Team ESPN, the company’s corporate outreach initiative, is celebrating Black History Month and Martin Luther King Jr.’s eternal message of equality with a series of panel discussions on the topic of diversity.

The program is called “Content of Character” and features four community events in locations across the country.

The initiative kicked off on Thursday, Feb. 2, when Team ESPN visited the Joel E. Smilow Boys & Girls Clubhouse in the Bronx.

More than 100 middle school and high school students who were on hand for a memorable afternoon.

ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith – a native New Yorker – moderated the panel of speakers, which included ESPN vice presidents, directors and managers from various units of the company.

The discussion was centered around the three important themes of ESPN’s “Content of Character” program: “Education,” “Equality,” and “Generation Leadership.”

“The program was set up to educate youth on the importance of Dr. King’s messages and how they have evolved over time to still impacts today’s youth,” said Tavia Fisher, manager, corporate outreach.

Panelists discussed how Martin Luther King Jr.’s words impacted their own lives and how his messages of acceptance and equality are relevant in today’s society.

Students had the opportunity to engage with all of the panelists, including Smith, as part of an interactive Q&A session.

On Friday, Feb. 10, Team ESPN continued its “Content of Character” initiative at the South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, N.C. in front of more than 400 students.

Team ESPN’s “Content of Character” program will continue on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at the Boys & Girls Club of San Fernando Valley in Pacoima, Calif., before the grand finale in ESPN’s hometown of Bristol, Conn., on Thursday, February 16 at the Bristol Boys & Girls Club.

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

espnW screen shot

In an effort to drive its mission of establishing espnW as the premier brand for coverage of women’s sports, ESPN.com recently rebranded its women’s basketball page as part of espnW. The editors and writers from the ESPN.com women’s basketball team and espnW have joined together to deliver strong, cohesive coverage leading into the 2012 NCAA tournament.

The new page features the same user interface as most other index pages on ESPN.com, and espnW will soon be added to the primary navigation on the ESPN.com home page – complete with its own mega drop-down menu.

espnW deputy editor Joy Russo talks to Front Row about this next stage to better serve women’s sports fans online under one cohesive unit:

FR: How will this move benefit fans of women’s sports?
JR: We already know the NCAA Women’s Tournament is a huge event for our audience, both on television and online, and our Event, Studio Production and Digital teams have set the bar. So, I think the benefit is we’re giving fans, male and female, more of a good thing. We’re doubling our coverage so every region will be covered from the start, and we’re striving to give fans more of a behind-the-scenes look at the athletes they enjoy watching on the court. I think espnW’s blog with Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins from last year’s tournament is a perfect example of that. But, bottom line, espnW wants to elevate athletes beyond the big stage of the tournament. They deserve the same coverage and platform as their male counterparts, and the NCAA tournament is just the beginning.

FR: What can we expect in terms of coverage as we head towards the 2012 NCAA Tournament?
JR: In addition to Charlie Creme’s Bracketology and continued solid storytelling from Mechelle Voepel and Graham Hays – who we’re thrilled to have joined the espnW team, by the way – we will have espnW writers Kate Fagan and Michelle Smith on the ground covering all four regions from the start of the tournament. We’ll also have espnW original segments, which will include analysis from Rebecca Lobo and Kara Lawson, among others. Also, off the popularity of the Diggins first-person blog, we’ll be expanding to five players for this upcoming tourney. And as always, there will be live chats, Facebook and Twitter elements that will also provide fans with the opportunity to be part of the action.

FR: In your own personal opinion, which team has the best chance to go all the way to take home the championship title?
JR: I am going to have to go along with our women’s college basketball editor Melanie Jackson on this and pick a Notre Dame-Baylor final. I know the UConn fans on campus may not like that, but I don’t know who will stop Brittney Griner.

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson visited ESPN yesterday. While checking out the ESPN Health & Wellness Center he noticed a few ESPN folks, including old friend Todd “Tom” Grisham, who needed some inspiration. In the video above he motivated them in a way that only “The Rock” could.

In the video below Marcellus Wiley, Tim Legler and Doug Gottlieb discuss the best current rivalry in sports.

After Sunday’s riveting Super Bowl XLVI, it’s time to add another great rivalry to the list as Giants once again out-lasted the Patriots to earn their second title in four years. While that kicked off a busy week here at Front Row, it was by no means the only story that grabbed our attention.

* Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers have taken Hollywood by storm this season. Kobe, Lebron and Carmelo — some of his best friends in the NBA — are on high alert. Is it possible that rivalries can be sustained on the court when players are such good friends off of the court? ESPN The Magazine found out.

* The New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers square off tonight on ESPN at 8 p.m. The Kia NBA Countdown pre-game show airs at 7 p.m. from the ESPN Los Angeles Production Center. Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Michael Wilbon, Chris Broussard and Jon Barry talk hoops and display their passion for the game. The second half of the ESPN doubleheader features a battle of Northwest division rivals as the Oklahoma City Thunder travel to Utah to take on the Jazz at 10:30 p.m.

* Duke ousted North Carolina on a game-winning 3-pointer, Kansas traveled to Baylor for a Big 12 slugfest and Georgetown nearly upset the No. 2 ranked Syracuse Orange to start off Rivalry Week. If those games are any indication of how the rest of the contests will play out Fran Fraschilla and the rest of our college basketball analysts are in for a treat this weekend. A reminder that GameDay travels to Nashville for Kentucky Vanderbilt at 9 p.m. ET Saturday.

