Sage Steele facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sage Steele
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Steele in 2024
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| Born |
Sage Marie Steele
November 28, 1972 |
| Alma mater | Indiana University, Bloomington (BS) |
| Occupation | Sportscaster |
| Years active | 1995–present |
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Notable credit(s)
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ESPN, SportsCenter |
| Title | Host, reporter |
| Spouse(s) |
Jonathan Bailey
(m. 1999; div. 2019) |
| Children | 3 |
Sage Marie Steele (born November 28, 1972) is a well-known American television anchor and host. She used to be a co-host for SportsCenter on ESPN, a very popular sports news show. She also hosted NBA Countdown on ESPN and ABC for four seasons. Steele covered many major sports events, including the NBA Finals from 2012 to 2020.
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Early Life and Education
Sage Steele was born in 1972 in the Panama Canal Zone. Her father, Gary Steele, was an African-American colonel in the United States Army. He was the first Black varsity football player at West Point. Her mother, Mona, is of Irish-Italian descent.
Because her father was in the Army, Sage's family moved a lot. They lived in different states and even in countries like Greece and Belgium. In 1984, they moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado. She later moved to Carmel, Indiana, and graduated from Carmel High School in 1990.
Sage went to Indiana University Bloomington. She graduated in 1995 with a degree in sports communication. Twenty years later, in 2015, she was asked to give the graduation speech there. She said this was the biggest honor of her career.
Her Career in Sports TV
Sage Steele started her TV career in 1995. Her first job was at WSBT-TV in South Bend, Indiana. She worked as a news producer and reporter.
She then moved to WISH-TV in Indianapolis, Indiana. From 1997 to 1998, she was a weekend sports anchor and reporter. She covered teams like the Indianapolis Colts and the Indiana Pacers. She also reported on famous races like the Indianapolis 500.
Later, Steele worked at WFTS in Tampa, Florida, and Fox Sports Florida. She continued to cover many different sports teams.
In 2001, Sage joined Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. She was an anchor and reporter for their sports news show, SportsNite. She covered all the sports in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore areas.
Joining ESPN
Sage Steele joined ESPN in 2007. Her first show was SportsCenter on March 16, 2007. She had been offered a job at ESPN before, in 2004, but she turned it down because she was expecting her second child.
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In 2013, she became the host of NBA Countdown. This show airs on ESPN and ABC before NBA games. She hosted it until 2017.
Sage Steele also hosted other big events. She co-hosted the Miss America pageant in 2017 and 2018. From 2010 to 2013, she hosted the Scripps National Spelling Bee. She was also a guest host on The View several times in 2014.
In February 2021, she became the co-anchor for the noon SportsCenter. Before that, she had anchored other editions of the show.
Leaving ESPN and New Projects
In October 2021, Sage Steele faced some challenges at ESPN. She had made comments on a Jay Cutler podcast that caused controversy for the company. She later apologized for her remarks.
In April 2022, Steele filed a lawsuit against ESPN. She claimed the network had treated her unfairly after her comments. The lawsuit was settled in August 2023, and Steele left ESPN.
In March 2024, she started a new project. She became the first podcast host for Bill Maher's Club Random Studios. Maher said he was looking for people who speak their minds.
In April 2024, Steele also took on a new voice role. She replaced Candace Owens in the animated series Mr. Birchum.
Personal Life
Sage Steele married Jonathan Bailey in 1999. They had three children together, two daughters and one son. They later divorced in 2019.
Steele has also been involved with important organizations. She was on the board of the Pat Tillman Foundation. In 2019, she joined the board of the V Foundation for cancer research.
