Mina Kimes

{{Infobox person

| name = Mina Kimes

| image = ESPN NFL Live (51156600730) (cropped).jpg

| caption = Kimes on NFL Live in 2021

| birthname = Mina Mugil Kimes{{cite tweet |last=Kimes |first=Mina |author-link=Mina Kimes |user=minakimes |number=1585790574849687552 |date=October 28, 2022 |title=https://t.co/1o9f1ARkLs https://t.co/73s81SRB7d |language=en |access-date=December 2, 2022}}

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1985|9|8}}

| birth_place = Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.

| alma_mater = Yale University (BA)

| occupation = Journalist

| employer = ESPN

| years_active = 2007–present

| title =

| family =

| spouse = Nick Sylvester (m. 2015)

| children = 1

| relatives =

| credits =

| URL =

}}

Mina Mugil Kimes (born September 8, 1985) is an American journalist who specializes in business and sports reporting. She has written for Fortune, Bloomberg News, and ESPN.Keith J. Kelly, May 7, 2014, New York Post, [https://nypost.com/2014/05/07/espn-drafts-bloombergs-mina-kimes/ ESPN drafts Bloomberg's Mina Kimes], Retrieved July 25, 2015, "...Although the 28-year-old writer snagged a fair number of awards for investigative business stories..."Debbie Emery, February 3, 2019, The Wrap, [https://www.thewrap.com/super-bowl-liii-is-about-experience-vs-youth-espns-mina-kimes-and-dianna-russini-say/ Super Bowl LIII Is 'About Experience vs Youth,' ESPN's Mina Kimes and Dianna Russini Say], Retrieved March 22, 2019Shlomo Sprung, May 2, 2018, Awful Announcing, [https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/espns-mina-kimes-is-thriving-in-a-multi-platform-role-at-the-network.html ESPN's Mina Kimes is thriving in a multi-platform role at the network], Retrieved March 22, 2019 She is a senior writer at ESPN and an analyst on NFL Live.{{Cite web|url=https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/mina-kimes/|title=Mina Kimes|website=ESPN Press Room U.S.|language=en-US|access-date=November 9, 2019}}

Early life

Kimes was born September 8, 1985, in Omaha, Nebraska.{{cite tweet |last=Kimes |first=Mina |author-link=Mina Kimes |user=minakimes |number=751516780875612160 |date=July 8, 2016 |title=1995 Orange Bowl--Tommie Frazier leading Nebraska's comeback (I was born in Omaha so I rooted for the Huskers) https://t.co/sK1tBXg7rP |language=en |access-date=December 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026095008/https://twitter.com/minakimes/status/751516780875612160 |archive-date=October 26, 2022 |url-status=live}} Her father served in the United States Air Force as a captain.{{cite tweet |last=Kimes |first=Mina |author-link=Mina Kimes |user=minakimes |number=1302020869481402369 |date=September 4, 2020 |title=my pops is a beast 💪 https://t.co/H3uvKTOJWS |language=en |access-date=December 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111142739/https://twitter.com/minakimes/status/1302020869481402369 |archive-date=November 11, 2021 |url-status=live}} Kimes is of Korean descent on her mother's side.Mina Kimes, Tumblr, [http://minakimes.tumblr.com/seahawks Papas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Niner Fans], Retrieved October 4, 2016{{cite tweet |last=Kimes |first=Mina |author-link=Mina Kimes |user=minakimes |number=1614035557193244672 |date=January 13, 2023 |title=It's because I'm Asian! Happy Korean American day 🇰🇷 https://t.co/M9gevtxT0W |language=en |access-date=March 28, 2023}}

Kimes moved to Arizona with her family during her teenage years. She attended Mesquite High School in Gilbert, Arizona and was valedictorian.{{cite tweet |last=Kimes |first=Mina |author-link=Mina Kimes |user=minakimes |number=1274736651726553091 |date=June 21, 2020 |title=Today on Highly Sociable: @katienolan, @PabloTorre and I played my new favorite game, Hey Robot. It got a little feisty at the end.... https://t.co/B7cdEShxBk |language=en |access-date=December 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811083138/https://twitter.com/minakimes/status/1274736651726553091 |archive-date=August 11, 2020 |url-status=live}} She graduated summa cum laude from Yale University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English.{{cite web|url=http://pbk.yalecollege.yale.edu/members/senior-inductees#2007-2nd|title=Senior Inductees - Yale Phi Beta Kappa|website=pbk.yalecollege.yale.edu}}

