ESPN

Ryan Sheckler Hosts First-Time Golf Tournament with Brody Jenner, Mia Hamm, Kevin Federline, Bode Miller Among Those Attending

July 22, 2008 -- Together with Wasserman Media Group, pro skateboarder Ryan Sheckler will host the debut of the Ryan Sheckler X Games Celebrity Skins Classic to be held Tuesday, July 29, at the Trump National Golf Course in Palos Verdes, Calif., as part of the mission of Sheckler’s non-profit organization – The Sheckler Foundation. In addition to Sheckler’s foundation, four other charities will be benefiting from the proceeds of the tournament. ESPN has been involved with and supported all four charities over the years. As part of this event, ESPN will be donating its skins to the Athlete Recovery Fund.    » read more »

Philadelphia Soul vs. Defending Champion San Jose SaberCats

July 22, 2008 -- ESPN’s coverage of the 2008 Russell Athletic Arena Football League season will culminate Sunday, July 27, with ArenaBowl XXII between the Philadelphia Soul and defending ArenaBowl Champion San Jose SaberCats from the New Orleans Arena at 3 p.m. ET on ABC and ABC HD. ESPN’s AFL commentator team will include Bob Wischusen and analyst Ray Bentley in the booth with Marcellus Wiley and New Orleans native Stan Verrett reporting from the sidelines.

In addition to coverage on ABC in the U.S., the ArenaBowl XXII telecast will be available to more than 98 million households in 186 countries through ESPN International and its syndication clients.    » read more »

$57,100 Bid For Mike and Mike To Broadcast From A Listener’s Home and Hospital Officials Match Bid

July 22, 2008 -- The fourth annual ESPN Radio “Don’t Give Up ESPYs V Foundation Auction” set a record by raising $1,130,314 for The V Foundation for Cancer Research, a 323% increase from the inaugural event’s total of $201,000 in 2005. The event has raised more money each year ($435,770 in 2006 and $851,036 last year). More than 200 items and experiences were auctioned off either online or as part of an on-air radiothon Wednesday, July 16.    » read more »

ESPN Honored for SportsCenter Feature Series Titled, “Sobrevivientes”

July 21, 2008 -- ESPN Deportes, the Spanish-language 24-hour sports network in the U.S., has been honored for its excellence in journalism with the prestigious 2008 Edward R. Murrow Award presented by the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA). The network received the prestigious award in the "Outstanding News Series” category for a three-part SportsCenter feature series titled “Sobrevivientes” (Still Alive), about the Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in Argentina’s Andres Mountain on October 13, 1972.    » read more »

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.    » read more »

Free Fantasy Football Returns; Free Live Scoring, New Auction Draft Option,
Mobile Alerts and Management; Emmy-Winning Live Online Sunday Show Fantasy Football Now; Unprecedented Multimedia Initiative: TV, Radio, Digital Video, Podcasts, Magazine

July 21, 2008 -- ESPN kicks off the 2008 Fantasy Football season with an unprecedented multimedia initiative, highlighted by the return of free ESPN Fantasy Football presented by GEICO and GMC on ESPN.com.    » read more »

ESPN to Televise Second Annual Event in Prime Time

July 17, 2008 -- The second annual Under Armour All-America High School Football Game, an ESPN and Intersport owned-and-operated all-star football competition spotlighting the nation’s top high school seniors, will be played at a new venue – Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009. The announcement was made today by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Rosalyn Durant, vice president and general manager, ESPNU, at a press conference at Orlando’s City Hall.    » read more »

New Section to Cover Both PRCA and PBR Tours

July 17, 2008 -- ESPN.com has launched a new section providing complete coverage of rodeo and professional bull riding. The new section provides news, video, stats, standings, schedules, rider profiles, blogs, and more across all major rodeo and bull-riding events – an industry first.

“Rodeo and Bull Riding have one of the most passionate fan bases of any sport in the country,” said Alexandra Roman, director of ESPN Outdoors & Digital Partnerships, ESPN Digital Media. “It takes a special kind of athlete to willingly climb on top of a two-ton bull or a bucking bronco. This section will capture the excitement and provide a 24/7 one-stop window into two of the country’s fastest growing extreme sports.”    » read more »

June 23, 2008 -- For the sixth consecutive year, ESPN will present live coverage of the NBA Draft – this year featuring a talent pool highlighted by Michael Beasley (Kansas State) and Derrick Rose (Memphis) – Thursday, June 26 at 7 p.m. ET from the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Stuart Scott will host with college basketball analyst and Draft expert Jay Bilas and NBA analysts Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy.    » read more »

Initial Expansion to Include Washington D.C., Denver, Cleveland, Milwaukee, West Palm Beach and Enhanced ESPNRadio.com “Superstream Player” Delivers Live Audio and 12 Hours of Daily Live Video

June 23, 2008 -- ESPNRadio.com, the leading online sports radio destination in the U.S., is expanding its network of affiliate web sites. The ESPNRadio.com Online Affiliate Network will further develop the localized reach of ESPN’s fast-growing digital audio unit, serving fans with more daily live and on-demand audio from around the country while enhancing online opportunities for advertisers.    » read more »

June 24 – July 6 Tournament Includes National Cricket Teams from India, Pakistan, UAE, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka

June 23, 2008 -- ESPN has reached an agreement to provide exclusive, live coverage of the 2008 Asia Cup Cricket Tournament on ESPN360.com in the U.S. and its territories. The six-team, 13-match biennial tournament features several of the world’s powerhouse national teams – including one of cricket’s fiercest international rivalries, India and Pakistan - and will be played June 24 through July 6 in Pakistan.    » read more »

June 20, 2008 -- Current SportsCenter anchors Steve Berthiaume, Linda Cohn, Josh Elliott, Robert Flores and Chris McKendry will join the previously announced Hannah Storm as anchors for the live daytime SportsCenters which debut Monday, Aug. 11.

Sage Steele will present the SportsCenter updates every 20 minutes Monday-Friday throughout the 6 a.m.-noon blocks. Steele has been handling the update responsibilities on ESPN2 during the Mike a& Mike in the Morning simulcast and First Take.    » read more »

Hit Shows From the Two Networks Including “Lost,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “SportsCenter Right Now” Are Now Available to Veoh’s More Than 28 Million Viewers

June 23, 2008 – ABC, ESPN and Veoh Networks announced today that full episodes from ABC and short-form online video content from ESPN.com are now accessible through Veoh. Delivered via ABC.com's Emmy and Webby Award-winning broadband player, full episodes of popular ABC programs including Lost, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, Jimmy Kimmel Live and Ugly Betty are available for free to viewers at veoh.com.    » read more »

Announcement of 20 Finalists Continues Through Friday, June 27; Profile of all 20 Cities July 4 – 23

June 17, 2008 -- SportsCenter’s interactive search for America’s top championship city continued last week with the announcement of five new finalists on the ESPN flagship news and information program Tuesday, June 10, to Monday, June 16. The five cities announced include Los Angeles, Columbus, Ohio, Chapel Hill, N.C., Ann Arbor, Mich., and San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area.    » read more »

Most Extensive Digital Rights Allows Fans to Watch in More Ways

June 16, 2008 -- With the start of a new six-year agreement between ESPN and the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, U.S. tennis fans will receive nearly 100 hours of Wimbledon: The Championships on ESPN2, plus the most extensive digital rights in Wimbledon history, largely via ESPN360.com, ESPN’s premier broadband service. In addition, Wimbledon programming will be found on ESPN Deportes, ESPN Classic, ESPN International and, for the first time, on ESPN Interactive Television.    » read more »