ESPN Moves Rachel Nichols Off NBA Finals Amid Controversy

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorSportscaster Maria Taylor has moved into a new role at NBC Sports, where she made her first appearance Friday during the network’s Olympics coverage.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorESPN and Maria Taylor, an up-and-coming on-air personality, have parted ways in the wake of an internal controversy that spilled into the public arena and drew new scrutiny of diversity policies at the Disney-owned sports-media giant.“There is no doubt we will miss Maria, but we remain determined to continue to build a deep and skilled talent roster that thoroughly reflects the athletes we cover and the fans we serve” said Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN’s chairman, in a

ESPN. We will see if he stays that way or the thought of being a champion is just too great to suppress.Looking at the Suns’ perspective it is not ideal. They are down 3-2 and are on the road against a team who has only lost one home game all postseason.

ESPN host and analyst Jay Williams has tested positive for Covid-19, and will miss the remainder of the NBA Finals.

ESPN.Antetokounmpo’s defense in Game 4 was nothing short of an all-time great performance and was one of the biggest reasons that the Bucks were able to even the series last night. Antetokounmpo alongside the amazing block had at least 3 key steals that led to easy points in transition to help the Bucks cut into the Suns’ lead.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAn increasing amount of what ESPN does isn’t going to be seen on good ol’ ESPN.“Sunday Night Baseball” has been a mainstay of the Disney sports network since the show’s launch in 1990, but on August 8, the program will air on ESPN’s corporate cousin, ABC. When ESPN this fall launches its first NHL season coverage in a decade and a half, a good chunk of the games will be made available for viewing by ESPN digital subscribers on Hulu.

CBS Sports, “we’re probably inching toward the closest game we’ve seen in this series.” Game 4 is set to tip-off at 9:00 PM Eastern Standard Time and is sure to be a must-watch game as the winner of that game will have all the momentum going into Game 5. 

In a memo sent to ESPN employees on Friday, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro addressed what he called “nuanced and complicated personnel matters” related to “recent events.” Those events revolve around leaked comments made by one of the the network’s highest-profile female hosts Rachel Nichols, who is white, and another of the network’s highest-profile female hosts Maria Taylor, who is Black.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorESPN plans to drill deeper into issues of diversity and inclusion, going as far as to examine the exit interviews of recently departed employees, in the wake of a dispute that has engulfed two of the network’s basketball reporters, the chairman of the Disney-backed outlet told staffers in a memo.“Change takes time, and I ask for your partnership on this journey,” ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said to employees in the memo, which was circulated last week.

Bleacher Report.Luckily for Milwaukee Khirs Middleton showed up in Game 3 scoring 15 points in the first half and rediscovering his mid-range shot while attacking the rim without fear. Khris ended the night with 18 points, 6 assists, and 7 rebounds.One of the main stories from Game 3 was the fantastic play of Jrue Holiday.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorESPN’s Stephen A.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorDisney will raise the monthly and annual fees for ESPN Plus, one of three different subscription-based streaming services it operates in the U.S., in a maneuver that signals how much the media industry is starting to depend on those direct-to-consumer outlets for new revenue.Starting on Aug. 13, the price of an ESPN Plus subscription will rise to $6.99 a month and $69.99 a year, up from $5.99 a month and $59.99 per year.

Bleacher Report, “Phoenix has put on two offensive clinics in this series. The first one resulted in Paul, Booker and Deandre Ayton combining for 81 points in a 118-105 Game 1 win.

Anna Marie Tendler has left the building!

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorESPN struck a new 12-year deal with All-England Lawn Tennis Club that expands the company’s ability to show the iconic Wimbledon tennis championships to sports fans who may be gravitating to forms of video other than traditional TV.The new pact, which begins with the 2024 Championships and extends through 2035, calls for more matches to be shown on both ESPN’s Disney sibling ABC, as well as on ESPN Plus, its subscription broadband service.

UPDATE, 8:45: ESPN anchor Maria Taylor has finally spoken out in the wake of the controversy surrounding remarks made about her by fellow employee Rachel Nichols.

said NABJ president Dorothy Tucker.

Shortly before tip off of the first game of the 2021 NBA Finals, league commissioner addressed the media. Specifically, he addressed the turmoil at one of the league’s premiere TV partners, ESPN, surrounding hosts Rachel Nichols and Maria Taylor.

On the day of the start of the NBA Finals, ESPN’s premiere daily NBA show was missing from its schedule. Instead, according to the New York Post, viewers who tuned in at 3 p.m., ET on Tuesday found the two-man team of Jalen & Jacoby, who are usually The Jump‘s lead-in. A subsequent Jump schedule spot on ESPNH2 at 4 p.m., ET was replaced by the network’s Highly Questionable.