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Sage Steele
Former Co-Host of ESPN's Sportcenter
Sage Steele
Former Co-Host of ESPN's Sportcenter
Biography
Sage Steele is one of the country’s most popular and respected broadcasters. Most recently, she was a fixture at ESPN from 2007-2023, hosting the network’s flagship show, SportsCenter. Throughout the years, Steele has hosted a variety of shows and countless live events, including SportsCenter's coverage of the Super Bowl, The Masters, The NBA Finals, the World Series, and several other national and international sporting events. As one of ESPN's longest-tenured anchors, Steele was also the lead host of the network's NBA coverage, hosting NBA Countdown on ESPN & ABC from 2013-2017 before returning to her SportsCenter roots.
Outside of the sports world, Sage has hosted a variety of events, including The Scripps National Spelling Bee from 2010-2012, The Miss America Pageant in 2016 & 2017 on ABC, The Tournament of Roses Parade on ABC since 2018, and Dick Clark's 2016 New Year's Rockin' Eve on ABC. In March 2019, Steele co-hosted the ABC special "Volcano Live with Nik Wallenda" as the famous daredevil walked a tightrope across a live volcano in Nicaragua.
Through the years, Sage has been a featured guest host on ABC's The View, was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and has been profiled by numerous publications, including Rolling Stone, Variety, The Wall Street Journal, Vibe, and Huffington Post, to name just a few.
Before her ESPN success, Sage's journalism career began in 1995 upon graduation from Indiana University. She held producing, reporting, and anchoring roles in local markets – South Bend, IN (WSBT-TV), Indianapolis, IN (WISH-TV), and Tampa, FL (WFTS-TV) – before landing similar roles at regional television networks in Tampa (Fox Sports Florida) and Washington, DC/Baltimore (Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic).
Beyond the spotlight, Steele has a philanthropic and charitable heart for many passionate causes. Sage is proud to be a new member of the board of directors for The Boys & Girls Club of America. She is also in her third year as a board member for The V Foundation for Cancer Research and an advisory board member for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF). She volunteers with The Alzheimer’s Association and is active in her local church in Connecticut.
Most importantly, Steele is the proud mother of three children, ages 21, 17 & 19, and resides in Connecticut and Florida.
Sage LOVES being able to share her story and remains hopeful that her willingness to be vulnerable and speak her truth will encourage and allow others to do the same.
Speaker Videos
2015 IU Commencement Speaker: Sage Steele
Speech Topics
Practice Diversity…But Mean It
Every organization seems to have an officer in charge of DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), and although race/gender/religion are all important, a variety of ideological viewpoints is the true measure of diversity. Sage shares her real-life examples of how “diversity” was used against her and gives her thoughts on how organizations can implement a challenging and inspiring melting pot of experiences, ideas and opinions.
Choosing the Harder Right
Sage’s father, a 1970 West Point graduate, raised her and her brothers with this motto. It’s part of the cadet prayer at West Point which reads, in part, “help me to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and to never be content with a half-truth when the whole can be won.” She has discovered that when we stop and think, we usually know exactly what decision we should make. Whether it applies to our personal lives or our careers, deep down, we know the answers! The key is to be brutally honest with ourselves, and then follow through. This motto (prayer) has guided Sage through some of her toughest times in life and has proven to be a point of clarification when pondering nearly every aspect of life.
Stand Up…Stand Tall…Stand Out
As a self-describe “shy girl,” Sage had to learn to stand up for herself as she lived out her non-traditional dream of becoming a sportscaster. Eventually she stood tall by being brave enough to cast fear aside (fear of failure, fear of disappointing others, fear of being disliked, etc.) and shoot to the top of her profession. Sage will share her story, and give examples of how she overcame life’s obstacles to achieve – and exceed – her professional goals.
Sports Stories from the Sidelines
Sage has covered just about everything in sports – NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, IndyCar, all NCAA sports, high school sports, Super Bowls and World Series and NBA Finals….you name it!! And the stories are incredible! From working alongside hall-of-famers like Joe Montana, Kobe Bryant, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, Wayne Gretzky, and countless others….to the stories of little leaguers who make up everything good about the world of sports. Sage counts it an honor to have fulfilled her dream – the one she announced to her parents when she was a shy, awkward 11-year-old girl who just wanted to learn the “how” and “why” behind what makes athletes the best of the best – and to share their stories with the world.
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