RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesNetflix has replaced Kay Adams with former ESPN host Elle Duncan as its lead NFL studio host for the upcoming season.
On Monday, the streamer announced its studio team for the Week 1 broadcast on Sept. 10, when it will exclusively stream the 49ers vs. Rams from Melbourne, Australia. Duncan will host alongside desk analysts Michael Irvin, Nick Foles, and Clay Matthews.
While Netflix signed Duncan earlier this year to be the face of its sports division, there was at least some question about whether she'd also take over NFL hosting responsibilities, a role Adams held the past two seasons.
The decision is also questionable.
Kay Adams is a fan favorite and one of the best NFL hosts in the industry. If a network with NFL rights were building for the future, it'd likely rank Adams second only to ESPN's Laura Rutledge as its ideal lead host.
By contrast, Duncan is a toxic figure. She is best known at ESPN for reportedly convincing executives that Sage Steele was "not black enough" to participate in a social justice special, protesting Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law live on ESPN, and encouraging fathers to support their daughters' abortions from the SportsCenter set.
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Last week, Duncan blamed Caitlin Clark and her fans for the ongoing turmoil surrounding the WNBA, just days after USA Today shamefully suggested Clark's on-court antics could lead to the lynching of Black people.
Duncan then criticized Clark for not telling fans not to "use her name" to spread hate, despite Clark doing exactly that.
"People should not be using my name to push those agendas. It's disappointing. It's not acceptable," Clark said in 2024. "Treating every single woman in this league with the same amount of respect, I think, it's just a basic human thing that everybody should do."
Notice Duncan hasn't called on Angel Reese to condemn those using her name to justify similar bigotry, namely the racially charged attacks directed at Clark and her fans.
Duncan is a bad-faith actress. She is dishonest. And her presence on Netflix inevitably politicizes the broadcast.
Netflix has already faced deserved criticism for its sports coverage, often turning live events into infomercials for its entertainment division.
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Longtime sports radio host Dan Patrick criticized the company's approach during the Home Run Derby last month.
"I'd like to think I'm at least socially aware of sporting events, but I had no idea," Patrick said. "And then all of a sudden, it's like Netflix, and then you had Will Ferrell show up, you had Bonds and Pujols, and I'm like, OK. They're trying. Netflix is trying, trying different things. Now, sometimes you can try too hard. Sometimes you can try to dress something up, and you really don't need to."
Adams, at least, kept the focus on football, a sport she has covered for years. Duncan has little connection to the leagues Netflix carries, namely the NFL and MLB.
Fans will already be annoyed that they need yet another streaming service to watch Week 1 of the NFL season. Wait until they finally log in and hear Duncan screeching, probably about the fact that the Rams-49ers game features two White quarterbacks and head coaches.
Yes, she is one of those.
Adams is a good football host. Replacing her with Duncan raises questions about how much merit and audience preference factor into Netflix's programming decisions.
We suspect not much.
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