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ESPN To End High Noon At End Of March

“Replacing High Noon on ESPN weekdays from 4 – 4:30pm ET will be Jalen & Jacoby which moves over from ESPN2. A plan for filling the 2pm void left by Jalen & Jacoby on ESPN 2 was not announced.”

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ESPN is making changes to their daytime lineup as the Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand reports High Noon with Bomani Jones and Pablo Torre is being canceled.

According to Ourand, the final episode of High Noon will air sometime at the end of March, falling short of its two-year anniversary. The show originally launched with its full name High Noon (9am Pacific) as a one-hour daily show in Jun. 2018. But just three months later, ESPN canceled SportsNation and replaced it with High Noon. Since Sept. 2018, High Noon has aired as a half-hour show at 4pm ET on ESPN. 

Replacing High Noon on ESPN weekdays from 4 – 4:30pm ET will be Jalen & Jacoby which moves over from ESPN2. A plan for filling the 2pm void left by Jalen & Jacoby on ESPN 2 was not announced.

Last November, The Washington Post reported ESPN was running focus groups on High Noon to help decide its future. It would seem those tests didn’t signal enough interest to keep the show going. “Co-hosts Pablo Torre and Bomani Jones are extremely talented, and they helmed what we believed was a smart and nuanced show. Unfortunately, not enough people agreed with us,” ESPN said in an emailed statement to Ourand. 

According to Ourand, ESPN cited poor viewership as the reason the show will be canceled. So for High Noon was averaging 330,000 viewers in the first quarter, which is lower than other ESPN debate shows, but not by much. Dan Le Batard’s Highly Questionable has averaged 404,000 viewers, while Mike Greenberg’s Get Up! Is averaging 380,000.

The High Noon hosts will continue appearing on ESPN for now, with Jones also recording his twice weekly podcast, but questions remain about their futures with the network. The contracts for both Jones and Torre are set to expire next month. 

“We look forward to discussing with them how to best utilize their talents across a variety of ESPN platforms,” ESPN added in their emailed statement to Ourand, which at least publicly signals an interest in continuing their relationship with Jones and Torre. 

The idea for High Noon with Jones and Torre was created under former ESPN president John Skipper, who now runs DAZN. With Bomani having two master’s degrees in economics and Torre being a Harvard graduate, High Noon looked to set itself apart with intellect. But as Jones and Torre near free agency and High Noon gets cut from ESPN, Skipper’s DAZN is reportedly interested in producing more debate style shows, having been mentioned as a possible landing spot for Skip Bayless if he leaves FS1.

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Erin Andrews Reveals Infertility Journey in Emotional ‘Today Show’ Interview

FOX reporter Erin Andrews sat down with ‘The Today Show’s’ Kristen Welker to discuss her journey, how Welker’s own journey inspired her, and more.

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Erin Andrews

FOX reporter Erin Andrews shared her story of infertility and surrogacy with NBC’s Today Show. Last summer, Andrews and her husband welcomed a baby boy via surrogate after trying for a decade to get pregnant via IVF, during which she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2016. Today, she sat down with Kristen Welker to discuss her journey, how Welker’s own journey inspired her, and more.

Andrews says Welker’s announcement on the Today Show made her think a baby could be possible. “I remember Kristin Welker’s announcement on your show,” Andrews said last year, “and I actually watched that the morning Mac was born, because that just hit me.”

When they finally sat down, Welker asked Andrews why her journey resonated with the sports reporter so much:

“Because I see myself in you. Kristen, the video of you moderating debates after you’re waiting on bad news or maybe you just received it, that’s me. I can tell you every stand-up I’ve done at a football game where I’ve gotten the news that it didn’t work. I’d be talking about Tom Brady going for this record and my record is that I still was failing…I would have chest pains every time I was waiting for the call if it worked, and I knew it wouldn’t work.

Erin Andrews on ‘Today’

Andrews knew surrogacy was the only path to having a child. Although her family’s first attempt failed, her second attempt was a success, and she got to hear her child’s heartbeat for the very first time. The pair discuss the complex emotions that come with surrogacy, saying that bonds with their child could be affected because they didn’t carry their child. However, Welker assured Andrews that those feelings go away once you can talk to your child.

Once her son was born in June, who Andrews called, “a miracle,” she then talks about her child glowingly, talking about how he is just like mom — vocal. “He’s all me,” she says.

Andrews supports Baby Quest, a non-profit that grants money to families in need of IVF or surrogacy to have a baby but don’t have the funds to pursue these expensive treatments. Both Andrews and Welker acknowledged how difficult and unattainable their journies are for some families — and Andrews even used the NFL’s “My Cleats, My Cause” initiative to raise awareness for her cause.

“People don’t need to feel embarrassed that they have a surrogate or are looking for other help,” Andrews said.

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Curt Menefee and Joel Klatt to be Lead Fox Sports UFL Broadcast Team

Curt Menefee, Joel Klatt, and Brock Huard will make up the first XFL on FOX announce team, while Kevin Kugler, Devin Gardner, and Jake Butt are the #2 team.

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FOX is ready for the United Football League (UFL) season and recently announced its broadcast lineup for the upcoming season. Curt Menefee returns to the booth alongside Joel Klatt to make up the primary UFL commentary team. Joining Menefee and Klatt from the sidelines will be former NFL and University of Washington QB Brock Huard.

Menefee and Klatt will call the season-opening matchup between the defending two-time USFL Champion Birmingham Stallions and the reigning XFL Champion Arlington Renegades on Saturday, Mar. 30 at 1 p.m. ET. The second team of Kevin Kugler and former Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner will call the second game of the day when the St. Louis Battlehawks take on the Michigan Panthers at 4:00 p.m. ET on FOX. Former Denver Broncos tight end Jake Butt will man the sidelines for that game.

Former NFL and USC QB Mark Sanchez was also mentioned in the FOX news release but details of his involvement were not made clear.

The UFL season kicks off on FOX this weekend and continues over on ESPN. Both networks will split coverage of the league all season long.

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CBS Sports Host James Brown To Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at Sports Emmys

“I am incredibly humbled by this award. I know full well that it’s not as much about me as it is about all the people with whom…I worked over all these years.”

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James Brown
Courtesy: Mary Kouw, CBS

Longtime CBS Sports host James Brown will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 45th Sports Emmys. The awards show announced the news via its X account last night:

Brown is a three-time Sports Emmy winner for his work on CBS’ The NFL Today and previously FOX’s The NFL On FOX, and HBO’s Inside the NFL. Brown’s career spans more than 30 years and includes numerous accolades such as the Pete Rozelle Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Uncommon Award from Tony Dungy.

He was named “Best Studio Host of the Decade” by Sports Illustrated in 2010 and was honored with the 2009 Dick Schaap Memorial Award for Media Excellence. In 1998 he was awarded the Golden Mic Award by the Black Broadcasters Alliance. Brown was elected into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2021.

“I am incredibly humbled by this award,” Brown said via the Sports Emmys. “I know full well that it’s not as much about me as it is about all the people with whom and for whom I worked over all these years. Thank God for the blessing!”

Sports media came together to honor Brown’s achievement:

Brown and other award recipients will be honored at the Sports Emmys award ceremony in May.

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