There’s something about women who like sports and talk about it all day, every day. We have seen Erin Andrews (Fox) and Charissa Thompson (Amazon Prime) garner a lot of attention on the sidelines and even on social media. But the media giant ESPN was looking for a way to rake in the popularity. They are already making waves for the Rich Eisen vs Pat McAfee episode, which could happen in the coming fall. For now, let’s focus our attention on the women who make sports a little more exciting to watch.

They announced major news on May 30 by resigning their veteran reporter, Kimberley A. Martin, to a multi-year agreement. She will continue her reporting on various roles in the network. The reporter also brings an experience of more than a decade as a national writer, columnist, and beat reporter, covering the NFL.

Martin joined ESPN way back in March 2020. She soon captured everyone’s attention by appearing on numerous shows such as Sunday NFL Countdown, NFL Live, Get Up, First Take, and SportsCenter. The reporter also took huge strides by co-hosting ESPN’s only all-female podcast, First Take Her Take. Prior to joining ESPN, she worked as a Washington beat writer for The Washington Post (2017-18). She also cherished her re-signing with a tweet that read, “Blessed to be back 🙏🏾 See you soon ❤️ @GetUpESPN @FirstTake”

She later covered the NFL for The Buffalo News in 2017 and also worked as a New York Jets beat writer for Newsday (2012-17). Her last job was at Yahoo before she arrived at ESPN. The Brooklyn native holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and African-American Studies and a Master’s in magazine, newspaper and online journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse.

Her talent was distinct. It showed up way back in 2011 when she won the NABJ’s Emerging Journalist of the Year (National Association of Black Journalists) award 2011. While the fans are happy that she will be back on the network, some of them are preparing for a showdown between two ace analysts.

Pat McAfee vs. Rich Eisen – ESPN prepared for showdown

The media giant has prepared to bring every top analyst that could help them boost the ratings and viewership. They already have Pat McAfee, who is known for his controversial takes. According to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, The Pat McAfee Show is scheduled from noon to 3 p.m. ET daily, with the first two hours on ESPN’s top channel.

Where will Rich Eisen stream then? The analyst left the network back in 2003 and joined the NFL, where he achieved huge success. The network has signed a deal with a 55-year-old who ESPN will license with Eisen holding ownership and editorial control. The show, streamed on Roku from noon to 3 p.m. ET, will also stream on ESPN+ and Disney+. That creates a conflict.

Marchand revealed that the network is viewing Eisen’s show as a complement to Pat McAfee’s show. ESPN wants to produce more content for its direct-to-consumer application. But with two big brains fighting for the spot, expect more fireworks than they anticipated. It would be fun to watch!