Nichols will share “NBA Countdown” with rising star Maria Taylor. Simply put, Nichols’ work ethic is more Woj than Beadle’s will ever be. Nichols, a hard worker who has made it clear to executives that she wants more, is all over free agency and NBA news. There are no more scholarships, so a Rachel Nichols will box out a Beadle. Now, Beadle is on her way out, even if the exact timing is TBD.īeadle grew out of favor because she doesn’t fit with the back-to-basics mindset Pitaro has clearly made a priority. Hill’s former “SportsCenter” partner, Michael Smith, is still collecting his $2.5 million per year salary, but has been forced into gold-plated purgatory. Last September, Jemele Hill was allowed to leave amicably, taking with her the $5 million left on the final two years of her deal. Skipper’s All-Stars continue to lose clout in Pitaro’s world. Now, even though it’s unclear if she has one or two years left on her deal after some reworking upon her “Get Up!” escape, the fact is that either way, ESPN is still stuck with the crazy tab.

When former ESPN president John Skipper resigned because of a cocaine problem, Beadle lost her most important backer at the company, a man who kept upping the ante to entice Beadle back to New York from Los Angeles for what turned out to be a failed stint on “Get Up!” Once at the top of ESPN, she is not officially gone yet, but she might as well be. Now, she has been deemed expendable as the host of ABC/ESPN’s premier NBA studio show, “NBA Countdown.” She was already moved from the morning show, “Get Up!” Even at $5 million a year, she has no significant place on its air because she wasn’t all-in. That is the main reason Beadle no longer fits in at ESPN. Whether you love or hate ESPN, there is one thing about the ethos of the world’s most powerful sports media company that you should know.Īt its core - forgetting all the internal politics, the sometimes relentless corporate synergies and the overproduction on games - it is built on the backs of grinders.Īs ESPN gets back to basics under relatively new network president Jimmy Pitaro, it means its NBA coverage is more like 24/7/365 scoopmeister Adrian Wojnarowski than it is like punching-the-clock host Michelle Beadle.

Roger Goodell has to clean up the incessant, violent NFL fan fights What Derek Jeter must do to fulfill potential as biggest TV voice in baseballĭude Perfect returning to Prime Video for Jets' Black Friday game Joe Benigno-Robert Saleh calamity is an all-time New York sports media messĪl Michaels has strong feelings on retirement as criticism builds

Michelle beadle leaving sportnation