The Sage Steele Show

Linda Cohn spent 34 years at ESPN, longer than almost anyone, and she left this summer on her own terms with a YouTube show already built. She joins Sage Steele for 76 minutes on what those last years actually looked like: the 2017 suspension after an innocent radio interview, the phone call she describes as bullying, the tweet a boss ordered her to delete, and the 80 percent pay cut she accepted after ESPN closed the Los Angeles studio so that nobody else got to decide how her run ended. She also explains exactly where she believes the old SportsCenter died, why she was cast aside from NHL coverage after keeping the sport alive on the show for years, and why she never got an answer about any of it. Then the two of them get into what the industry looks like now: why so few women in sports media will speak up on women's sports, why executives who have never sat in the chair keep making the calls, and whether ESPN can ever win back an audience that has already left for YouTube. Linda Cohn, ESPN, SportsCenter, and life after the worldwide leader. New episodes of The Sage Steele Show every week. Sponsors: Make laundry day the best day of the week! Get 20% off your entire order @LaundrySauce with code SAGE at https://laundrysauce.com/SAGE #laundrysaucepod Provide one life-saving ultrasound for just $28 at https://preborn.com/sage. Your $17.76 3-week QuickStart is ready for you! Visit https://www.relieffactor.com/ or call 800-4-RELIEF. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code SAGE at https://www.oneskin.co/SAGE #oneskinpod Download the Kalshi app and use code SAGE to get $25 when you trade $25 or go to https://kalshi.com/r/Sage 18+ only. Restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Event contract trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Please carefully consider if it is appropriate for you in light of your personal financial circumstances. Kalshi products are not available in all jurisdictions. See kalshi.com/regulatory for more information. Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:46 - Linda Cohn Reflects on 34 Years at ESPN 04:50 - The Real Linda Cohn & Finally Speaking Freely 10:35 - When ESPN Started to Change 16:07 - Linda's Suspension & Her Experience With John Skipper 22:52 - Politics, Double Standards & Why ESPN Lost Its Way 26:49 - Linda's Emotional ESPN Sendoff & Her Lasting Impact 31:14 - Advice for Young Women Entering Sports Media Today 34:55 - Women in Leadership & How Talent Gets Chosen 42:18 - Sophie Cunningham & Why Women in Sports Stay Silent 48:18 - Billie Jean King, Title IX & Protecting Women's Sports 52:17 - ESPNW, Hypocrisy & When the Culture Changed 55:52 - The Painful Side of Linda's 34-Year ESPN Career 01:01:08 - NHL Coverage, Being Cast Aside & an 80% Pay Cut 01:08:13 - Linda Almost Gets Into a Fight at SoFi Stadium 01:12:14 - Being Called MAGA for Supporting Caitlin Clark 01:17:42 - Can ESPN Ever Win Back Its Audience? 01:22:35 - Final Thoughts & Outro Patreon: http://bit.ly/4nLmOSk The Sage Steele Show is a weekly podcast hosted by former ESPN anchor Sage Steele. Each week, Sage sits down with entertainers, athletes, business people, and politicians to have deep dive personal one on one discussions that enlighten, entertain, and engage. There's a whole big world out there that's not just sports, and Sage wants to talk about all of it. #sagesteelepodcast #sagesteele #podcast Subscribe to the Channel for more Podcasts like this! Listen to the Show on all Podcast Apps "The Sage Steele Show" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sage-steele-show/id1737682826 Follow Sage: https://www.sagesteele.com https://x.com/sagesteele https://www.instagram.com/sagesteele https://www.tiktok.com/@officialsagesteele https://rumble.com/c/SageSteeleProductions

