espnW.com Launches Today, December 6

Keri Potts December 6, 2010

Michelle Beadle, Tamika Catchings, Julie Foudy, Wendi Nix, Summer Sanders, Sage Steele, Hannah Storm and More to Contribute

ESPN’s new content and digital business initiative for women, espnW, launches today, espnW.com Dec. 6. Presented in a blog format, espnW.com will offer fan- and athlete-centric content geared toward female athletes and sports fans aged 18+. The site, supported by a Twitter and Facebook presence, will incorporate posts by top female sports columnists and bloggers, pro athletes, expert contributors and news from a variety of ESPN and non-ESPN news outlets. This 1.0 version of espnW.com will serve as a precursor to a more robust web site with mobile applications and personalized content that will launch in Spring 2011.

“espnW.com represents our commitment to serving female fans and athletes on a dedicated platform. After more than two years of research and preparation, we are excited to create a specific community for women to talk sports and be inspired both as a fan and as a participant,” said Laura Gentile, VP espnW and ESPN RISE digital and publishing. “We are bringing together top athletes, writers and newsmakers in a way that is authentic to ESPN but will be unique to espnW’s audience.”

Contributors such as Adena Andrews (formerly NBA.com), Melissa Jacobs (TheFootballGirl.com), Jane McManus (ESPNNewYork.com), Amanda Rykoff (OCDChick.com) and Sarah Spain (ESPNChicago.com) will write daily posts offering insight on the day’s biggest sports stories across the entire sports landscape – encompassing men’s and women’s sports. Guest contributors such as Val Ackerman, Gretchen Bleiler, Tamika Catchings, Julie Foudy, Jessica Mendoza, Summer Sanders and Diana Taurasi will weigh in on a variety of issues as will ESPN’s own Michelle Beadle, Sage Steele, Wendi Nix and Hannah Storm. Special posts will be made throughout the year by Jemele Hill.

Foudy said, “Having worked with the espnW team and experienced their passion and energy for this business, I am ecstatic to be part of this breakthrough effort. ESPN now has a dedicated business focused on elevating women as participants and as sports fans. I look forward to celebrating many wonderful athletes and stories.”

Also, espnW.com will provide content for athletes from Gatorade (exclusive sports nutrition partner) and Nike (exclusive apparel and footwear partner), two founding partners of espnW. The two companies will have a multi-layered presence in the spring rollout of espnW.com. Additional partners that will provide content to espnW.com include Active.com (for active, athletic women), WomenTalkSports.com (focused on women’s sports news and commentary), GoTribal.com (focused on endurance sports for women), and The Women’s Sports Foundation (espnW’s official charity).

Additional features:

What Matters – Links to top stories curated from ESPN.com and around the web

Games We’re Following – Games from across the sports landscape – including the NFL, NBA, college sports, WNBA, WPS, WTA and others – with editorial comment from the espnW perspective

This Week in Women’s Sports – A key moment or event each week from sports history

Things To Do Near You – A geo-based sport and activity guide, powered by Active.com, for athletes

espnW
Founded in July 2009, espnW is a new business from ESPN consisting primarily of a digital product suite including pc web, mobile web, mobile applications and social media. espnW’s mission is to serve, inspire and inform the female athlete and fan.

-30-

Media Contact: Keri Potts, [email protected] or 212/448-4841