Who is Sage Steele? ESPN anchor says Disney's vaccine mandate is "sick and scary"

Sage Steele is not a fan of vaccine mandates and feels she was forced to get the vaccine. Her exact words, "sick and scary," left no doubt as to where Sage Steel stands on the issue of vaccines.

But if she felt so strongly about something, it makes one wonder why still went ahead and got a shot in the first place, when she supported other colleagues who quit.

Sage Steele's role as an ESPN anchor

Sage Steele currently serves as the co-anchor for the noon ET SportsCenter with Matt Barrie. She is also the lead host for SportsCenter on the Road, including events such as the Super Bowl.

Because of her role in sports media, Sage Steele is often in close contact with multiple groups of people including athletes. That makes the situation particularly contagious if she is carrying the coronavirus.

Keeping this in mind, ESPN's parent company Disney mandated that every employee must get vaccinated before the first of October. Sage Steele was left with no choice, therefore, but to get the vaccine.

In a podcast with former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler, she detailed how she felt forced into taking the shot. Like many others, she was fine with wearing a mask even though she had some strong views on that front, too.

She went on to say:

"I respect everyone’s decision. I really do. But to mandate it is sick. It’s one thing with masks, and I don’t have a problem with that. It’s another thing when you force this. It’s scary to me in many ways, but I have a job that I love and frankly a job that I need. I’m not surprised that it got to this point especially with Disney, I mean a global company like that."

It must be noted at this point that vaccines have shown efficacy in reducing both contagion and reducing the potency of various variants. In a global pandemic, especially with employees who come in close contact with large groups of people, it becomes a matter of public health and safety.