More on espnW

December 8th, 2010 | Comment »

If nothing else, espnW is getting a lot of attention. Good and bad and somewhat undecided. Here are a variety of blogs and articles on the new site:

Criticizing

Brand Mismanagement: ESPN Lights Itself on Fire

So it is with no surprise at all, that we come to bury ESPNw, not to praise it.

Why I Hate the Idea of espnW

If ESPN really wants to attract more women stop hiring bimbos just because they look good and get some smart, sports-savvy women on your network.

Get women in the broadcast booth as well as in the studio. Hire more women to write for espn.com. Stop relegating women to the sidelines and personal interest stories.

She said it, not me. I’m just sitting here nodding my head. Really great piece by Julie DiCaro, which you should definitely check out.

Undecided

espnW: The Lifetime Network of Sports Sites

espnW: it’s vagitastic!

Like a booster shot of estrogen into the masculine arm of conventional sports coverage, espnW burst onto the scene today…

But then:

…espnW is little more than a weak, ill-conceived attempt at pandering which I imagine some women will find kind of silly and a waste of time, much like the ab0ve-mentioned Lifetime.

They also take some shots at Sarah Spain, but you can go there if you want those.

Separate but Equal

If ESPN is trying to cater more to women with its content, it’s about damn time. Title IX will have its 40th birthday in 2012. Women now account for 46 percent of NFL fans…

But, then she says:

It’s refreshing to read sports commentary written by women, but what’s puzzling to me is why ESPN felt the need to put it on its own site rather than simply promote women within ESPN.com.

Applauding

Cue the crickets chirping…I can’t find anything genuinely applauding espnW. I’d be happy to post if anyone else can point me towards something, however. Seriously. I just spent over an hour searching and couldn’t find anything better than the “undecideds” above and some generic “Here’s the new website. Wish it the best of luck.” Send me some praise and I’ll gladly post it.

I did want to share this article in the New York Times, however, which includes some much better quotes from espnW VP Laura Gentile than the ones in the USA Today article.

I also happen to be at the Winter Meetings currently with a writer from espnW. Hopefully we can chat later today and she can shed some more light on the situation. I’d love to be able to present their side of the story as well.