Twitter reports that ESPN is a trending topic. As reported by Heavy, a long list of people got fired from ESPN on Wednesday, and although the layoffs were anticipated in the wake of lost subscribers over the years, folks are still tweeting about just how much the 100 or so people fired from ESPN positions has shocked them. Some of the laid-off employees are writing that they have been employed by ESPN for as many as 17 years, and they are now “free TV agents” searching for other employment.

I was only at ESPN for 4 years, but they were some of the best of my career. Thanks to all of the fans and to my entire SportsCenterAM crew. pic.twitter.com/gxKuUh13ck

— Jaymee Sire (@jaymee) April 26, 2017

Folks like Jaymee Sire noted in the above tweet that her tenure with ESPN only last four years, but she called them among the best years of her career. Others have called working for ESPN their “dream job” in the wake of the ESPN layoffs. But there’s a certain segment of Twitter sending messages to ESPN asking if Sage Steele was fired.

Social Media’s Love/Hate Affair With Sage Steele

Sage can be seen in the top photo above from October 23, 2015, when Steele put a North Carolina Tar Heels jersey over her own outfit. Sage did that in honor of her late ESPN colleague Stuart Scott, an ESPN anchor who died at age of 49, as reported by ESPN.com.

Sage seemed to begin to draw the ire of some on Twitter when Steele complained about the people at the airport who caused the ESPN star to miss her flight because they were protesting President Donald Trump’s immigration executive order at Los Angeles International Airport, as reported by Philly.com.

Although Steele proclaimed that she simply thought the protesters could use other means than to force elderly and disabled people to walk a mile to get to the airport, the backlash lingered. Twitter assumed Sage was demoted and perhaps on her last leg at ESPN when, directly prior to the NBA playoffs, ESPN replaced Steele as host of NBA Countdown with SportsNation host Michelle Beadle.

However, shortly thereafter came the news that Sage might not have been demoted at all, but that Steele may gain a new role with ESPN as a morning anchor with Mike Greenberg, according to the New York Daily News. Therefore, although some of Sage’s detractors may have hoped that Sage’s NBA Countdown replacement meant Steele was on her way out the door at ESPN, Steele may have instead been ready to gain an even more prominent role with ESPN.

That news hasn’t stopped some people from contacting ESPN directly via Twitter — or Sage directly via Twitter — to give them their thoughts about whether they think Steele should stay or go in the wake of all the ESPN layoffs.

A sampling of the tweets being published about Sage’s role at ESPN can be read below.

“I’m surprised @sagesteele survived ‘Bloody Wednesday.’ Stay strong!”

“@sagesteele please say ESPN didn’t fire u?”

“I’m guessing it’s gonna be 99 straight reporting and mainly white guys you never heard of getting axed….and Sage Steele.”

“What’s wrong with Sage Steele? She’s hot.”

“Hey @espn what time you firing @sagesteele asking for a friend?”

“@espn please fire @sagesteele and I’ll come back as a viewer.”

“Replying to @sagesteele: instead of firing 100 people, ESPN should instead fire you 100 times.”

“I hope @ESPN knows @SageSteele still there smh…”

“Sage Steele ain’t been fired yet tho? But the homie Jay got the pink slip smfh.”

“maaaaan how ESPN going to layoff Jay Crawford and not Sage Steele….sounds like she still have friends in high places.”

“They are not going to fire Sage Steele bc she looks like she will sue for discrimination in the workplace.”

[Featured Image by Grant Halverson/Getty Images]