Career

= Business journalism =

Kimes's first position after college was at Fortune Small Business Magazine in 2007. As a business journalist, she won awards from the New York Press Club, the National Press Club, and the Asian American Journalists Association, among others.{{cite web|url=http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/ny-press-club-awards-recognize-times-david-barstow-businessweek_b11794|title=NY Press Club Awards Recognize Times' David Barstow, BusinessWeek|publisher=mediabistro|date=May 20, 2009|access-date=December 10, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.fortuneconferences.com/highgrowth/pdfs/EndOfOil.pdf|title=The End of Oil?|access-date=December 10, 2014|quote=Fortune Small Business's Mina Kimes ... Nellie Bly for her article "The End of Oil,"...}} Her 2012 investigation entitled Bad to the Bone exposed the unauthorized use of cement to repair bone tissue, with lethal consequences, for which she won the Henry R. Luce Award.Keith J. Kelly, April 12, 2013, New York Post, [https://nypost.com/2013/04/12/sign-of-the-time-sour-notes-at-luce-awards/ Sign of the Time: Sour notes at Luce Awards], Retrieved July 25, 2015, "...magazine winners were announced, including Outstanding Story by Fortune's Mina Kimes (now with Bloomberg) for "Bad to the Bone," about the unauthorized use of a bone cement, which killed patients; ..." The Columbia Journalism Review included her exposés among its business must-reads for 2012.{{cite magazine|last=Chittum|first=Ryan|url=https://www.cjr.org/the_audit/best_of_2012.php|title=Must-reads of 2012: business|magazine=Columbia Journalism Review|date=December 26, 2012|access-date=December 31, 2020}} In 2014, she received the Larry Birger Young Business Journalist Prize from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers.

She joined Bloomberg News in 2013 as an investigative reporter. Her profiles of business executives Doug Oberhelman of Caterpillar, in a piece titled King Kat, and Sears executive Eddie Lampert, in a piece titled The Sun Tzu at Sears, won her the Front Page Award for business reporting.Newswomen's Club of New York, [http://www.newswomensclubnewyork.com/2013-fpa-winners/ Front Page Awards Recognize New York Newswomen: Newswomen's Club of New York to Present Awards at November Gala] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721124519/http://www.newswomensclubnewyork.com/2013-fpa-winners/ |date=July 21, 2015 }}, Retrieved August 3, 2015, "...Business Reporting: Mina Kimes, Bloomberg News..."King Cat" and "The Sun Tzu at Sears" .... The Front Page Awards honor journalistic excellence by newswomen in newspapers, television, wire services, photography, online, magazines, and radio....."

