Four Dedicated Team Reporters, Three General Assignment Correspondents and
Sal Masekela Covering Human Interest Stories in South Africa
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ESPN will enlist a team of eight reporters as part of the company’s comprehensive multiplatform coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa (June 11-July 11). The roster will include four dedicated team reporters, led by five-time Emmy award winning journalist Jeremy Schaap, who will cover the United States National Team. In addition, a trio of general assignment correspondents will offer reports from the host country, and Sal Masekela, the popular ESPN X Games host and co-host of E! Entertainment’s Daily 10, will report on cultural and human interest stories from the country his father calls home.
Schaap will be with the U.S. team the duration of the American squad’s FIFA World Cup participation. Additionally, ESPN will utilize its global resources via ESPN International by assigning reporters to cover specific teams throughout the tournament, including Andrew Orsatti (Australia), John Sutcliffe (Mexico) and Dan Williams (South Africa).
In addition to Masekela, ESPN’s team of general assignment reporters will include former U.S. Women’s National Team captain Julie Foudy and regular soccer contributors Allen Hopkins and Rob Stone.
“The reporters and assignments reflect our ambitious plans for this FIFA World Cup and its unique setting in South Africa,” said Jed Drake, ESPN’s executive producer, 2010 FIFA World Cup. “Throughout the tournament, these eight reporters will present fans with access-driven coverage across ESPN’s multimedia platforms.”
REPORTERS
Schaap, a correspondent for ESPN’s Outside The Lines and the primetime newsmagazine E:60, provided live on-site reporting and interviews from the FIFA World Cup draw in Cape Town, South Africa in December. He covered his first FIFA World Cup as an ESPN producer in 1994, France ‘98 as a general assignment reporter, and he most recently landed the first in-depth interview with U.S. National Team forward Charlie Davies following his near-fatal car accident in October.
Masekela is the son of South African Grammy award winning jazz legend Hugh Masekela. His reporting will focus on the people, culture and history of South Africa, providing an insider’s perspective from the country of his father’s birth. His reports will be featured across ESPN’s multimedia platforms, including the five localized, English-language versions of SportsCenter aired by ESPN International around the world via ESPN Australia, ESPN South Africa and Israel, TSN Canada, and on ESS Malaysia and ESS pan-Asia. Additionally, fans will be able to follow Masekela during the FIFA World Cup through social media networks Twitter and Facebook, regular blogs on ESPN.com’s World Cup site, and a mobile diary. This will be Masekela’s first FIFA World Cup as an ESPN reporter.
Foudy, one of the most accomplished female soccer players in the world, joined ESPN in 2005 as a women’s soccer and FIFA World Cup analyst. Following her impressive work during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Foudy expanded her role as a features reporter, providing personality-driven stories for ESPN studio programs. She was lead television analyst for ESPN’s coverage of the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Foudy made her ESPN debut at the height of her playing career in a critically-acclaimed role as a studio analyst for ESPN and ESPN2’s coverage of the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. She also served as studio analyst for ESPN’s coverage of the UEFA European Football Championship 2008 (Euro 08).
Hopkins has contributed to ESPN’s soccer coverage since 2005, including the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, MLS telecasts and news coverage. Prior to joining ESPN, Hopkins spent eight years with Fox Sports, providing analysis of the world’s top leagues and tournaments, including the 2002 FIFA World Cup, England’s Premier League, Italy’s Serie A and the UEFA Cup. He also spent four seasons as the lead TV analyst for the MLS’s Los Angeles Galaxy.
Stone, who joined ESPN in 1997 as host of ESPN2’s Worldwide Soccer, has served as a sideline reporter for select MLS and U.S. Soccer telecasts on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC and covered the last three FIFA World Cup tournaments. In 2006, he was both a reporter and play-by-play announcer at the FIFA World Cup in Germany. During World Cup ’98 in France, Stone traveled the country and filed daily reports for ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 on the offbeat and behind-the-scenes sites of the world’s most popular sporting event. In Korea/Japan ’02, Stone served as host of World Cup 2Night on ESPN2, as well as pregame, halftime and postgame segments.
INTERNATIONAL TEAM REPORTERS
Orsatti, a SportsCenter (Australia) anchor will cover the Australian national team. His reports will be featured on U.S. domestic and international editions of SportsCenter and ESPN Soccernet Press Pass. Orsatti joined ESPN in January 2008 after more than 10 successful years as a sports presenter, reporter and producer for SBS network in Australia. A FIFA World Cup veteran, Orsatti covered the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cup tournaments. His career highlights include covering the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games and Tour de France. In 2008, he served as a general assignment reporter for ESPN’s coverage of the UEFA European Football Championship (Euro 08).
Sutcliffe, who is based in Mexico City and is lead reporter for soccer and NFL for ESPN Deportes and ESPN Dos, will focus primarily on news from the Mexican national team camp. South Africa 2010 will be Sutcliffe’s fifth straight FIFA World Cup covering the Mexican National Soccer Team. His reporting will also air on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Dos’ news and information shows originating from South Africa. In addition to his SportsCenter duties, Sutcliffe serves as ESPN Deportes sideline reporter for Monday Night Football and golf commentator for the network’s coverage of the four Majors: The Masters, U.S. Open, The Open Championship and PGA Championship.
Williams, ESPN International’s South African-based correspondent, will cover the host country’s national team – Bafana Bafana. The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be Williams’ third straight World Cup – first for ESPN – as a reporter or producer. He served as a reporter for ESPN during the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa. Before signing an exclusive contract with ESPN in 2008, Williams worked for Sky News, Sky Sports and Al Jazeera. His reporting will also air on English-language editions of SportsCenter on ESPN International networks.
ESPN Inc.’s 2010 FIFA World Cup Coverage in the United States
South Africa 2010 will be ESPN’s seventh FIFA World Cup and coverage of the event promises to be the most comprehensive in company history. ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC will air all 64 matches live and in high definition. ESPN360.com, ESPN’s signature broadband network available in 41 million homes, will feature live English-language simulcasts of matches on ESPN and ESPN2. ESPN Mobile TV will show 46 matches. ESPN Deportes, the Spanish-language all sports network, will air up to 40 matches in Portuguese live in the U.S.
Additionally, ESPN will present 2010 FIFA World Cup television studio programming from site in South Africa, offering U.S. sports fans the most comprehensive news and information coverage throughout the month-long soccer showcase. Studio coverage of the quadrennial global event will include SportsCenter segments, a nightly World Cup Live program, and prematch, halftime and postmatch shows, with additional studio programming and World Cup-branded segments, totaling more than 65 hours of coverage, originating from two sets in and around Johannesburg.
ESPN Coverage of Past FIFA World Cup Events:
Germany 2006 – All 64 matches live and in high definition
Korea/Japan 2002 – 58 ESPN and ESPN2 matches live (6 tape-delayed broadcasts on ABC)
France 1998 – All 64 matches live on ESPN (27), ESPN2 (23) and ABC Sports (14)
USA 1994 – All 52 matches – ESPN (41) and ABC (11)
Mexico 1986 – 15 matches on ESPN (U.S. cable television rights)
Spain 1982 – 7 matches on ESPN
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