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Why did Katie Nolan quit ESPN? Fans claim sports analyst was 'wasted as a talent'

Katie Nolan announced the news of her leaving ESPN and fans of the host say the network has no 'idea what to do with talent'

Sports analyst and host Katie Nolan has quit ESPN. She announced the news on her Twitter handle Wednesday, September 29. Following the announcement of her exit, fans swarmed social media, calling out ESPN for 'having no idea what to do with talent'. 

"I’ve thought about sending this tweet for weeks and I still have no clue how to make it not make you all roll your eyes. Alas: the obvious thing has happened. I no longer work at ESPN. I’m really grateful for my time here. I made incredible friendships and valuable mistakes, " Katie Nolan said in her statement. She further added, "This year of slowing down has affected me on a cellular level. If you listen to the podcast this isn’t news to you. What’s next for me is to figure out how/where/when this new me can use the skills the old me acquired to make the stuff I think needs making. And maybe a vacation?" Nolan is not the only to quit the network this year, in May, ESPN host Kenny Mayne quit the network after 27 years with a 'mic drop' moment.

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"For the sake of brevity I’m gonna handle most of my thank yous via text, but I do want to publicly sing the praises of @AshleyBraband, a woman who made a lot of personal sacrifices in service of ESPN and myself, and who may never know how much that means to me, " her statement further said, adding, "Lastly, to the most beleaguered podcast fans in the game: Thank you, for all of it. Seeing you be decent and hilarious with each other online is the best evidence I have that I’m on a path worth walking. You rule. If you’re still here when I get back, I won’t forget that. LYMI."

Nolan joined ESPN in 2017 and appeared on 'Highly Questionable' and the 'Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz' consistently during her time there. Her most successful venture was 'Always Late with Katie Nolan', which was canceled in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. By the end of her tenure, she was only making spot appearances on various podcasts under the network.

'Katie Nolan has been an inspiration'

Reacting to Nolan's exit, people posted tweets for like, "Katie Nolan is one of the few sports analysts I genuinely enjoy. One of the others is Dan LeBatard. ESPN has let both go in the last year or two, in the name of ever-blander content." Another person tweeted, "Katie nolan is my favorite sports person ever. she made me care about football and all sports more than i already did. because of her i look for the funny story in sports rather than debate who the GOAT is or stupid made up stats" One tweet read, "This sucks so much. Katie Nolan has been an inspiration to me in my career and her not having a platform anymore is criminal tbh".

Another fan of Nolan said, "Katie Nolan is the freshest, realest voice in sports media right now, and it's no surprise ESPN had no idea what to do with her. I really hope she gets her vacation and comes back with more." Another user wrote, "It’s wild that Katie Nolan was wasted as a talent at both Fox Sports and ESPN"