=ESPN=

File:Mina_Kimes_Self_Published_Photo.jpg

Kimes was offered a position by ESPN editors in 2014 after she wrote an essay on Tumblr about a "bond between herself and her dad and the Seattle Seahawks."{{Cite web|url=https://slate.com/culture/2014/01/seattle-seahawks-2014-how-a-football-team-brought-me-and-my-father-together.html|title=How a Football Team Brought Me and My Father Together|last=Kimes|first=Mina|date=January 17, 2014|website=Slate Magazine|language=en|access-date=November 9, 2019}} At ESPN, she has written about young sports superstars,Steve Mullis, June 15, 2015, NPR, [https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/06/12/413978046/-nprreads-love-coding-yuccies-and-the-npr-sound Love, Coding, Yuccies, And The 'NPR Sound'], Retrieved July 25, 2015, "... This piece by Mina Kimes of ESPN does a fantastic job of illustrating who these young superstars are, ..." such as University of Houston basketball player Devonta Pollard.Mina Kimes, October 30, 2014, ESPN The Magazine, [https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/11783790/can-former-alabama-top-recruit-devonta-pollard-start-houston Free To Go: Devonta Pollard's mother was his best friend and coach. Now she's in prison for kidnapping, and he's one of the witnesses who testified against her. As the former top recruit starts over in Houston, can he learn to play for himself?], Retrieved July 26, 2015 She has written profiles of NFL players Aaron Rodgers, Darrelle Revis, Tyrod Taylor, Antonio Brown, Baker Mayfield, and Michael and Martellus Bennett, and wrote a feature on Korean League of Legends star Faker.{{cite web|last=Demkiewicz|first=Joanna|url=http://www.therivetermagazine.com/qa-with-mina-kimes-staff-writer-for-espn/|title=Q&A with Mina Kimes, staff writer for ESPN: ESPN'S NEW COLUMNIST TALKS SPORTS WRITING AND UNDERDOGS|work=Riveter Magazine|date=October 8, 2014|access-date=July 26, 2015|quote=In 2009, she won the Nellie Bly Cub Reporter Award, ... sports writing exclusively... written on Ray Rice, tattoos and fandom and MLB's executive gender whoopsie....}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/13035450/league-legends-prodigy-faker-carries-country-shoulders|title=From The Mag: The Unkillable Demon King|work=ESPN.com|access-date=November 14, 2017}}{{cite web|last=Kimes|first=Mina|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27203212/cleveland-browns-quarterback-baker-mayfield-afraid-hype|title=Baker Mayfield isn't afraid of the hype|work=ESPN.com|date=July 17, 2019|access-date=December 31, 2020}} She co-wrote with Jeff Passan a piece on sexual harassment claims against former New York Mets GM Jared Porter.{{cite web |last1=Kimes |first1=Mina |last2=Passan |first2=Jeff |title=New York Mets GM Jared Porter acknowledges sending explicit images to female reporter when he worked for Chicago Cubs |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30737248/ny-mets-gm-jared-porter-acknowledges-sending-explicit-images-female-reporter-worked-chicago-cubs |website=ESPN.com|date=January 19, 2021 }}

Kimes was an active panelist on Around the Horn and has appeared on First Take, Highly Questionable, The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, Pardon the Interruption, Debatable, and High Noon.{{Cite web|url=https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2019/10/mina-kimes-to-host-new-espn-daily-podcast-as-part-of-new-agreement/|title=Mina Kimes to Host New "ESPN Daily" Podcast as Part of New Agreement|date=October 10, 2019|website=ESPN Press Room U.S.|language=en-US|access-date=November 9, 2019}}{{cite web |title=Mina Kimes |url=https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/mina-kimes/ |website=ESPN Press Room |access-date=September 23, 2022}} She hosts an NFL-focused podcast entitled The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny, a reference to her dog. She signed with Omaha Productions in 2022 to be producers of her podcast.{{cite web |title=The Mina Kimes Show Featuring Lenny Expands |url=https://barrettsportsmedia.com/2022/09/06/the-mina-kimes-show-featuring-lenny-expands/ |website=BSM media |date=September 6, 2022 |access-date=23 November 2023}}

From October 2019 until July 2020, Kimes hosted ESPN Daily, a daily news podcast.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/10/10/mina-kimes-will-host-espns-new-morning-podcast/|title=Mina Kimes will host ESPN's new morning podcast|newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Ben|last= Strauss|date= October 10, 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/mina-kimes-espn-daily-podcast-1203376606/|title=Mina Kimes Helps ESPN Kick Off 'Daily' Podcast|last=Steinberg|first=Brian|date=October 20, 2019|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=November 9, 2019}} On June 30, 2020, Kimes was announced as an NFL analyst for ESPN's relaunch of NFL Live for the 2020 NFL season.{{cite web|url=https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2020/06/espn-to-relaunch-nfl-live-in-august-with-new-host-laura-rutledge-and-analysts-marcus-spears-dan-orlovsky-mina-kimes-and-keyshawn-johnson/|title=ESPN to Relaunch NFL Live in August with New Host Laura Rutledge and Analysts Marcus Spears, Dan Orlovsky, Mina Kimes and Keyshawn Johnson|work=ESPN|access-date=July 1, 2020|date=June 30, 2020}}

