Sarah Spain Reacts to Encounter with Political Figures at Olympics

Recently, former ESPN personality Sarah Spain expressed her discomfort while recalling an incident on a podcast. She described feeling “sick” while sitting near Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio during the Winter Olympics in Italy.

On her podcast, “Good Match Against Sara Spain,” she referred to this moment as one of the more surreal experiences while covering the U.S. women’s hockey team, which had just beaten the Czech Republic in the Milan-Cortina tournament. She shared that she was just about 20 feet away from several officials from the Trump administration.

Spain recounted how, within minutes of the game starting, the arena, which had been relatively quiet, became bustling with Secret Service agents. “Twelve minutes into the first period, all of a sudden, the area was filled with big guys in suits with earphones on,” she noted, adding that Vance appeared with a child and a group of security guards, followed by Rubio shortly after.

Her feelings toward Vance were quite strong. “When I see J.D. Vance’s eyeliner face, it literally makes me sick,” she lamented, sharing her visceral reaction.

Adding to her thoughts, she described her discomfort with a hint of sarcasm, saying, “I feel like I saw the devil,” but also clarified that she didn’t genuinely believe it. Yet, her physical reaction was undeniable; she felt a wave of anxiety, akin to the jitters that one experiences when sensing something is off. “Like when you think, ‘Oh, the energy is bad, something could go wrong here,’” she explained, emphasizing she wasn’t at all prepared for this encounter.

She reiterated, rather emphatically, that Vance exuded “demonic energy.” Spain also voiced her irritation about the security detail that obstructed her view during the game, stating, “It wasn’t just because his Secret Service was blocking half the ice… it was like trying to watch a hockey game.” She added, “You ruined it.”

Spain also mentioned that the photographers seemed distracted, focused entirely on Vance and Rubio instead of the ongoing game. “They had their backs to the ice, not seeing the action, just taking photos of God knows what presidential delegation,” she fumed.

In the aftermath of the game, Spain, along with her co-host Alex Azzi, pondered over the U.S. players’ reactions and whether their excitement from realizing the vice president was in attendance was genuine.

At the opening ceremony of the 2026 Games, Vance, alongside Second Lady Usha Vance and Rubio, led the U.S. delegation. He encouraged Team USA, saying, “I hope you soak it all in. I hope you win as many medals as possible, but most of all I hope you enjoy this experience. Democrats, Republicans, independents—the whole country is rooting for you.”