Sports

April 7, 2008 -- Dick Vitale, in his 29th season as an ESPN college basketball analyst, was selected for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2008 as a contributor to the sport. The announcement was made today in San Antonio, site of the NCAA Final Four. Hall of Fame contributors are described as those who have made significant contributions to the game and its growth.

The Enshrinement Ceremonies will be held at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. September 4-6.    » read more »

April 8, 2008 -- OLYMPIA – Washington Governor Chris Gregoire today issued the following statement on the KeyArena proposal:

“While I am disappointed that funding could not be found to renovate KeyArena., I am proud of the local ownership group that came forward, especially because those individuals have lived and worked in the community for years.

Seattle Sonics dance team: Photo by Andrew Hitchcock (CC)    » read more »

April 7, 2008 -- ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series with a live, flag-to-flag primetime telecast of the 200-mile race from Phoenix International Raceway Friday, April 5, beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. The telecast is presented by Cici’s Pizza. ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season, with selected races on ESPN and ABC.    » read more »

April 7, 2008 -- THE PRESIDENT: Good to see you all. Welcome. Go Tigers! Sit down. Please sit down. Thanks for coming.

So I met some of these men in 2004 -- they feel pretty comfortable they were going to be back here. Some of them weren't so sure I was going to be back here. It's good to welcome you back. Proud you're here.

George W. Bush proudly displays a LSU Tigers' football jersey: Photo by Chris Greenberg

Nothing like being called, "National Champs." LSU has the honor of being the first school to win two BCS titles. This year there is no split.    » read more »

Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser to Call Four-Game Slate in August

April 3, 2008 -- ESPN will kickoff its 2008 Monday Night Football preseason schedule with the New Orleans Saints at Arizona Cardinals Thursday, August 7 at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN’s commentator team of Mike Tirico (play-by-play) and analysts Ron Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser will call four NFL preseason games during the month of August – three on Mondays and one Thursday – in anticipation of their regular-season debut on Monday, Sept. 8. All preseason games will begin at 8 p.m.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, April 3, 2008 /PRNewswire - FirstCall/ -- XM Satellite Radio will air every game of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs for its 9 million subscribers nationwide starting Wednesday, April 9.

Hockey fans across the U.S. can listen to the NHL Playoffs live on XM channels 204 to 209. A weekly game schedule is available online at xmradio.com/nhl.

XM also airs every game for every NHL team during the regular season. XM's Canadian partner XM Canada carries the games for listeners across Canada.

XM is the exclusive satellite radio provider of the NHL. XM is also the exclusive home of the 24-hour hockey talk radio channel, NHL Home Ice (XM channel 204).    » read more »

April 1, 2008 -- ESPN’s Major League Baseball Opening Night telecast – Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals on March 30 in the debut of Nationals Park – averaged 2,700,000 households and 3,656,000 viewers to become the most-viewed Opening Night ever on ESPN networks. The previous record audience was St. Louis at Cincinnati, April 3, 1994, which averaged 2,595,000 households and 3,612,000 viewers. The corresponding 2.8 rating for the Atlanta at Washington game was the highest-rated Opening Night since Chicago at Seattle in 1996 (3.4 rating).    » read more »

ESPN’s Navy Moto X World Championships and Moto Icon, Brian Deegan, to Throw Out First Pitch

April 1, 2008 -- Moto X World Championships participant Kyle Loza and motocross riders Jesse Jolson and Jimmie McGuire will perform on a ramp-to-ramp jump at Petco Park before the San Diego Padres vs. Houston Astros game. Brian Deegan will throw out the first pitch.

WHO:

Moto X World Championships athletes:

* Brian Deegan: 10-time X Games medalist and one of the most influential riders in freestyle, landing the first 360 in competition at X Games Nine

* Kyle Loza: Made his debut at X Games 13 last year and took home a gold in the Best Trick competition with his famous body arial the “Volt”    » read more »

April 1, 2008 -- ESPN’s extensive multimedia coverage of the NCAA Men’s Final Four will include in-depth analysis, news, interviews and highlights across many ESPN platforms as well as live telecasts of all three Final Four matchups on ESPN International. Coverage will feature on-site shows and reports on ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPNEWS, ESPNU and ESPN.com, and Tournament specific content on ESPN Classic and ESPN Mobile TV.