* Major League Baseball’s Spring Training is right around the corner. The rivalries on the diamond will return and Buster Olney, Jayson Stark and the entire Baseball Tonight staff can’t wait.

Filed in: Week In Review

Courageous. Inspiring. Champion. All of these words have been used to describe the late North Carolina State coach Kay Yow. Yow lost her battle with breast cancer Jan. 24, 2009, but ESPN is keeping her memory alive through the Play 4Kay initiative.

The 6th annual Play 4Kay starts Sun., Feb. 12 and all proceeds go to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. This weekend there will be a sea of pink as teams, along with their fans, sport pink apparel in support of women’s cancer research.

Play4Kay

Women’s hoops action kicks off Sunday with eight regionalized games and concludes on Big Monday with a doubleheader between No. 7 Kentucky and No. 11 Tennessee (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2) and No. 3 Connecticut and Oklahoma (9 p.m., ESPN2). The UK-UT game will mark the first-ever women’s game shown on ESPN 3D.

To make a donation to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, log onto www.Play4Kay.org.

To show your support, join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag: #Play4Kay.

In the video above, you’ll hear from Rosa Gatti, Senior VP of Corporate Outreach; Tina Thornton, Senior Coordinating Producer and Tina Johnson, Editor-in-Chief of ESPNW.com on their personal connection to Coach Yow and the Play 4Kay initiative.

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

Carter Blackburn (l) (here with Quint Kessenich) is not only a talented broadcaster, he also does spot-on impersonations of figures in college athletics

Listen to the podcast HERE.

ESPN’s Carter Blackburn has already distinguished himself with a recognizable voice and a deft ability on play-by-play of any number of sports. What fans of the Syracuse graduate may not know is that he is also the master of several other voices familiar to college sports aficionados.

In this Front & Center podcast, Carter, 32, and a Kerrville, Texas native, shares his thoughts on the Tennessee/Florida game he will call with Joe Dean, Jr. on Saturday (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network and ESPN3); looks at the SEC (focusing on Kentucky and Mississippi State); offers insights into potential National Player of the Year Anthony Davis and, right around the 8:45 mark of the interview begins his Rich Little ways with his best Pete Gillen impersonation and continues on with Texas football coach Mack Brown, ESPN’s Bill Raftery and Steve Lappas. Chances are, you’ll never listen to Carter the same way again.

Filed in: Front & Center, Podcast

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST BY CLICKING HERE.

On Saturday, Feb. 11, at 7:30 a.m. ET, Liverpool legend and former England national team player Steve McManaman will be in ESPN2’s television booth with Ian Darke providing match commentaries for one of the English Premier League’s most anticipated matches in the 2011-12 season — Manchester United vs. Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Since joining ESPN full-time in November 2010, McManaman has been the lead game analyst for ESPN’s coverage of the Barclays Premier League in the United States. He and Darke originate live from the match sites.

Also, McManaman periodically appears on ESPN UK’s presentation of the Premier League and the FA Cup.

Leading up to Manchester United vs. Liverpool, McManaman previewed the matchup on ESPN Front and Center podcast.

He also discussed the Manchester United-Liverpool rivalry (note: McManaman played in 16 Liverpool-Manchester United matches); Liverpool’s Luis Suarez playing in the match after serving an eight-match suspension for a racial abuse incident during their last meeting; the exit of Fabio Capello from coaching England’s national team; and more.

Below, Darke and McManaman also preview the match.

Filed in: Front & Center, Podcast

You’ll never know who — or what — you’ll find in ESPN’s offices.

Thursday, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton — who like many other sports celebrities moonlights in Bristol, Conn. for the benefits — solved the mystery of Shaquille O’Neal’s missing shoe.

Here he celebrates with SportsCenter anchor John Anderson.

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

As fans can attest, when Baseball Tonight analyst Curt Schilling sets a goal, he accomplishes it.

So it should come as no surprise that his new video game Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is being released to rave reviews.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is the first release from 38 Studios, the video game studio which Schilling founded in 2006.

The world champion pitcher turned 38 Studios boss sat down with Front Row for a passionate discussion about Reckoning and what he calls “opening day of a second career.”

FR: How proud are you today?
Schilling: I was incredibly proud yesterday [when the game launched Jan. 31], but today’s a new day. It was overwhelming to see it released and know that it’s happened. In many ways it was like standing in the locker room after winning a game. You’re happy that you pitched well, but today’s a new day and there’s more stuff to do so it’s my job to keep everyone in the company focused and working in the right direction.

FR: How long have you been playing video games?
Schilling: I’ve been playing video games for 30 years. I’ve been a gamer my whole life. It kept me occupied on the road during my playing days, too. I always had the latest and greatest laptop or console. That’s what I did, that’s how I kept myself occupied.

FR: When did you decide you wanted to start your own video game studio?
Schilling: The genesis of the company is about 10-15 years old. I was looking at my post baseball retirement life and trying to decide what I wanted to do.

FR: How many people did it take to make this game?
Schilling: We’re just south of 400 employees in the company. The Reckoning development team was anywhere from 75 to 110 at launch and we’re hovering around 110-120 now.

FR: What’s your typical day like at 38 Studios? continue reading…

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

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