Recently, ESPN’s own Mina Kimes found herself at the center of a Twitter storm after news broke of her signing a remarkable $1.7 million contract with the sports network. The contract undeniably represents a significant increase in Kimes’ earnings, but it has also sparked a range of opinions among fans and experts in the field. Her fellow ESPN colleague Stephen A. Smith came to her defense on his podcast, passionately advocating for Kimes’ worthiness of the significant deal.
During his podcast chat with a fan, Stephen A. Smith wasted no time addressing the online backlash that Kimes had been facing. Stephen A. Smith didn’t ignore the surprise and criticism people were sharing on Twitter about Mina Kimes’ big contract. He made it very clear that, in his opinion, Mina absolutely earned every dollar.
.@minakimes is worth WHATEVER they are reporting pic.twitter.com/Gws1y1NSyn
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) September 8, 2023
Smith, who knows a lot about sports and talks about them on TV, had nothing but good things to say about Mina. He praised her for being smart, knowledgeable, and really talented. He thinks she’s a big asset to ESPN, especially when she talks about the NFL on “NFL Live.” And even with her new contract, her job at ESPN will stay pretty much the same, meaning she’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
While the specifics of the contract’s duration remain undisclosed, ESPN seems committed to securing its top talent through the Super Bowl year in 2026-27. This new contract not only guarantees Mina Kimes a stable job but also gives her a big raise in her paycheck. Before this contract, she was making less than a million dollars, so this is a really impressive increase in how much she gets paid.
However, the timing of Kimes’ lucrative contract coincides with ESPN’s recent layoffs of approximately 20 on-air employees in June. The network had previously signaled a more stringent approach to negotiations. Yet, losing a talent as prominent as Kimes evidently wasn’t a pill the higher-ups were willing to swallow.
