The star follows in the footsteps of Jemele Hill, Cari Champion and Beadle as outspoken
Women who are no longer at the broadcaster
Only Katie Nolan could take an unpleasant topic like the trolling of female sports journalists and turn it into a hilarious skit that makes your lungs ache from laughter. Nolan’s “secret society of women in sports media” also made me, a woman in sports media, want to punch a wall and left me feeling empowered to rebel against systemic misogyny. That’s the Katie Nolan effect. You feel things.
When
ESPN hired Nolan in late 2017, it was a no brainer. The uber-talented Nolan had quickly risen from a Boston bartender making
YouTube videos in her spare time to being such an undeniable star that Fox created its own show for her, Garbage Time. The show was eventually canceled due to low ratings (aided by a less than ideal time slot) but not before winning a Sports Emmy and earning Nolan cult status her blend of hilarious bits and searing takes on sports’ most uncomfortable issues, such as her takedown of the NFL for allowing Greg Hardy back in the league. Fox knew they had a special talent but instead of finding Nolan a new role they let her sit under contract for seven months before ESPN evidently swooped in.