First Take
posted by Dan Quinn on May 10, 2013 4:09 PM
Joe Davis grew up in Potterville, Mich., the son of a football coach, dreaming of becoming a sportscaster.
Joe Davis preparing to call the 2013 NCAA Women’s College Basketball Championship for ESPN2. (Photo courtesy of Beloit College)
Yesterday, he visited ESPN’s Bristol, Conn. headquarters for the first time, a full-time play-by-play commentator for the company. The photo gallery chronicles the meeting-filled day on campus from Davis’ perspective. continue reading…
posted by Sheldon Spencer on February 22, 2013 12:16 PM
Former NFL quarterback Doug Williams speaks to ESPN employees during a luncheon.
(Rich Arden/ESPN Images)
Editor’s note: ESPN celebrates Black History Month throughout February with related programming and content.
Super Bowl XXII MVP Doug Williams traces his fondness for ESPN back to the network’s inception in 1979.
Then a second-year NFL quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Williams bonded with a young reporter for the fledgling network who was visiting the team’s training facilities.
“I’ve been following ESPN since 1979 when [SportsCenter anchor] Chris Berman came down to Tampa Bay and I had the opportunity to throw him a couple of passes,” Williams said this week, when he visited the network’s Bristol, Conn., headquarters as a guest of P.U.L.S.E, one of ESPN’s eight Employee Resource Groups.
Williams, in his second stint as alma mater Grambling State’s head football coach, spoke to ESPN employees as part of the company’s celebration of Black History Month.
Williams, 57, is a football pioneer. As ESPN.com senior writer Greg Garber and ESPN producer Michael O’Connor chronicled for a Sunday NFL Countdown piece that aired earlier this month, Williams’ Super Bowl performance 25 years ago for the Washington Redskins continues to resonate.
The first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl, Williams remains the only one to do so.
In the midst of his first visit to the ESPN campus for appearances on various shows, Williams spoke to Front Row.
What did you think of the Sunday NFL Countdown feature on your historic Super Bowl?
My hat’s off to the crew that did that. I was so glad when [current Washington Redskins QB Robert Griffin III] RG III agreed to narrate it. I thought it put a little more pizzazz in it, brought it home emotionally. Twenty-five years . . . I thought it was special and I’m just gratified that ESPN was able to do it.
What does Black History Month mean to you? continue reading…
posted by Mike Humes on February 8, 2013 11:25 AM
As “Winter Storm Nemo” bears down on the Northeast, people from Bangor to Brooklyn are preparing for what could be an historic weather event. (See right margin for Front Row’s “Nemo Cam”).
In Bristol, Conn., at ESPN’s headquarters, that preparation focuses on ensuring the network’s 24/7/365 operation — including television, radio and Internet — serves sports fans unimpeded. For the hundreds of employees responsible for making sure those platforms are churning, working from home is not an option.
A group of ESPN employees, headed by Jodi Markley, senior vice president, operations, is responsible for making the preemptory plans that will keep ESPN’s operations humming.
“There are many variables we have to consider when planning for a major storm, but safety of our employees is of the utmost importance,” said Markley on Thursday afternoon. “Our preparations are pretty much set, so now it’s a matter of waiting to see what comes. Fortunately, we have a Los Angeles-based facility we can lean on for assistance on our SportsCenter programs, allowing us to keep as many Bristol-based employees at home as possible.”
In fact, some employees already have been granted a “snow day,” as Friday’s 11 p.m., midnight and 1 a.m. ET SportsCenters will originate from Los Angeles and other duties on Friday and Saturday will also be shifted to the left coast. continue reading…
posted by Bill Hofheimer on September 17, 2012 12:18 PM
Hollywood movie producer/director Peter Berg, who directed Friday Night Lights and the first documentary in ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 series, Kings Ransom, is teaming up with USA Football and the NFL for a documentary about how USA Football is making football better and safer for youth players.
On Sept. 13, Berg visited the ESPN campus as part of the work he is doing on the Heads Up Football project. He interviewed Monday Night Football producer Jay Rothman and director Chip Dean, as well as NFL analysts Herm Edwards and Jason Taylor. They spoke about a variety of topics, all geared toward strengthening the sport’s culture and promoting a better, safer football environment for children.
Coincidentally, Berg and Rothman grew up in the same area in New York and have a number of mutual acquaintances.
posted by Dave Williams on August 1, 2012 7:00 AM
Recently, University of Arkansas football players Tyler Wilson and Knile Davis visited our Bristol, Conn. campus as part of the ESPN Car Wash.
Working with ESPN’s Talent Producers, we set up a quick pick-up game of flag football with Tyler and Knile that gave some of our employees a first-hand experience of what it’s like to “compete” against the athletes we spend most of our time discussing.
So who won?
Let’s just say that most of us should stick to our jobs of covering the athletes from the sidelines instead of covering them on the field of play. Even in a pick up game, there’s just no comparison.
Note: I’m the guy in the green taking a face plant in the last part of the video. I still say I would have made the play if I had a pair of cleats on.
