Samantha Ponder Biography
Samantha Ponder is a sports reporter from the United States who is best known as the host of the ESPN show Sunday NFL Countdown. Ponder previously worked as a reporter/host for ESPN college football and as a basketball sideline reporter before hosting Sunday NFL Countdown.
How old is Samantha Ponder?- Age
She is 37 years old as of December 2022. Ponder was born Samantha Steele, on December 11, 1985, in Phoenix, Arizona, the United States of America.
Samantha Ponder Education
Ponder attended Phoenix Central High School and The King’s College in New York City. Ponder thus finished her education at Liberty University and graduated in 2009.
Samantha Ponder Height
She stands at a height of 5’6″ (168 cm) tall.
Samantha Ponder Parents
Ponder was born Samantha Steele on December 11, 1985, in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, to missionary parents Cindi and Jerry Steele.
Samantha Ponder Husband – Children
Ponder has been married to Christian Ponder, a former Minnesota Vikings quarterback, since December 17, 2012. They started dating in 2012. In December 2012, the couple got engaged. Samantha gave birth to her first child, Bowden Sainte-Claire “Scout,” in July 2014. Robinson True, the couple’s second child, and first son was born in June 2017. Price, her second child, was born in July 2018.
Samantha Ponder Career
She became a sideline reporter for Fox Sports Net and Fox College Sports. She covered collegiate basketball and football games and events, focusing on the Pac-10 and Big 12 conferences. Her first big interview as a sports broadcaster came at the age of 18 when she interviewed Hall of Fame inductee and former professional basketball player Dennis Rodman. Ponder worked as a sideline reporter for the multinational regional sports network Longhorn Network, which was affiliated with ESPN in Texas. She was one of the network’s first three hires. Ponder relocated to Austin, Texas, shortly after joining Longhorn. Ponder took over as host of the ESPN pre-game show College GameDay after Erin Andrews left the network to join Fox Sports.
Ponder also took over as co-host of another episode of the show, which aired on ESPNU. Ponder was a regular sideline reporter for the ESPN show Thursday Night College Football, which he co-hosted with Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, and David Pollack from August 2012 to 2014. Ponder faced backlash on Twitter in 2017 after rumors circulated that she would replace Chris Berman on NFL Countdown. People complained that she was unsuitable for a sports-themed show. Ponder had never played football, so they assumed she knew nothing about the game’s fundamentals. Likewise, the audience questioned her abilities as a reporter. However, there was a group of people who backed Ponder as a sports journalist.
Samantha Ponder Salary
She has an estimated earning of 4.5 million dollars per year.
Samantha Ponder’s Net Worth
Ponder has an estimated net worth of 12.5 million dollars.