Jemele Hill’s role as co-anchor of ESPN’s reworked 6 p.m. “SportsCenter” lasted less than one year, now her partner in crime Michael Smith is also leaving the mothership’s flagship show.
Michael Smith’s last day in the SportsCenter is today as he’s leaving to pursue a different role at ESPN, according to a report from Sports Illustrated.
“We knew we were gonna get s–t out of the gate. … But we weren’t built to take it,” Smith said on James Andrew Miller’s “Origins” podcast Feb. 8. “Immediately we started pushing the panic button. Instead of saying no, this is the vision for this show, this is what we’re doing. This show is about Michael and Jemele and their opinions and their chemistry, and they’re going to do ‘SportsCenter’ their way. Instead of sticking to that vision, we immediately tried to merge two things.
Smith still has multiple years left on his contract with ESPN, though his next internal move is unknown.
Sage Steele, who anchors the morning “SportsCenter,” and John Anderson, who does the night edition, are the favorites to take over as co-anchors of the 6 p.m. show. This is what happens when you try to experiment with success. SportsCenter and it’s highlights are just not relevant in this day and age. Get Dan Patrick back, and people will tune in.
Last year Jemele Hill & Michael Smith talked Sports and Their Untraditional Approach to ESPN’s Sports Center on the Breakfast Club.
The showed launched Feb. 6th, 2017. Here was the preview for The SC6 with Michael and Jemele, the 6 p.m. ET edition of SportsCenter hosted by popular ESPN commentators Michael Smith and Jemele Hill.
I knew after seeing this promo the show was doomed. Something just didn’t feel right. You can force feed a vibe onto people.
