A Conversation with Mina Kimes on Hosting the Spelling Bee, Sports Emmy Nom, ESPN NFL Merger, and the Seahawks Sale

Mina Kimes is an Emmy nominated NFL analyst, a Celebrity Jeopardy champion, and now the host of the Scripps National Spelling Bee airing on Ion on May 27th and 28th. It is one of the more unexpected and genuinely delightful career pivots in sports media right now, and the story of how it came together runs directly through her time on Celebrity Jeopardy. She also just received a Sports Emmy nomination for her analyst work at ESPN, NFL Live is up for one too, and ESPN is now absorbing NFL Network into its portfolio ahead of hosting the Super Bowl next year. What does that mean for her role, for the talent she already knows over there, and what does a sports media super team actually look like in practice? Then there is Pablo Torre's Pulitzer Prize, the Clippers ownership situation that Steve Ballmer keeps downplaying, and the Seattle Seahawks going up for sale. As one of the most prominent Seahawks fans in sports media, Mina has a very clear and very specific answer for what kind of owner she actually wants for that franchise. CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction and the Scripps National Spelling Bee 0:34 How Mina Kimes Became Host of the Spelling Bee 1:34 What She Would Tell Her Second Grade Self About This Moment 2:31 Which NFL Player Would Crush the Spelling Bee 3:24 ESPN Trivia Scene and Celebrity Jeopardy Update 4:21 ESPN Sports Jeopardy Hosted by Joe Buck 5:10 Sports Emmy Nomination for Mina and NFL Live 6:12 ESPN Absorbing NFL Network and What It Means for Talent 7:21 Pablo Torre's Pulitzer and the Clippers Accountability Question 8:21 Who Should Buy the Seattle Seahawks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices