Former ESPN’s Jemele Hill and Cari Champion’s Close Friendship Led Them to Start Their Own Show
Cari Champion and Jemele Hill have something in common. They both worked for ESPN and have covered sports extensively. Over the years, the two have developed a close relationship, and now the two have their own show.
Champion and Hill are producing and hosting their own show called ‘Stick to Sports,’ a weekly late-night VICE TV show where they’ll talk about whatever they want.
Cari Champion and Jemele Hill have made a name for themselves
Throughout their careers, Hill and Champion have become prominent names in the sports world. They have paved the way for younger women who want to pursue a career in sports broadcasting. These two talented Black women have worked their way to get to where they are today, and it certainly has not been easy.
Champion knew she wanted to go into broadcasting. Her first reporting job was in West Virginia. She also spent time working as a reporter in California, Georgia, and Florida. While she was in Florida, she joined the Tennis Network in 2009. Champion developed an interest in tennis after watching Venus and Serena Williams dominate in the sport. She worked as a courtside reporter and also was an entertainment reporter for the Starz network. In 2012 she joined ESPN as the new host of ESPN2’s live debate show First Take.
She was promoted to an anchor position in June of 2015 and started anchoring morning editions of SportsCenter. Champion left ESPN in 2020 at the end of January after seven years with the company. She is currently a co-host of the Titan Games created by Dwayne Johnson.
Hill began her career as a sportswriter for the Raleigh News & Observer. She was a sportswriter for the Detroit Free Press from 1999 to 2005. From 2005 to 2006, she was a columnist for the Orlando Sentinel. She joined ESPN in 2006 as a national columnist. From there, she appeared on numerous shows on the network, and in 2011, she and Michael Smith began a podcast titled ‘His and Hers,’ which became a show on ESPN2.
In 2017, Hill and Smith became evening anchors on SportsCenter. A year later, Hill began a new role working at The Undefeated, and in October of 2018, she announced she was joining The Atlantic as a staff writer for the magazine. Hill also has launched a few podcasts during her career.
Cari Champion and Jemele Hill coming together to start their own show
Champion and Hill finally have a show where they express themselves and talk about whatever they want to. ‘Stick to Sports’ is a show where the two talk about everything from politics to sports. “People have gotten a real sense that there was a lot more there than what they saw when we were on sports television,” Hill told Insider. “So with this show in particular, it’s going to go to another level where people will understand the type of range that we have, the different topics that we discuss thoughtfully.”
Champion and Hill have the freedom to decide what they want to discuss, and with their experience in the broadcast world, they have made a lot of connections and have established relationships with many people.
“We’re hoping to offer people refreshing voices and to really have a deep understanding about where Black women are at this particular point in history in our country,” Hill said.
Champion and Hill continue to pave the way for women in the industry
Champion and Hill are two women that others look up to. It’s good to see how much they enjoy mentoring aspiring journalists and writers and those who have just started in the industry. These two women give a voice for Black women across the world, and they both have a lot of knowledge on different topics.
When younger people tune in to ‘Stick to Sports,’ they’ll see that women can have success in the industry, and they could be inspired to one day start their own show and impact others. Champion and Hill will continue to make their voices heard and find ways to use their talents to the best of their abilities.
