Last season, Stephanie Ready made history by becoming the first woman to serve as a full-time NBA game analyst, working for Fox Sports Southeast's coverage of the Hornets. This season, Ready is no longer in the broadcast booth, but instead working as a sideline reporter.
The move has sparked outrage with fans, including ESPN's Rachel Nichols, who wants to see Ready return to the booth. Nichols shared her thoughts on Ready's demotion Wednesday on ESPN's NBA show "The Jump."
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Nichols says Fox Sports Southeast told her the demotion was because the network wanted to go back to a two-person booth. Fox Sports Southeast senior vice president Jeff Genthner explained the move to The Charlotte Observer by saying "it's really tough for television" to not have someone courtside during games.
I will be not be in the booth. Sorry for the confusion. I just want to thank everyone for their continued support. I ❤️💗 @hornets fans! 🏀😍
— Stephanie Ready (@StephanieReady) October 23, 2017
They made the call. https://t.co/7AAAlGw8P7
— Stephanie Ready (@StephanieReady) October 24, 2017
Nichols didn't harshly criticize Fox Sports Southeast's decision, but she does hope management will reconsider Ready's demotion.
"I can only tell them that, as a viewer, this change has made Hornets games less informative and less enjoyable to me," Nichols said.
Ready has been covering the Hornets since the inception of the Bobcats in 2004. In the video below, Ready spoke about her history-making move to the broadcast booth in an interview with Fox Sports 1 in 2015.