| Jemele Hill | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 21 Detroit, Michigan |
| Education | Michigan State University |
| Occupation | Sports journalist |
Jemele Juanita Hill (born December 21) is a columnist for ESPN.com's Page 2 and ESPN's First Take.
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Hill began her career as general assignment sports writer for the Raleigh News & Observer. From 1999 to 2005, she served as a sports writer with the Detroit Free Press, mainly covering Michigan State football and basketball. While at the Free Press, she also covered the 2004 Summer Olympics and the NBA Playoffs.[1] Hill worked as a columnist for the Orlando Sentinel from 2005 to 2006.
Jemele Hill joined ESPN in November 2006 as a national columnist on ESPN.com. Hill also makes regular appearances on television, including SportsCenter and several ESPN programs, including ESPN First Take, Jim Rome is Burning, and Outside the Lines. Hill also became only the second woman to ever appear on Around The Horn on October 22, 2009.
In 2007, Hill won the first annual McKenzie Cup, which is given in tribute to sports editor Van McKenzie, at the annual Poynter Media Summit.[2] She received an honorable mention in the 2007 edition of The Best American Sports Writing. In 1998, Hill won first place in sports feature writing at the North Carolina Press Association. Hill is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.
During the 2008 NBA Playoffs, Hill was suspended from her post after referencing Adolf Hitler in an article about the then-NBA champion Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons. In an editorial describing why she could not support the Celtics, Hill wrote: "Rooting for the Celtics is like saying Hitler was a victim. It's like hoping Gorbachev would get to the blinking red button before Reagan. Deserving or not, I still hate the Celtics." The comments immediately generated a negative response from readers and that portion of the editorial was taken out shortly after the column was published. Hill was subsequently suspended for one week and issued an apology through ESPN.[3][4]
In 2009, Hill was at the center of a controversy after telling Green Bay Packers fans to give Brett Favre the "Duracell treatment," implying that fans at Lambeau Field should throw batteries at the former Packer quarterback.[5] Later in 2009, Hill once again was reprimanded for her comments after comparing University of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball coach John Calipari to Charles Manson.[6] She later apologized to the university.[7]. Hill has also been criticized for taking unpopular or extreme stances, leading many to accuse her of inflating her ESPN.com page hits by creating controversy.
A native of Detroit, Hill graduated from Michigan State University with degree in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Hill is a fan of the Detroit Pistons, San Francisco 49ers, & Detroit Tigers.