Popular theory emerges about why ESPN fired Sam Ponder

Sam Ponder was fired by ESPN on Thursday after she was at the company for well over a decade, and many people feel the decision was politically motivated.

Ponder and former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III were fired by ESPN in what Andrew Marchand of The Athletic referred to as “cost-cutting moves.” At least in Ponder’s case, there seems to be a belief that there was much more to it than that.

Earlier this month, Ponder took to social media to make some of her thoughts clear on the gender controversy that reached a boiling point during the Summer Olympics in Paris. Ponder indicated via X that she does not believe biological men should be able to compete in women’s sports.

One popular theory is that ESPN cut ties with Ponder because of that.

Marchand noted that ESPN is nearing the end of its fiscal year and had to trim some payroll. Both Griffin and Ponder were making more than seven figures annually, and Ponder’s only role with the network was as host of “Sunday NFL Countdown.”

Ponder had been with ESPN since 2011. Longtime ESPN/ABC college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit has also been very vocal recently in expressing his thoughts on biological men competing in women’s sports. One of Ponder’s social media posts was actually a response to something Herbstreit said about the topic.

If ESPN did fire Ponder in part because of her stance on the gender controversy, network executives would never admit it. We know of at least one former ESPN employee who would certainly believe it , however.

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