Sage Steele facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sage Steele
Steele in 2024
Born	Sage Marie Steele (1972-11-28) November 28, 1972 (age 52) Panama Canal Zone
Alma mater	Indiana University, Bloomington (BS)
Occupation	Sportscaster
Years active	1995–present
Notable credit(s)	ESPN, SportsCenter
Title	Host, reporter
Spouse(s)	Jonathan Bailey ​ ​ (m. 1999; div. 2019)​
Children	3

Sage Marie Steele is a well-known American TV host. She used to be a co-host for SportsCenter on ESPN, which is a popular sports news show. She also hosted SportsCenter on the Road from big sports events like the Super Bowl. For four years, she hosted NBA Countdown on ESPN and ABC.

Before that, Sage Steele was a full-time host for SportsCenter, ESPN's main sports program. She also worked on other ESPN shows like ESPN First Take and SportsNation. She covered the NBA Finals every year from 2012 to 2020.

Early life and education

Sage Steele was born on November 28, 1972, in the Panama Canal Zone. Her father, Gary Steele, was an African-American Army officer. Her mother, Mona (O'Neil) Steele, has Irish-Italian roots.

Family background

Sage's father, Gary Steele, made history at West Point. He was the first Black varsity football player there in the 1960s. In 2013, he was honored in the Army Sports Hall of Fame for his amazing career in football and track. He retired from the Army as a colonel after 23 years of service.

Sage has two brothers. Her brother Chad is a senior leader for the Baltimore Ravens football team.

Moving around as a kid

Because her father was in the Army, Sage's family lived in many different places. They lived in countries like Greece and Belgium. In 1984, when Sage was in seventh grade, they moved back to the United States, to Colorado Springs, Colorado.

She went to Thomas B. Doherty High School in Colorado Springs for two years. Then, she moved to Carmel, Indiana, and finished high school at Carmel High School in 1990.

College years

Sage Steele went to Indiana University Bloomington. She graduated in 1995 with a degree in sports communication. Twenty years later, in 2015, she was invited back to give the graduation speech at Indiana University. She said this was the biggest honor of her career.

Broadcasting career

Sage Steele started her TV sports reporting career in 1995. Her first job was at WSBT-TV in South Bend, Indiana. She worked there as a news producer and reporter until 1997.

Early reporting jobs

From 1997 to 1998, Sage worked at WISH-TV in Indianapolis, Indiana. She was a weekend morning sports anchor and a weekday reporter. She covered many local sports teams, including the Indianapolis Colts and Indiana Pacers. She also reported on famous auto races like the Indianapolis 500.

Next, she moved to WFTS in Tampa, Florida, from 1998 to 2001. There, she was a sports reporter. She covered teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Orlando Magic. She also worked for Fox Sports Florida, reporting on teams across Central Florida.

In 2001, Sage joined Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic in Bethesda, Maryland. She was an anchor and reporter for their nightly sports news show, SportsNite. She covered all sports in the Washington, DC, and Baltimore areas. She was one of the first people to work for Comcast SportsNet when it started. She spent six years there, also reporting on the Baltimore Ravens.

Joining ESPN

Sage Steele joined ESPN in 2007. Her first show was on March 16, 2007, on the 6:00 p.m. SportsCenter. She had been offered a job at ESPN in 2004 but turned it down because she was expecting her second child.

Steele in 2010

On July 28, 2013, Sage Steele got to drive the pace car for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400 race. This was a special experience for her.

From the 2013–14 NBA season, Sage became the host of NBA Countdown on ESPN and ABC. She held this important role until 2017.

Sage Steele also co-hosted the Miss America pageant in 2017 and 2018 on ABC. She hosted the Scripps National Spelling Bee from 2010 to 2013. In 2014, she was a guest host on The View several times.

In February 2021, she became the co-anchor for the noon SportsCenter with Matt Barrie. Before that, she had anchored the 6 p.m. edition of the show and SportsCenter:AM.

Leaving ESPN

In October 2021, Sage Steele was temporarily suspended from ESPN. This happened after she made some comments on a podcast. She later apologized for her remarks.

In April 2022, Sage Steele filed a lawsuit against ESPN. She claimed that the network had treated her unfairly after her suspension. She said that ESPN had taken away opportunities from her. In August 2023, Sage Steele and ESPN reached an agreement, and she left the network.

In March 2024, she became the first podcast host for Bill Maher's Club Random Studios podcast network. Bill Maher said he was looking for hosts who speak their minds.

In April 2024, Sage Steele took over a voice role 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 divorced in 2019.

In March 2021, Sage Steele put her home in Avon, Connecticut, up for sale. She had done a lot of renovations to the house.

Sage Steele has 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.

Sage Steele is Catholic.