Sage Steele Says Sam Ponder Taught Her About Bible & Motherhood While At ESPN

Following the surprising ouster of Sam Pander from ESPN on Thursday, one of her former colleagues, Sage Steele, posted a video on X to express her support.

Steele and Ponder have quite a few things in common, and they worked together at ESPN for years. 

Both are women in the sports media, both are devout Christians, and both believe that men do not belong in women's sports. 

That last commonality, in particular, is not looked upon fondly at ESPN, which once honored Lia Thomas (a biological male, formerly William Thomas, who won an NCAA Championship in women's swimming) during Women's History Month. 

Steele posted a video on X on Thursday, and she had nothing but good things to say about her friend and former colleague. 

"I need to make sure that you all know who Samantha Ponder is," Steele said. "This woman is so strong." 

Former ESPN host Sage Steele offered words of encouragement and praise for Sam Ponder after the network pulled the latter off the air.

(USA Today Network)

She went on to talk about how the two bonded over their shared faith in Christianity and the Bible. 

"Samantha has taught me so much about God, about scripture, about the Bible, about not giving up and about standing tall," Steele continued. 

She said that she and Ponder often talked about how their beliefs didn't always match up with what ESPN wanted from its hosts and analysts. 

Mainly, they prefer talent who espouse left-wing political beliefs and typically don't want them speaking about the Christian faith. 

Steele also thanked Ponder for helping her become a better parent. 

"I just need everyone to know this is a brilliant woman [and] an incredible mother – who's also made me a better mother, for sure." 

WATCH: 

Both Sage Steele and Sam Ponder learned the hard way that while ESPN – and many other left-wing crusaders – say they want to see and hear from strong women, they're not telling the whole truth. 

They want strong women who agree with their worldview and perspective. 

Neither Steele nor Ponder fit into that category, so their days at ESPN were always numbered. 

But it's probably for the best, as Steele mentioned at the end of the video. 

I can speak on this issue personally, as a former ESPN employee myself. 

My life improved tremendously after leaving that company. 

As one of my friends and former colleagues once said to me: "It's much better to be a former ESPN employee than a current one." 

Amen to that.