A former ESPN producer announced on Wednesday that she left the network in protest over its involvement with sports betting.
Nicole Noren, an acclaimed producer with 20 years at ESPN, resigned in 2023. During an interview with the Columbia Journalism Review (CJR), she shared that her decision was primarily influenced by ESPN’s launch of its own sports betting app, ESPN Bet, earlier that year.
“I was out,” she stated to CJR. “I can’t work for a gambling company and have blood on my hands.”
Noren criticized ESPN for downplaying stories that would address the gambling industry negatively. She felt that both junior staff and senior executives were avoiding discussions about the real dangers of gambling.
“It was telling that I pitched numerous investigative stories on gambling and addiction, but none got approved,” she remarked. “They eventually created a show about it, but it turned out to be quite watered down. Some involved intended to make it impactful and hold betting companies accountable, though the final version didn’t accomplish that.”
She mentioned one specific piece—a guide for beginners on betting—which she described as overly simplistic, saying it seemed directed at children.
“What upset me most was the apparent lack of concern for the risks and the potential consequences of ESPN normalizing gambling,” Noren expressed. “The audience sees ESPN as their sports authority, and it doesn’t seem to consider the future implications of treating gambling lightly, paralleling it with other societal issues we have faced, like opioid crises and smoking.”
Noren also shared her personal connection to gambling addiction within her family.
“My grandfather, father, and one of my brothers were deeply affected by sports gambling addiction,” she recounted. “Growing up in Ventura, California, we frequently had to relocate due to financial instability. My childhood revolved around sportsbooks. Instead of typical outings, we would find ourselves in Las Vegas, hanging around the Hilton and Caesars sportsbooks, where kids weren’t typically allowed. I remember trips to horse tracks and dog tracks.”
“My brother tragically passed away thirteen years ago on the streets of downtown Las Vegas,” she added. “It’s a stark reality, illustrating the painful journey from being taken there as children so our dad could bet at sportsbooks to eventually facing life on the streets and dying at thirty-six.”
