ESPN's Rachel Nichols leaving for CNN, Turner Sports
When I first heard the news of Rachel Nichols leaving the World Wide Leader for CNN - I can only imagine that Ted Turner lost a bet to Mickey Mouse - the first thought I had was this: "But what about her signature style and sign-off?"
ESPN's Rachel Nichols leaving for CNN, Turner Sports
Matt Mullin, Sports Editor
Remember that time you actually learned something in college - even if it is the only thing you can remember from your days as an undergrad - that is useful on a daily basis?
For me, it's the day I learned how to properly use aperture on a camera. Don't ask me why, but as long as I live, I will never forget that.
When I first heard the news of Rachel Nichols leaving the World Wide Leader for CNN - I can only assume that Ted Turner lost a bet to Mickey Mouse - the first thought I had was this: "But what about her signature style and sign-off?"
You know what I'm talking about.
That really annoying thing she does at the end of every one of her stand-ups.
Still not sure what I mean?
Just as I will never forget how to set the f-stop, Nichols will never forget that day at Northwestern when a professor scribbled on the board his proper method for signing off:
I spoke to [player, coach, etc.] and he/she told me, "[generic sports metaphor]."I'm [name], [network].
There it is.
Nichols' equivalent of Einstein's general theory of relativity. Or that scene in The Social Network when Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin scribble their algorithm on the dorm window.
Every report - I can count the number of times I saw her stray from this one hand - Nichols sent it back to the studio in basically the same way. Considering she became one of the most well-known field reporters on ESPN, maybe that professor at Northwestern knew what he was talking about.
Or maybe, her 2001 marriage to music executive Max Nichols, son of EGOT-winning director Mike Nichols, had something to do with it.
Why would that help her in television? [Good question, reader]
Oh, no reason. Except that her mother-in-law is Diane Sawyer. Ever heard of her?
I'm not suggesting Nichols is coniving enough to marry just for a chance to further her career, but I'm a glass-half-full guy. If it happened to be an added bonus, good for her to take advantage of it.
Nichols will likely find success at CNN - her first assignment will be the Super Bowl on February 3 - and that's great.
I, however, will miss Nichols' presence at ESPN. Not for the breaking news, in-depth analysis, or hard-hitting questions during her interviews, but for those 15 magical seconds at the end of her reports.
At least I know that when I need my fix of Nichols, I can call my old friend Sheil Kapadia. No one does a Nichols impersonation like Sheil.
Well, except for Rachel Nichols.
Amazing you made these conclusions. Not sure you'd say this if she was a man. Just sayin.— Sam Pillegi- It's news that Rachel Nichols is moving to CNN. Your opinions, assumptions and insinuations are insulting. Sorry this is passed off as news. No wonder the owners want to liquidate.— Sam Pillegi
- Matt!!! Whats up man?— Dan in Holmesburg
- No great loss. Now she can go to CNN and think she's a Barbie Doll.— twpman
- Where did those middle four paragraphs come from?
This odd post should have just been about how you don't like her sign off, but instead you without any basis allege that she's only enjoyed her success because of who she married.— bje55 - What exactly is sexist? I didn't say anything in here that I would not also write about a man.
- You suggest that she got to be a successful ESPN reporter as a result of who she married and infer that she would not have enjoyed that same kind of success if not for her connections.
— bje55 - It doesn't matter if you would theoretically say the same thing about a man, the point is that journalists rarely do say such things about men (that they married into power), but feel it is newsworthy if a woman allegedly does it... perhaps b/c journalism (like most professions) is an old boys club, so such tactics are not likely to catch flak from above.
it is akin to the constant use of terms like "athletic" to describe black athletes who are successful as a result of hard work, while referring to white athletes as "hard workers" when they too are athletic— ogplaya - Nothing that Matt wrote was sexist at all. I see the connection thing as important since she is leaving a sports outlet to go to a global news one. Sports were not her passion; her career is. That could be said for Keith Olbermann too.— Dan in Holmesburg
- I'm not sure we're going to agree on this one...
First, she's not taking Wolf Blitzer's job, she's not even working in news. She's hosting a sports show. Second, you've highlighted why this is sexist, making the connection that a woman is rising up through the ranks due to who she married (something other than her talents). This is really no different than alleging that a woman in the office only got a promotion because her dad is a big shot.— bje55 - In my company, a guy who is an accountant, married the owner's daughter and lo and behold he is the CFO at age 30. People do things like that of both sexes - had nothing to do with being a woman. Get over yourself - in fact, you probably have no job.
- Wow. You sound really bitter. Maybe this is a big deal in the world of journalism, but nobody else cares. People make moves based on connections all the time. Maybe it's not fair, but unfortunately it's life. Why do you think anyone who reads philly.com would care about your list of complaints about Rachel Nichols? I can't remember EVER hearing from a sideline reporter (male or female) and thinking to myself "Wow, I'm glad I just got that piece of information - that was really insightful."— mx55
- if rachel nichols had just disappeared off espn, would anyone have noticed?
but what a waste of time reading this was...anyway, as they say, its not what you know, and who you know.. does anyone watch cnn anyway? maybe she can take over for anderson cooper with his hard hitting interview of the woman whose photo was used as that of Te'os fake girlfriend..maybe she'll have enough journalistic sense unlike Katie Couric not to ask Te'o if he was gay...— jim715 - My biggest problem with this article is that it is mis-headlined. If it had been titled "Why I don't like Rachel Nichols" it would have been fine as one person's opinion about someone in media. But given the actual title, the piece doesn't measure up. For example, it doesn't even tell us what Ms. Nichols will be doing at CNN, which would seem to be a pretty basic requirement. And it provides us no insight as to why she's making the switch--again a must in an article with this headline. I'm sure Mr. Mullin would say he doesn't write the headlines, so maybe my issue is with someone else. As for Mr. Mullin's opinions about Ms. Nichols, it's easy to see why several others have complained about his allegations of nepotism and his focus on what seems like a pretty insignificant aspect of Ms. Nichols' reporting, while ignoring most of the rest of her performance. But hey, it's his opinion, and apparently someone is willing to pay him to provide it for us. What a country we live in!— larryillion
- Bingo, Larry. Even Philly.com's straightforward news items have acquired a peculiar hater-y snark. I'd probably feel the same if I worked in that building, but it's really unbecoming of the organization.— Nutburgers
- "I can count the number of times I saw her stray from this one hand" could use an 'on' before "one hand". Also, spell "conniving" correctly, please. The only reason I'm taking the time to criticize you publicly for these is that you seem like exactly the kind of guy who would do likewise to someone else's mistakes. So, you're welcome.— Nutburgers
- I don't care what the motivation was for this article. I love it! I can't stand Nichols. She's a terrible reporter. I also can't stand 90% of the lackeys over at ESPN. Keep it coming, Matt! In fact, you should write an article on each one of those bozos every week.— Penfold18
- This reads like it was written by a jealous ex-boyfriend. Nice EGOT reference though.— paulNC
- I'd sprinkle her up.— Joseph DeSantis
- Yeah..this article is more about the author than the subject.— wfs0868
