Cari Champion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cari Champion
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Champion in November 2014
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| Born | June 1, 1978 (age 47) Pasadena, California, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Occupation | Broadcast journalist, television personality |
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Notable credit(s)
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Tennis Channel (2009–2012) First Take (2012–2015) SportsCenter (2015–2020) SportsNation (2018) |
Cari Champion (born June 1, 1978) is an American journalist and TV personality. She is known for her work in sports broadcasting. Cari has hosted shows like The Cari Champion Show on Amazon Prime Video Sports Talk. She also worked as an anchor and reporter for the Tennis Channel. Later, she hosted First Take on ESPN2. In 2014, Cari became an anchor for ESPN's main show, SportsCenter. She left ESPN in February 2020 after nearly eight years. From 2020 to 2021, she co-hosted Cari & Jemele (Won't) Stick to Sports with Jemele Hill on Vice on TV.
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Early Life and Education
Cari Champion was born in June 1978. She grew up in Pasadena, California. Cari went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). There, she studied English and also learned about mass communications.
She wrote for the student newspaper, Daily Bruin. This experience made her want to become a journalist. Cari wanted to use journalism to help people share their stories. She also wanted to change how some groups, like African Americans, were shown in the media. She said, "I wanted to give people a voice that didn't have a voice."
During her third year at UCLA, she studied in Washington, D.C.. She also had an internship at VOA. Cari finished her studies at UCLA in 2000.
Cari Champion's Career
Starting in Broadcasting
Cari Champion began her career at different TV stations. Her first reporting job was in West Virginia. She described it as being a "one-man-band," carrying her own camera and tripod. Even though it was hard work, she loved it because she wanted to be a reporter.
She later worked as a reporter in Santa Ana, California. In 2002, she joined WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach, Florida.
In 2007, while working at WGCL-TV in Atlanta, Cari had a misunderstanding on air. She was talking with her co-anchor when a microphone picked up their conversation. She was briefly let go but was rehired in 2008. She then left for another job outside Atlanta.
Working at the Tennis Channel
After moving to Florida, Cari covered many news stories. These included interesting human stories and big hurricanes. While reporting, she became very interested in tennis. She covered famous players like Venus and Serena Williams. She said they made her love the sport even more.
Cari then tried out for the Tennis Channel's news team. She was one of three women chosen from many applicants. She joined the network in 2009. At the Tennis Channel, she reported from the courtside. She also hosted the channel's Court Report news segment. She also worked as an entertainment reporter for the Starz network. She appeared on shows like The Insider.
Time at ESPN
On October 1, 2012, Cari Champion joined ESPN. She became the new host of ESPN2's live debate show, First Take. She was chosen for the role over other candidates. As the host, she led discussions between sports experts Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith. She called them "the biggest, strongest personalities" at ESPN.
Cari also started doing journalistic work for ESPN. On November 4, 2014, she interviewed American football quarterback Cam Newton. This segment was for the show E:60. On the same day, she received some inappropriate comments online from a comedian. The comedian later apologized to Cari. ESPN also released a statement saying the comments were wrong. Cari did not respond publicly.
After asking ESPN for six months, Cari was promoted in June 2015. She became an anchor on SportsCenter, ESPN's main program. Her last episode of First Take was on June 19. She started anchoring morning editions of SportsCenter in July.
Hosting on Amazon Prime Video
In 2022, it was announced that Cari Champion would host The Cari Champion Show. This show is on Amazon Prime Video. She made her first appearance on the show on November 14, 2022.
Discussing Sports Rivalries
In June 2024, Cari Champion was invited to CNN. She discussed a WNBA game between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky. She also talked about the Reese-Clark rivalry in basketball. Cari noted that the WNBA gained more attention with new stars. Another sports commentator, Bob Costas, pointed out that some incidents involving players might get less media attention depending on who is involved.
