Former ESPN analyst Chris Berman retired after this past NFL season, calling it quits after 37 years with the network. Berman was one of the few ESPN originals, as he joined the Worldwide Leader just one month after it was founded.
His departure left ESPN with a huge void to fill, but the timing made sense, as the network has undergone a huge shakeup as far as talent is concerned this year, and there’s more to come in this restructuring of sorts.
There were a lot of rumors regarding who could replace Berman in hosting “Sunday NFL Countdown,” but nothing was set in stone. ESPN announced that it would be Samantha Ponder to succeed Berman in a statement on Thursday, with Suzy Kolber hosting “Monday NFL Countdown,” and Trey Wingo leading the NFL Draft telecast.
Ponder will be just the third host of “Sunday NFL Countdown” in its 32-year history, but she’ll do a great job. The former sideline reporter has covered football games at both the collegiate and professional level, and is married to free-agent quarterback Christian Ponder. She’s been moved around to various positions around the network, and has a wide range of experience, which is why she should excel in this new role. Ponder has the composure to react on the spot, and knows her colleagues well, so she should be able to be the glue that holds the show together.
And Ponder has covered, well, pretty much everything, from top to bottom. She’s hosted “College Football Live,” which has a similar format to “Sunday NFL Countdown.” She’s appeared on “Saturday Night Football,” and also covered the biggest games during the College Football Playoff.
If the network was looking for someone to host the hit show for years to come, then they nailed it with Ponder.
About Matt Birch
Matt manages all editorial operations for The Sports Daily. His work has been featured on MSN, Fox Sports, Yardbarker, SB Nation and Bleacher Report. Matt has also written for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. He enjoys eating good food, shooting hoops and making original, compelling stories go viral.
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