In our first installment of our new article series Give ‘Em Their Flowers, we celebrate mother, entrepreneur, and broadcaster Kayla Grey as she departs Canadian sports broadcaster TSN.
“TSN has given me a lot of opportunities, but the one I’m most grateful for was the shot to prove seven-year-old me right. ” -Kayla Grey
Kayla Grey has taken to her Substack to announce not only the end of her show The Shift, but her departure from Canadian sports broadcaster TSN. In the article titled “The Shift: A Bittersweet Goodbye”, Grey writes:
“TSN has given me a lot of opportunities, but the one I’m most grateful for was the shot to prove seven-year-old me right…To the many people at TSN who work tirelessly to make that place go: producers, directors, camera operators, AUDIO, story editors, web editors. Thank you…My final thank you is reserved for the viewers at home who watched me grow up on air. Professionally and personally. What an honour it has been to share some of the biggest moments in Canadian sports with you. I can’t wait to take you along for this next chapter in my life.”
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She goes on to share that she initially auditioned for SportsCentre in 2013 while completing her fine year at the College of Sports Media. After stops at Global News in Winnipeg and CFTK-TV in Prince Rupert, BC, she landed at TSN, first as a radio producer, then at TSN.ca, before making her Sportcentre debut in 2018. Then in 2021, she launched The Shift with Kayla Grey.
“Today, The Shift as a show at the network represents redirection. And after just over 10 years, “The Shift,” as it relates to me and my time at TSN, feels like a sweet release and a very grateful goodbye.” -Kayla Grey
“Today, The Shift as a show at the network represents redirection. And after just over 10 years, “The Shift,” as it relates to me and my time at TSN, feels like a sweet release and a very grateful goodbye.”
The announcement comes five months after she announced that she would be working with Amazon Prime as their new WNBA sideline reporter.
“30 years of the WNBA. Three decades filled with advocacy, audacity, growth and the game in its purest form. Coming off of a monumental offseason, you could say the W is entering its Prime Era. And well… So am I. Incredibly honoured to announce that I’m joining the Amazon Prime family as their WNBA sideline reporter. I’ve spent my career sharing the stories of incredible athletes. Holding space for both feel and fact. I’m honoured to have the opportunity to continue to get to do so on a global stage.”
It also comes months after Grey was among the 10 trailblazing women honoured at Drake’s annual Strong Women, Stronger Dreams celebration where she walked away with a Mercedes G-Wagon.
“Whether you’re a man or woman, a sports fan or not, if you’ve observed Kayla Grey’s journey in sports, you can’t help but be inspired by her hard work and ambition.” -Kevin Bourne, editor of SHIFTER
Despite the success of broadcasters like Master T and Marci Ian, Grey is still one of the few Black faces appearing regularly on Canadian TV screens, let alone Black women. This led to her being named one of Chatelaine’s 2020 Women of the Year and one of Refinery 29’s Powerhouse Women. Two years later, she was a co-recipient of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television’s inaugural Changemaker Award at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards alongside Kathleen Newman-Bremang and Amanda Parris.
She’s also an entrepreneur, co-founding the clothing company No Address back in 2023. Yes, she does it all.
Whether you’re a man or woman, a sports fan or not, if you’ve observed Kayla Grey’s journey in sports, you can’t help but be inspired by her hard work and ambition.
So today, SHIFTER gives mother, entrepreneur, and broadcaster Kayla Grey her flowers.
Kevin Bourne is SHIFTER’s editor-in-chief and Senior Arts & Entertainment Reporter focusing on film & TV, music, and fashion. He was named one of 340 international voters for the Golden Globe Awards and a Tomatometer-Approved Critic by Rotten Tomatoes.
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