On October 16, the WNBA told Congress that Enes Kanter Freedom is ineligible to play because he is a man. We recorded this before that letter existed, and he had already called it. Enes has declared himself eligible for the 2027 WNBA draft. He walks me through what he found in Article 13 of the collective bargaining agreement, why he says the league asked for months just to decide what a woman is, the eight other men he says are ready to file if the rules do not change, the one word the league could add that would make him walk away for good, and why he insists this is a pro-women position rather than an anti-trans one. We also get into the career that ended first. Third overall pick, eleven seasons, more than one hundred million dollars in salary, and it was over at twenty nine because he wrote three words on a pair of Michael Jordan sneakers and would not stop talking about China. What his agent told him on the phone the day he understood it was finished. Why his own teammates asked for a separate bus. And why he has not spoken to his mother in almost fourteen years. New episodes of the Sage Steele Show every week. Subscribe so you do not miss one. Sponsors: Use code SAGE for 20% off at https://www.xx-xyathletics.com/ Get 25% Off Cowboy Colostrum with code SAGE at https://www.cowboycolostrum.com/SAGE. Your $17.76 3-week QuickStart is ready for you! Visit https://www.relieffactor.com/ or call 800-4-RELIEF. Save 20% Off Honeylove by going to https://honeylove.com/SAGE! #honeylovepod Download the Kalshi app and use code SAGE to get $25 when you trade $25 or go to https://kalshi.com/r/Sage 18+ only. Restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Event contract trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Please carefully consider if it is appropriate for you in light of your personal financial circumstances. Kalshi products are not available in all jurisdictions. See kalshi.com/regulatory for more information.     Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 02:46 - Enes Freedom's Journey From the NBA to the 2027 WNBA Draft 05:00 - Why Enes Says He's Eligible to Play in the WNBA 08:42 - Why the WNBA Won't Define What a Woman Is 11:04 - Death Threats, the FBI & Backlash for Defending Women's Sports 16:14 - Why Enes Refuses to Give Up on Women's Sports 19:40 - Locker Rooms, Showers & Following the WNBA's Own Rules 21:42 - Adam Silver, WNBA Leadership & What Happens Next 22:58 - Sophie Cunningham, Natasha Cloud & the Chicago Sky Incident 29:07 - What NBA Players Really Say Behind Closed Doors 33:10 - Kevin Durant, Money & Why Athletes Stay Silent 37:04 - Enes' Lawsuit Against the Chicago Sky 40:58 - How Speaking Out Against Nike & China Ended His NBA Career 45:20 - Slave Labor, China & Why Enes Kept Speaking Out 48:55 - Losing His Career, His Family & Feeling Completely Alone 53:03 - Mental Health, Faith & Surviving the Lowest Point of His Life 56:36 - How the U.S. Government Trained Enes to Deal With Dictatorships 59:23 - LeBron James, Daryl Morey & the NBA's China Problem 01:04:36 - Inside the NBA Bubble: COVID, Kneeling & League Politics 01:09:49 - Marijuana, OnlyFans & What Really Happened in the Bubble 01:12:01 - The Recordings Enes Says Could Expose the NBA 01:15:52 - What Americans Don't Understand About Freedom 01:19:58 - Why Enes Changed His Last Name to Freedom 01:21:04 - Steven Adams, Jaylen Brown & Who Actually Supported Him 01:24:47 - Growing Up Around Anti-Americanism After 9/11 01:27:02 - How Speaking Out Put Enes' Family in Danger 01:29:22 - Why He Hasn't Spoken to His Parents in Nearly 14 Years 01:32:43 - Why Enes Is Single & Who He Turns to When He Has No One 01:38:21 - The Legacy Enes Freedom Wants to Leave Behind 01:40:30 - His Book, His Future & Final Thoughts Patreon: http://bit.ly/4nLmOSk The Sage Steele Show is a weekly podcast hosted by former ESPN anchor Sage Steele. Each week, Sage sits down with entertainers, athletes, business people, and politicians to have deep dive personal one on one discussions that enlighten, entertain, and engage. There's a whole big world out there that's not just sports, and Sage wants to talk about all of it. #sagesteelepodcast #sagesteele #podcast Subscribe to the Channel for more Podcasts like this! Listen to the Show on all Podcast Apps "The Sage Steele Show" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sage-steele-show/id1737682826 Follow Sage: https://www.sagesteele.com https://x.com/sagesteele https://www.instagram.com/sagesteele https://www.tiktok.com/@officialsagesteele https://rumble.com/c/SageSteeleProductions

