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Samantha Ponder is an American sports reporter, the most famous host of the ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown program. He has been in contact with the network since his college days. He initially interned in the ESPN area and even joined ABC-TV as a research assistant. He then applied for a job at Liberty University and studied there.
She soon began reporting for the Liberty Flames varsity sports team. Pound also reported on Fox Sports Network and Fox University Sports. She then joined the ESPN Longhorn network, where she was an associate reporter for “Thursday Night College Football” and a co-host of the College Football GameDay. Ponder began hosting the NFL Countdown show in 2017, making her the third person to host the show in 33 years.
Real Name:-
Samantha Sainte-Claire Steele
Nickname:-
Samantha Ponder
Profession:-
Sportscaster
Nationality:-
American
Date of Birth:-
December 11th, 1985
Birth Place:-
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Zodiac Sign:-
Sagittarius
Religion:-
Christian
Personal life:-
- Ponder attended Central High School in Phoenix and King’s College in New York City. While she was in college, she submitted a job application to the ESPN area. She reportedly met Ben Keeperman, a college football researcher and manager of ABC sports radio, and asked him to intern at ESPN Zone. At that time, ESPN had merged with the ABC network.
- Later, Samantha Ponder became an assistant researcher for the college football study program on ABC-TV. When working with the Internet, she was mentored by Craig James, John Saunders, and Doug Flutie. They helped Ponder make a demo tape, which allowed her to find work at Liberty University.
- A senior sports producer at Liberty University hired her as a soccer and basketball reporter for the Liberty Flame college sports team sports television network. Therefore, Ponder completed the rest of her university studies and graduated in 2009.
- In third grade, Ponder decided to become a sports announcer. She was inspired by her father, who was a football and basketball coach at the time. She and her siblings are interested in sports.
- Shortly after graduating from Liberty University, Samantha Ponder joined Fox Sports Network and Fox University Sports as a secondary reporter. She is responsible for college basketball and soccer games and other activities, especially the Pac-10 and Big 12 games.
- At the age of 18, she interviewed the Hall of Fame and former professional basketball player Dennis Rodman; this was her first major interview as a sports broadcaster.
- On July 7, 2011, Ponder became a secondary reporter for the Longhorn Network, a multinational regional sports channel operated by ESPN in Texas. She is one of the top three employed by the network. Shortly after joining Longhorn, Ponder moved to Austin, Texas.
- In 2012, Samantha Ponder replaced sports host Erin Andrews as host of ESPN’s pregame show “University GameDay,” when the latter left the Internet to join Fox Sports. Ponder also replaced Andrews as the co-host of another version of the ESPNU broadcast.
- From August 2012 to 2014, Ponder often served as an associate reporter for ESPN’s “Thursday Night College Football” and hosted with Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, and David Pollack.
- In 2017, Ponder strongly objected on Twitter due to rumors that she would replace Chris Berman at NFL Countdown. They think Ponder doesn’t understand the basics of soccer because he has never participated in the sport. Similarly, the audience questioned her skills as a reporter. However, some people support Ponder as a sports reporter.
Facts:-
- Samantha Ponder was born on December 11, 1985 in Phoenix, Arizona, and was born to a missionary pair, Cindi and Jerry Steele. Her parents established the government department of charity M.A.D. In addition to bringing spiritual practice to the younger generation, they also support education, college scholarships, sports training, and housing. They now serve in the Palestinian branch of the nonprofit organization.
- Ponder has an older sister and two younger brothers.
- Since December 17, 2012, Samantha Ponder has been married to former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder. After Christian began messaging on Twitter, they began dating in 2012. Although Ponder felt strange at first, he eventually started to like her. The two got engaged in December 2012.
- Ponder and Christian did not prepare detailed plans for the wedding. They held an informal and direct ceremony in Hudson, Wisconsin. Christian picked her up at the airport and they immediately performed a civil marriage ceremony without even notifying her parents. Pound wore a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt to the ceremony.
- After getting married, Ponder changed her professional name and began using Christian’s last name for his ESPN and ABC radio shows. Her new last name first appeared on the Capital One Bowl broadcast on January 1, 2013.
- In July 2014, Samantha Ponder gave birth to her first child, her daughter Bowden Sainte-Claire, the “Scout.” The couple’s second child and eldest son, Robinson True, was born in June 2017. In July 2018, she gave birth to their second daughter, Price. Unfortunately, the newborn had to undergo emergency surgery.
- Ponder is a devout Christian. Dan Katz, host of the Barstool Sports podcast, Pardon My Take, once criticized his belief in the show. Apparently he described it as “the phenomenon that hits the Bible.”
- Ponder is a member of the board of directors of the charity M.A.D. Ministries, Inc. also known as M.A.D. House.
- In December 2018, Samantha Ponder was stopped on a flight from Phoenix to New York and had to sit back and watch a show.
- She dreams of interviewing former NBA player Charles Barkley and former football quarterback Vince Young. She also hopes to be able to interview her husband one day. She once said that if Aaron Hernandez of the New England Patriots was still alive, she would have had loved to interview him.
Net worth:-
As of this year, the net worth of Samantha Ponder is around 12.5 million dollars. This is the net worth this successful sportscaster earned from her own career in the sports media industry. She earns a yearly salary of around 4.9 million dollars.
Family Tree:-
Father Name:-
Not known.
Mother Name:-
Not known
Siblings:-
Samantha Ponder has an older sister and two younger brothers but their names are not made public.
Children:-
Bowden Sainte-Claire Ponder
Relationships & Affairs:-
Christian Ponder