In March 2025, Kimes called out the Trump administration during an appearance on Around the Horn for removing an article honoring Jackie Robinson's military service from the Department of Defense website as part of its anti-DEI agenda.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mediaite.com/sports/that-history-cannot-be-erased-espns-mina-kimes-calls-out-trump-defense-department-for-removing-jackie-robinson-article-amid-dei-purge/|title='That History Cannot Be Erased': ESPN's Mina Kimes Calls Out Trump Defense Department for Removing Jackie Robinson Article Amid DEI Purge|last=Austin Jr.|first=Ahmad|publisher=Mediaite|date=March 20, 2025|accessdate=March 22, 2025}} In reaction to her comments, her former colleague, and former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III, appeared to critique Kimes, tweeting that Kimes was "[pushing] political agendas on sports shows on national television to an audience there to consume sports content."{{Cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/sports/robert-griffin-iii-appears-take-jab-espn-colleague-after-her-jackie-robinson-monologue-show|title=Robert Griffin III appears to take jab at former ESPN colleagues after their Jackie Robinson monologues|last=Morik|first=Ryan|publisher=Fox News|date=March 21, 2025|accessdate=March 22, 2025}} In response to a campaign on Twitter by sports media personality Dov Kleiman calling for Kimes to be fired, Kimes responded that Kleiman "keeps posting weird stuff about me today."{{Cite web|url=https://thespun.com/sports-media/mina-kimes-claps-back-at-suggestion-espn-should-fire-her|title=Mina Kimes Claps Back At Suggestion ESPN Should Fire Her|publisher=The Spun|last=Hladik|first=Matt|date=March 20, 2025|accessdate=March 22, 2025}}

= Other work =

In 2019, Kimes was hired by the Los Angeles Rams to be a color commentator for their preseason football games.{{cite news|url=https://www.si.com/tech-media/2019/08/01/espn-mina-kimes-calling-los-angeles-rams-preseason-game-commentator|title=ESPN's Mina Kimes Will Be Preseason Analyst for the Los Angeles Rams|last=Feldman|first=Jacob|date=August 1, 2019|access-date=August 17, 2019|website=SI.com}}

Kimes was a co-host, along with Amanda Dobbins, of The Ringer's Big Little Live after-show about the HBO series Big Little Lies.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theringer.com/2019/7/21/20701428/watch-the-big-little-live-finale|title=Watch the 'Big Little Live' Finale|date=July 21, 2019|website=The Ringer|language=en|access-date=November 9, 2019}} She co-hosts Love is Kimes with Davis Dennis Jr, a show about the Netflix series Love is Blind.{{cite web |title=Love Is Kimes |url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3eTUJSpPgAW3DvGucSvFl0EYpBmvlwzG |website=YouTube}}

On November 29, 2020, Kimes helped celebrity chef David Chang become the first celebrity to win the $1,000,000 top prize for his charity, Southern Smoke Foundation, and the fourteenth overall million dollar winner on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, along with Alan Yang as his supporter, via the phone-a-friend lifeline on the million-dollar question.{{Cite web |last=Lowe |first=Lindsay |date=November 30, 2020 |title=David Chang is the 1st celebrity to win $1 million for charity on 'Millionaire' |url=https://www.today.com/food/david-chang-1st-celebrity-win-1-million-millionaire-t201798 |access-date=November 30, 2020 |website=TODAY.com |language=en}}

Personal life

Kimes married music executive Nick Sylvester in 2015. They live in Los Angeles with their dog Lenny.{{cite web|url=https://www.inquirer.com/eagles/espn-daily-podcast-mina-kimes-eagles-cowboys-lenny-20191018.html|title= ESPN Daily podcast host Mina Kimes has Philly ties and an appreciation of Terry Gross|date=October 18, 2019|first=Rob|last=Tornoe|access-date=June 30, 2020|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer}} In 2023, Kimes had her first child, a boy.{{cite web |last=Hernandez |first=Victoria |date=July 12, 2023 |title=Mina Kimes announces pregnancy at ESPY Awards |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2023/07/12/mina-kimes-announces-pregnancy-at-espy-awards/70408194007/ |access-date=July 12, 2023 |work=USA Today}}{{Cite news |last=Broyles |first=Ryan |date=2023-10-04 |title=Mina Kimes Baby Reveal Was So on Brand |url=https://www.profootballnetwork.com/mina-kimes-baby-reveal-lifestyle/ |access-date=2023-12-19 |work=Pro Football Network |language=en-US}}

She has expressed her support for the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners, in part due to her father being from Seattle.