There isn’t a shortage of female sports reporters on national networks. With journalists including Rachel Nichols and Erin Andrews branching outside of the sports world, women are proving they do indeed belong in a male-dominated field.
ESPN has a knack for finding young female journalists and placing them on the sidelines, and front lines, of some of their biggest shows. An example of which is decision to give Lindsay Czarniak the honor of anchoring the 6pm SportsCenter on her own.
The network also features many other female-led or moderated programs, but none are as entertaining as Sports Nation, which is driven by the beautiful Michelle Beadle, who might know more about sports than most men.
A die-hard Spurs and WWE fan, Beadle returned to ESPN after an unsuccessful stint at NBC Sports, most of which had to do with the networks mishandling of her talent. Upon her return, Beadle joined Max Kellerman and Marcelus Wiley on Sports Nation.
However, Beadle isn’t the only female making waves on the show, reporter Melanie Collins did a stand-up job filling in for Beadle during her appearances in late 2014. She did so well in fact that ESPN should consider adding Collins to the show permanently.
A 2008 graduate of Penn State, Collins has been featured all around the sports world. Currently, she is a fixture on Yahoo! Sports, co-host of the successful Golf Channel program, The Big Break, and contributes to CBS. She previously held work on NBA TV, The Big Ten Network and the MLB Network.
If ESPN decides to put Collins in the Sports Nation spot then what do you do with Beadle?
As mentioned before, Beadle was featured on NBC Sports. However, the network failed to capitalize on her strengths and momentum, and thus her time with NBC was short-lived.
When Beadle left for ESPN there was a growing feeling that she would receive her own show in the near future, and that time is now, as her quirky and upbeat persona would cater well to the mainstream audience. Many criticize ESPN for being too theatrical and showing favoritism, but they have done a great job developing a female audience.
It’s time for a change-up at the network. Give Collins the Sports Nation gig, and let Beadle fly high, it’s a win win situation.