SC6, the reshaped SportsCenter hosted by Jemele Hill and Michael Smith, ended nearly a decade ago. But the effects of its run on ESPN and eventual demise continue to ripple into the present day.
During an appearance on The Rick Strom Show discussing the show, Hill discussed former ESPN executive Norby Williamson’s efforts to “de-Blackify” the show. Williamson oversaw the show for the second half of its run and made significant changes to the environment Hill and Smith had created.
“He did a lot to de-Blackify the show,” Hill said before pausing and referencing the mantra of President Donald Trump. “It just seemed very intentional and purposeful that he wanted to make SportsCenter great again.”
Hill detailed how Williamson, who was run out of ESPN by Pat McAfee in 2024 before resurfacing at Main Street Sports Group this year, removed many of the personal touches from SC6. That included the intro music from DJ Jazzy Jeff and the side-by-side open that Hill and Smith performed to start each show. Williamson also decided to take down the photos of track stars Tommie Smith and John Carlos during their protest at the 1968 Olympics and photos of the hosts alongside Barack and Michelle Obama.
Yet Hill maintains that SC6 was never intended to be political, and that ESPN executives and viewers assumed the show was political simply because it was hosted by Black reporters.
“If there was some political or social issue, it definitely was tied to sports and it definitely was in the news,” Hill explained. “This is something that a lot of Black people know, which is your presence is just political. Whether you want it to be or not. So really, what they were trying to say was, ‘where’d they get these two Black people from and why are they on the 6 o’clock SportsCenter?'”
Back then, Hill and Smith were caught in the middle of a panic over optics.
Contrast this chapter in ESPN history with the overt political conversations on The Pat McAfee Show or Stephen A. Smith entertaining a run for office, and it’s clear how times have changed. Williamson is gone, and the current ESPN leadership is more focused on bringing in talent that draws an audience, first and foremost.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.