USA TODAY's A.J. Perez notes ESPN President John Skipper defended Sage Steele on Thursday after she had been "subjected to a fair amount of ridicule on social media." ESPN earlier this week replaced Steele as the host of "NBA Countdown" with Michelle Beadle. Skipper said, "Sage has done a wonderful job for us in a number of important roles. ... Sage definitively has a bright and long-term future at ESPN and my complete support." Perez notes Skipper and others at ESPN "appear to be particularly irked by the fact that many celebrated the move as a firing." Nobody at ESPN has "publicly stated why the network made the decision so late in the NBA season" (USA TODAY, 4/7). Steele said of departing "NBA Countdown" after four years, "Disappointed, but thrilled with what I have been doing, SportsCenter on the Road, and what I will continue to be doing." Steele added of her time on the show: "Certainly a lot of ups and downs. A lot, but I wouldn't change a thing because adversity like that can only help you. ... I'm better for it, and I know I did a good job." Steele said of social media, "I appreciate the benefits of Twitter. I also fully understand the negative aspects of Twitter. Fortunately, at 44 with three kids and a busy life, I have a lot of other things to keep me busy" (Albany TIMES UNION, 4/7).
NO REST HERE: In Boston, Chad Finn notes NESN play-by-play broadcaster Dave O'Brien holds "high-profile broadcasting gigs nationally" with ESPN baseball and college basketball in addition to his regional commitments. But even by O'Brien's "usual busy standards, especially this time of year, the last week has been a whirlwind, one he says he will savor for a long time." O'Brien last Friday night called the Mississippi State's "staggering overtime upset" of UConn in the women's Final Four and two days later, he called the "somewhat anticlimactic national title game" featuring South Carolina-MSU. Then, "without a day's break, came baseball." O'Brien was "co-master of ceremonies with Joe Castiglione for Monday's Opening Day festivities at Fenway" (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/7).
SOCCER FEVER: NBC EPL analyst Kyle Martino and FS1 analyst Stuart Holden are part of a group of U.S. investors that own Spanish soccer club Mallorca. Suns Owner Robert Sarver led the takeover in January '16, with former NBAer Steve Nash also involved. Meanwhile, Martino said of the International Champions Cup event in the U.S., "To see the biggest clubs around the world wanting to come to this market to play those games in the summer -- they could go absolutely anywhere -- it's a testament to how much they enjoy coming here and how important they see this market." Martino said of a possible World Cup in the U.S., "That World Cup in 1994 created such a buzz. It just came, I think, a little prematurely, for where the game was (in the U.S.)" (Tyler Everett, SBD Global Assistant Managing Editor).
