Former ESPN Host Found Hope at Church After Losing Job
By Movieguide® Contributor
Jade McCarthy lost her job as a sports broadcaster at ESPN on April 26, 2017.
Just two months shy of delivering her third child, McCarthy found hope in church.
“Sunday, four days after losing my job, my family and I went to church,” McCarthy described. “It wasn’t a new church; we had been to Valley Community Baptist before, but as I stood there that day I felt like the pastor was speaking to me. Have you been that person with tears in your eyes, overflowing down your face? It’s all you can do to avoid one of those ugly cries in the middle of a sea of people? That was me. It has been said when a door closes another door opens — and that Sunday nudged the door ajar.”
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During that time, McCarthy “leaned into” Proverbs 3:5-6, which reads, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.”
“ESPN brought my family to Connecticut,” she continued. “But a funny thing has happened in the year that I haven’t stepped foot on the campus. Sports has intersected with my life in a profound way. God was always there — in conversations, some long and some just moments, on the sidelines and in the studios. I even recall one plane ride to Alabama, a place I once called home, where I shared in such a conversation that I wound up with a new Bible waiting for me back in the ESPN mailroom. God was always there. Only now, I’m listening differently.”
“It has been said the greatest gift we can give someone is focused attention,” she added. “In my newfound world, God deserves that attention. What comes next? I’m listening as I try to figure that out. I’m waiting. I’m praying. And on this day, 365 days since my day-to-day changed, here’s the verse that came to me: We can make our plans but the Lord determines our steps. (Proverbs 16:9) Those steps will come. And I’ll be ready.”
Sports have always been part of her life. “Growing up in a family that cherished sports, she shared how her great aunt’s passion for baseball laid the foundation for her love of the game,” Faith on the Field reported.
McCarthy partnered with Sports Spectrum for the “Transformed” podcast, yet another example of her commitment to faith and sports.
“It’s a blessing to bridge my career covering sports with my faith walk,” she said in 2022. “I’m thrilled to join Sports Spectrum and dive into conversations with athletes and others in the sports world to learn how their faith shapes and impacts their lives.”