Tony Dungy joins Sage Steele for 100 minutes, nearly three decades after she first covered his Buccaneers as a young reporter in Tampa. He explains what happened at the end of his 17 years at NBC Sports, why he never asked permission before speaking at the March for Life, and what the network told him afterward. He also says plainly what he does and does not know about why the run ended. Along the way he tells the stories that made him one of the most respected coaches in NFL history. The sign that hung in his locker room for 13 years. The offer he made every new player, to trade anyone who needed to be screamed at, and the fact that in 13 years nobody took it. What Chuck Noll and Dan Rooney told him as a 21-year-old rookie in Pittsburgh that became his entire coaching philosophy. Warrick Dunn winning Rookie of the Year while raising three teenage siblings. Peyton Manning checking the 14-day forecast before the Super Bowl. And what Warren Sapp did in the locker room the first game after Dungy was fired. Plus: why he was cut from the Pro Football Hall of Fame voting committee, what he will and will not say about the Bill Belichick vote, All Pro Dad after almost 30 years, twelve children with nine adopted, and why he will not run for office. Tony Dungy, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Indianapolis Colts, and a legacy built on how you do things. The Sage Steele Show. New episodes every week. Sponsors: Visit https://GoodRanchers.com/SAGE to get $50 off anything on their site. Provide one life-saving ultrasound for just $28 at https://preborn.com/sage. Your $17.76 3-week QuickStart is ready for you! Visit https://www.relieffactor.com/ or call 800-4-RELIEF. https://www.Quo.com/SAGE Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:53 - Sage & Tony Reunite Nearly 30 Years After Tampa 02:44 - Tony Dungy on His NBC Sports Exit After 17 Years 19:44 - Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks & Building Tampa's Culture 28:10 - Getting Fired by the Buccaneers 32:52 - Watching Tampa Win the Super Bowl Without Him 44:04 - Coaching Peyton Manning & His Obsession With Preparation 50:55 - Mike Tomlin, Lovie Smith & Tony Dungy's Coaching Tree 55:48 - Race, Representation & Becoming the First Black Coach to Win a Super Bowl 01:06:43 - Foster Care, Adoption & Raising a Huge Family 01:12:31 - Losing His Son James to Suicide 01:24:04 - NBC's Reaction to Tony Speaking at the March for Life 01:27:25 - Did His Beliefs Ultimately Cost Him His NBC Job? 01:29:13 - Why Tony Was Removed From the Hall of Fame Voting Committee 01:35:50 - Would Tony Dungy Ever Run for Office? 01:37:36 - Why He'll Never Coach Again & What He's Most Proud Of 01:43:50 - The Story of His Son Justin & Tony's Legacy BTS on Patreon: http://bit.ly/4nLmOSk The Sage Steele Show is a weekly podcast hosted by former ESPN anchor Sage Steele. Each week, Sage sits down with entertainers, athletes, business people, and politicians to have deep dive personal one on one discussions that enlighten, entertain, and engage. There's a whole big world out there that's not just sports, and Sage wants to talk about all of it. #sagesteelepodcast #sagesteele #podcast Subscribe to the Channel for more Podcasts like this! Listen to the Show on all Podcast Apps "The Sage Steele Show" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sage-steele-show/id1737682826 Follow Sage: https://www.sagesteele.com https://x.com/sagesteele https://www.instagram.com/sagesteele https://www.tiktok.com/@officialsagesteele https://rumble.com/c/SageSteeleProductions

Emily Austin is 25 years old, hosts her own sports show, judged Miss Universe, and after October 7th she says she lost nearly every brand deal she had. On this episode of the Sage Steele Show she tells me what happened the day after the attack, why she thinks the adults are the problem and not her generation, what Bobby Kennedy Jr. told her over dinner about who knew about the Holocaust, and what her grandfather learned in Bulgaria about his own neighbor. She also gets into the campus panel where protesters pulled keffiyehs and drums out of their backpacks, the six hours she spent handing them the microphone, why she argues against a two state solution, what Zionism actually means to her, and the Saudi man who hated Jews and is now one of her closest friends. Then the conversation turns to work. Emily explains why Miss Universe, Puma, and Sports Illustrated all stopped calling, what a network executive told her agent about how she voted, what the networks quietly edit out of postgame interviews, and why she thinks men in sports media stayed silent. She closes with the story of her mother's ultimatum, the night Jim Gray showed her a pile of a hundred rejection letters, and the one yes that started her career. Subscribe for new episodes of the Sage Steele Show every week. Sponsors: Use code SAGE for 20% off at https://www.xx-xyathletics.com/ Get 25% Off Cowboy Colostrum with code SAGE at https://www.cowboycolostrum.com/SAGE. Visit https://GoodRanchers.com/SAGE to get $50 off anything on their site. Provide one life-saving ultrasound for just $28 at https://preborn.com/sage. Your $17.76 3-week QuickStart is ready for you! Visit https://www.relieffactor.com/ or call 800-4-RELIEF. Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 02:24 - Meet Emily Austin 02:50 - October 7th & The Moment Everything Changed 11:16 - Gen Z, College Campuses & The Rise of Antisemitism 21:55 - Why Emily Refuses to Be Afraid to Speak Up 28:20 - Why Emily Is Worried About Gen Z 30:40 - Education, Indoctrination & Where Values Really Come From 36:54 - Motherhood, Discipline & Raising Kids in Today's Culture 43:26 - Gender Ideology, Schools & Parental Responsibility 48:48 - Empathy vs. Accountability 52:18 - Israel, Zionism & When Criticism Becomes Antisemitism 57:16 - Influencers, Charlie Kirk & Why Real Conversations Matter 01:01:07 - Would Emily Austin Ever Run for Office? 01:02:35 - How Emily Got Access to Trump, Rubio & Other Political Leaders 01:06:28 - Private Conversations With World Leaders & The Future of Gaza 01:11:12 - Has Speaking Out Hurt Emily's Sports Broadcasting Career? 01:17:28 - Women's Sports & Why So Many Athletes Stay Silent 01:28:01 - Billie Eilish, ICE & Celebrity Hypocrisy 01:35:18 - Social Media, Celebrity Obsession & Bad Parenting 01:40:21 - How Faith Guides Emily's Life 01:44:21 - Pretty Privilege, Rejection & Breaking Into Sports Media 01:47:25 - The Jim Gray Conversation That Changed Emily's Career Patreon: http://bit.ly/4nLmOSk The Sage Steele Show is a weekly podcast hosted by former ESPN anchor Sage Steele. Each week, Sage sits down with entertainers, athletes, business people, and politicians to have deep dive personal one on one discussions that enlighten, entertain, and engage. There's a whole big world out there that's not just sports, and Sage wants to talk about all of it. #sagesteelepodcast #sagesteele #podcast Subscribe to the Channel for more Podcasts like this! Listen to the Show on all Podcast Apps "The Sage Steele Show" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sage-steele-show/id1737682826

Bruce Pearl joins Sage Steele for ninety minutes on the fall almost nobody remembers correctly. In 2011 he was fired at Tennessee after admitting he lied to the NCAA. He lost an $11 million contract, went through a divorce, and took a job putting product into convenience stores while doing overnight radio. He tells Sage what his daughter Leah said to him during that stretch, and why he says it meant more than any championship. He also tells the story of how Auburn happened, including the trick his wife played on him the night before the interview that changed everything. Eleven years later he retired as the winningest coach in Auburn basketball history and handed the program to his own son. The second half goes wider. Bruce Pearl on why he believes coaches and administrators, himself included, blew the NIL era, and what a $4 million roster becoming a $30 million roster does to college sports. On growing up Jewish in 1960s Boston, the grandfather who refused to evict his tenants, and why black recruits and their families kept saying yes to him. And on why he walked away from coaching to speak publicly about Israel, faith, and the country he wants his grandchildren to inherit. The Sage Steele Show. New episodes every week. Sponsors: Provide one life-saving ultrasound for just $28 at https://preborn.com/sage. Your $17.76 3-week QuickStart is ready for you! Visit https://www.relieffactor.com/ or call 800-4-RELIEF. Save 20% Off Honeylove by going to https://honeylove.com/SAGE! #honeylovepod https://www.Quo.com/SAGE BTS on Patreon: http://bit.ly/4nLmOSk The Sage Steele Show is a weekly podcast hosted by former ESPN anchor Sage Steele. Each week, Sage sits down with entertainers, athletes, business people, and politicians to have deep dive personal one on one discussions that enlighten, entertain, and engage. There's a whole big world out there that's not just sports, and Sage wants to talk about all of it. Subscribe to the Channel for more Podcasts like this! Listen to the Show on all Podcast Apps "The Sage Steele Show" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sage-steele-show/id1737682826 Follow Sage: https://www.sagesteele.com https://x.com/sagesteele https://www.instagram.com/sagesteele https://www.tiktok.com/@officialsagesteele https://rumble.com/c/SageSteeleProductions