Video produced by Dave Williams
posted by Sheldon Spencer on July 27, 2012 12:06 PM
Diehard Oakland Raiders fan Ice Cube directed the ESPN 30 for 30 film Straight Outta L.A. that documented how Los Angeles reacted to the franchise’s move there between stints in Oakland, Calif.
Cube’s legendary Los Angeles-based rap group N.W.A. was influential in the Raiders’ growth in popularity around the world.
During his visit with Front Row on our Bristol, Conn. campus on Wednesday, Cube reflected on his favorite 30 for 30 films and other aspects about ESPN.
In the video above, check out what he has to say about former Raiders coach Jon Gruden as an ESPN Monday Night Football analyst; Chris Berman’s impending regular-season debut as an MNF play-by-play announcer on a Chargers-Raiders’ game; his thoughts on ESPN The Magazine Fantasy Football Issue cover subject Arian Foster and much more.
Ice Cube was a guest on First Take, one of his many ESPN Car Wash appearances on Wednesday.
posted by Joe Faraoni on July 20, 2012 3:00 PM
On any given day, there’s no telling what popular sports figures will visit the ESPN campus in Bristol, Conn., roaming the halls of our buildings.
Occasionally, these visits provide an opportunity for athletes to reconnect with people who knew them before they hit the big time.
Wednesday was one of those days for Arizona Cardinals All-Pro wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
While photographing Fitzgerald’s “Car Wash,” I followed him from the First Take set through the halls of the ESPN Radio corridor.
Suddenly, he hesitated. He started waving almost reflexively through a huge glass window before changing direction and marching into a studio that wasn’t on his schedule.
Inside the small room was ESPN Scouts Inc. NFL analyst Matt Williamson, who was recording his Football Today podcast.
Williamson abruptly pushed the mic aside to say hello to an old friend.
Before arriving at ESPN in 2005, Williamson was an assistant football recruiter at the University of Pittsburgh when Fitzgerald starred for the Panthers in the early 2000s.
“I haven’t seen Larry since he was drafted [in 2004] and I did not know he was coming,” said Williamson. continue reading…
posted by Chris LaPlaca on June 28, 2012 4:28 PM
ESPN EQUAL, ESPN’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employee resource group (ERG), today launched an Ally program patterned after several similar programs at other major companies.
What’s the ESPN Ally program?
At its core: it’s straight employees joining ESPN EQUAL to help foster a workplace at ESPN where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees are accepted, included and supported.
Over the past couple of weeks, colleagues at all levels of the company — executives, talent and employees from across ESPN — have sat for the camera to talk about the importance of the “Allies of EQUAL” program (video above).
For every employee seen in the video, many more raised their hand to participate.
Roughly three years ago, ESPN launched eight different ERGs, each focused on raising understanding and awareness amongst employees from a variety of perspectives: women, African-American, Hispanic, Asian, employees with disabilities, family and work/life balance, young professionals and LGBT. continue reading…
posted by Amanda DeCastro on June 15, 2012 10:00 AM
This week, ESPN employees celebrated not only the 40th anniversary and power of Title IX, but also the “Power of One” with a series of leadership seminars, workshops, panels and breakout sessions led by both industry and ESPN experts.
The week-long schedule included motivational and empowering speeches from executive training coach Shannon Cassidy, organizational consultant Terri Trent, and keynote speaker Neen James, who spoke on increasing productivity of women.
Employees participated in a series of leadership and self-empowerment seminars and breakout sessions with topics ranging from finding a professional mentor, supercharging their careers and developing a style representative of who they are as a professional.
Arianna Huffington, President and Editor-in-Chief of The Huffington Post, spoke to ESPN employees as part of the Newsmaker luncheon series on a variety of topics including her personal success and insight into the Huffington Post. To read the interview with Ms. Huffington, click here.
Additionally, Maureen Orth of Vanity Fair also visited the Bristol Campus for another Newsmaker luncheon series and in celebration of Title IX.
The employee activities continue today with a special Power of IX Legends Panel on ESPN’s main campus. Hosted by SportsCenter anchor Chris McKendry, the panel will discuss the current and future impact of Title IX on our society. The panel is slated to be made up of: continue reading…
posted by Ryan Grace on May 17, 2012 3:40 PM
ESPN recognized its Volunteers Of The Year this afternoon on the Bristol campus.
ESPN President John Skipper and SportsCenter anchors Sara Walsh and Mike Hill participated in the ceremonies honoring individual employees and teams. The event was presented by Team ESPN – the company’s corporate outreach initiative.
“Today we are handing out the highest awards for volunteerism that are given by The Walt Disney Company and ESPN,” Skipper told the assembled employees. “All of Disney’s business units are committed to working to be the most respected brands in the world, and ESPN is a major contributor to the company’s citizenship efforts.”
The photo slide show above showcases the award winners, which included Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg (who was not present) of ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike In The Morning. The Mikes won the “Volunteer Commentators Of The Year” citation.
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