Highlights:
- On-site Analysis from Bob Knight;
- Semifinals and Championship Game Live on ESPN International;
- On-Site Coverage on SportsCenter, College GameDay, ESPNEWS, ESPN Radio, ESPNU and ESPN.com; Content on ESPN Classic and ESPN Mobile TV    » read more »

ESPN Broadband Network to Offer 42 Games to Fans in 2008

April 1, 2008 -- ESPN360.com has added 15 live streaming simulcasts of Arena Football League regional games to its 2008 program line-up. The additional games -- combined with the 27 previously planned simulcasts of ESPN/ESPN2 Arena Football national telecasts -- makes a total of 42 AFL games available to fans on ESPN’s live sports broadband network, including regular season and playoffs.    » read more »

Second Annual Event Moves to Primetime on ESPN; Forty-Seven Standout Players Already Selected to Participate

April 1, 2008 -- The second annual Under Armour All-America High School Football Game, an annual all-star football competition spotlighting the nation’s top high school seniors, will be played on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009. The event, an ESPN and Intersport collaboration, is moving to Sunday in primetime as part of a new expanded three-hour window (8-11 p.m. ET) on ESPN. Last year, the event was televised in a two-hour Saturday afternoon window on ABC. The event will also include ancillary events to be held at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex (DWWS) near Orlando, Fla., while a site for the game will be determined in the near future.    » read more »

31 March 2008 -- Liu Jingmin, Vice-President of the Beijing Olympic Bid Committee, said in 2001 that allowing Beijing to host the Games would “help the development of human rights". Seven years on, China’s human rights record shows little sign of improvement, according to an Amnesty International report.

Beijing National Stadium, "The Bird's Nest", built for the 2008 Summer Olympics: Photo by Ming Xia (CC)    » read more »

First & Second Rounds Plus Par 3 Contest Live on ESPN360.com

March 31, 2008 -- ESPN’s first year of live coverage of the first two rounds of the Masters Tournament includes expansive live event coverage, highlights, news and information and analysis on a variety of ESPN platforms. ESPN and ESPN HD will present live first- and second-round coverage, Thursday, April 10, and Friday, April 11, from 4-7 p.m., ET, each day. The telecasts will be re-aired in primetime each night from 8-11 p.m. ESPN Deportes, the company’s Spanish language U.S. sports network, will also televise the first and second rounds live from 4-7 p.m.    » read more »

Monday, September 8 – Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers (7 p.m. ET) and Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders (10:15 p.m.)

March 31, 2008 -- ESPN’s Monday Night Football will kickoff its 39th season with a nationally televised doubleheader on Monday, September 8 – Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers (7 p.m. ET) and Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders (10:15 p.m.). The commentator team of Mike Tirico (play-by-play) and analysts Ron Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser will call the early game at Lambeau Field, marking ESPN’s first visit to the famed stadium for a MNF game. The crew for the second game will be announced later this offseason.    » read more »

- ESPN Home Entertainment in Conjunction with Genius Products Set to Launch New DVD Series on April 15, 2008 Providing Fans an Unprecedented Look at Sports’ Biggest Stars

March 31, 2008 -- ESPN in conjunction with Genius Products, LLC, is set to launch ESPN INSIDE ACCESS, a brand new DVD series providing fans an unprecedented look inside the lives and careers of sports’ living legends. ESPN has scoured the vaults for rare game footage, exclusive interviews and off-the-field features to bring fans the most comprehensive look at today’s superstars. The first release in this highly anticipated series, ESPN INSIDE ACCESS: DEREK JETER, will hit stores nationwide on April 15, 2008, available for $19.95 SRP.    » read more »