advocate against biological men competing in women’s sports, a position she has held since losing to Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer, in an NCAA event.
Following the news of Ponder’s firing, Steele offered her support, expressing optimism about Ponder’s future. “This is another loss for ESPN, but it is a gain for literally the rest of the world because now you’re going to see the true Sam Ponder,” Steele said in a video shared on social media. “It’s all going to come out, and I hope you’re ready. She is a gem.”
Interestingly, Ponder also received unexpected backing from Dave Portnoy, the founder of Barstool Sports, who had a public feud with her in 2018. “No Sam Ponder bottle, can you believe that?” Portnoy remarked on Thursday. “Listen, I took the first shot at Sam Ponder. Was it joking? Yeah. Do I think she and ESPN overreacted? I know so. But I’m fair. And I’ve said this about Ponder, buried the axe, buried the hatchet. I have no champagne bottle for her.”
The departure of Ponder is part of a broader pattern at ESPN, where several major personalities have recently spoken out on the contentious issue of transgender athletes. NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky, for example, posted — and later deleted — a message on X saying “Protect our daughters” during the Imane Khelif Olympic boxing controversy. College football analyst Kirk Herbstreit also weighed in on the subject during a recent appearance on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me! with Dan Dakich,” stating that he’s tired of “biting his tongue” on issues that conflict with his Christian beliefs.
“It’s almost like there are two different sets of rules,” Herbstreit said. “If you have a view that’s a little bit more traditional — I’m a Christian guy — it’s like there’s a different set of rules for that viewpoint, and it’s hard to just turn the other cheek time after time after time.”
As the debate continues, Sam Ponder has yet to publicly address her situation with ESPN. However, it’s clear she has a growing list of supporters who believe her exit is more than just a budgetary decision. With advocates like Gaines, Steele, and even Portnoy in her corner, Ponder may soon find herself at the center of a broader conversation about the role of personal beliefs and free speech in sports media.
