SportsNation premiered on July 6, 2009, as a daily afternoon program on ESPN2, with additional broadcasts on ESPN and ESPNEWS. The show was based on SportsNation, the fan forum and poll section of ESPN.com. It was built on material generated or suggested by fans — including viral videos, athlete tweets, and online polling. The show was taped at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut, during its first three years, before the network permanently relocated the entire set to Los Angeles in late 2012.
The core programming provided an energetic mix of sports debate and digital pop culture. Hosts routinely discussed trending headlines using real-time audience feedback and viewer-submitted videos. Fans also actively voted on diverse topics ranging from game predictions to amusing player highlights.
The original hosts were Colin Cowherd, who also hosted The Herd on ESPN Radio, and Michelle Beadle, who joined ESPN from the YES Network. In June 2012, Beadle left the show, with Charissa Thompson taking over. Cowherd then departed in December 2012, with Marcellus Wiley taking his place.
In 2013, Max Kellerman replaced Thompson. Beadle then returned to the show in March 2014, before leaving again in 2018 for Get Up! Cari Champion and LZ Granderson hosted the show’s final months before ESPN cancelled it in August 2018.
After more than two years off the air, SportsNation was revived exclusively on ESPN+ on January 11, 2021, with a reimagined format featuring shorter weekday episodes at 6 a.m. ET, delivering sports highlights through opinion, debate, and social media. The revival launched with three new co-hosts: Ashley Brewer, Taylor Twellman, and Treavor Scales. However, the revival did not last, and the show was quietly cancelled in 2022.
