ESPN.com Launches NFL, College Football Blog Network

Dedicated Coverage of All NFL Divisions and BCS Conferences with 20 Journalists Hired to Launch Network

July 22, 2008 -- ESPN.com has launched the ESPN Football Blog Network, a new content initiative consisting of 15 blogs that offer more in-depth daily coverage of pro and college football. The network includes individual blogs dedicated to all eight National Football League divisions and all six BCS Conferences, as well as a blog focused on independent and non-BCS college programs. Collectively, the best content from each divisional and conference blog will be aggregated daily into national blogs for both pro and college football.

With the launch of the Football Blog Network, ESPN has hired 15 leading reporters and columnists from news organizations across the country to author the individual blogs. Collectively, the group boasts more than 125 years of writing and reporting experience, though each brings a distinct style and voice to their blog and specific region of focus. Each blogger will provide fans both with a filter for significant developments regarding their favorite teams and expert journalistic insight and access.

In addition to blogging, each member of the network will serve as a specialized regional football reporter for ESPN television and radio programs, including College GameDay, SportsCenter, NFL Live, and College Football Live – beginning with ESPN’s Camp Confidential series of segments on running from July 21 through August 3.

“Fans expect ESPN.com to be their eyes and ears across the football landscape,” said Patrick Stiegman, vice president, executive editor and producer, ESPN.com. “We’re fortunate to have an unmatched bedrock of football reporting, with two Pro Football Hall of Famers and numerous award-winning journalists. The Blog Network builds upon that tradition and expands the regional reach and personal voice of our coverage with the same in-depth, news-breaking journalistic standard that fans expect."

In addition to its new team of writers, ESPN.com has also hired a talented staff of editors to oversee the Football Blog Network content with recent hires from respected news outlets including the Boston Globe, Washington Post, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and National Journal.

ESPN.com Football Blog Network bloggers:

Professional Football

* NFC East – Matt Mosley – formerly of Dallas Morning News (previously authored Hashmarks blog on ESPN.com);
* NFC West – Mike Sando – formerly of Tacoma News Tribune;
* NFC North – Kevin Seifert – formerly of Minneapolis Star-Tribune;
* NFC South – Pat Yasinkas – formerly of Charlotte Observer;
* AFC West – Bill Williamson – formerly of Denver Post;
* AFC North – James Walker – formerly of Columbus Dispatch;
* AFC South – Paul Kuharsky – formerly of The Tennessean;
* AFC East – Tim Graham – formerly of Palm Beach Post.

College Football

* ACC – Heather Dinich – formerly of Baltimore Sun;
* PAC 10 – Ted Miller – formerly of Seattle Post-Intelligencer;
* Big 12 – Tim Griffin – formerly of San Antonio Express-News;
* Big Ten – Adam Rittenberg – formerly of Chicago Daily Herald;
* SEC – Chris Low – formerly of The Tennessean and Rivals.com;
* Big East – TBD;
* Independents/additional conferences - Graham Watson – formerly of St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The ESPN Football Blog Network adds to the growing group of blogs already hosted on ESPN.com, including the acclaimed TrueHoop basketball blog; fantasy sports blogs from Stephania Bell, Eric Karabell and Matthew Berry (aka the Talented Mr. Roto); and a host of other ESPN Insider blogs by ESPN and ESPN.com writers and reporters, including award-winning baseball blogs from Buster Olney, Rob Neyer and Peter Gammons, college football blog from Bruce Feldman, college basketball blogs from Andy Katz and Jay Bilas, and pro football blogs from Hall Of Fame reporter John Clayton and ESPN The Magazine’s Seth Wickersham. In addition, tens of thousands of fans have created their own blogs within ESPN’s SportsNation community platform.

The ESPN Football Blog Network adds to ESPN’s already award-winning coverage of professional and college football. Anchored by Hall of Famers Clayton and Len Pasquarelli, ESPN’s coverage also includes extensive contributions from ESPN.com’s Jeffri Chadiha, Todd McShay and Jeremy Green, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Mel Kiper, Wickersham, and the scouting professionals at Scouts, Inc. College football coverage features ESPN.com’s Pat Forde, Ivan Maisel, McShay, Kiper, Mark Schlabach, Feldman and Scouts, Inc.

Source: ESPN

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