ESPN Young Professionals President Jennifer McKenzie and Adam Masterson speak at a YP Observation Program. (ESPN)
The workforce of today’s hyper-connected world includes a large percentage of “young professionals.” While the term can straddle many age groups, at ESPN the Young Professionals (YP) Employee Resource Group (ERG) is made up of millenial employees — or “Generation Y” — who mostly range from recent college grads through early 30-something year-olds.
ESPN’s YP ERG’s vision and mission is to create and offer opportunities for the millennial employee population to collaborate, contribute and develop. It is one of eight employee resource groups that were launched in 2009 to support ESPN’s Diversity & Inclusion strategy that focuses on leveraging the variety of perspectives in our Workforce, Workplace and Marketplace to strengthen the growth of our business. The other groups represent the African-American, Asian, Disability, Families/Work Life, Hispanic, LGBT and Women communities. continue reading…
While ESPN’s live coverage on the Boston Marathon tragedy continues, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and friends and the running community. Several ESPN employees were in Boston as reporters, runners or spectators and have shared their stories on SportsCenter and ESPN.com.
ESPN Employee Eyewitness Accounts
Bob Ley interviewed ESPN.com senior director of design and race participant Dan Benshoff, who describes the scene around the finish line and in the medical tent.
Jeremy Schaapinterviewed ESPN producer and race participant Bryan Jaroch, who said he was about a mile from crossing the finish line when the explosions occurred. continue reading…
Chris McKendry (L) and John Buccigross on the SportsCenter set (Joe Faraoni / ESPN Images)
On Wednesday, ESPN’s John Buccigross (@Buccigross) spent 30 minutes on Twitter answering fans’ questions regarding the NCAA’s Frozen Four. Using the hashtag #BucciFrozenFour, the ESPN SportsCenter anchor and voice of the Frozen Four interacted with fans as he prepared for today’s games in Pittsburgh. The questions ranged from who is Bucci’s favorite for the Hobey Baker Award to what kind of sandwich he was eating at Pittsburgh institution, Primanti Bros.
ESPN’s coverage of the Frozen Four gets under way this afternoon on ESPN2 at 4:30 p.m. ET with semifinal No. 1 from Pittsburgh, Pa. featuring Yale versus UMass-Lowell. The second semifinal between St. Cloud State and Quinnipiac airs at 8 p.m., also on ESPN2. Buccigross, Barry Melrose and Clay Matvick are on the call for both games.continue reading…
OTL’s coverage of the fallout from Mike Rice’s firing at Rutgers University continues Sunday at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN with host Bob Ley
Sunday’s Outside the Lines hosted by Bob Ley will provide a comprehensive review of the past five days at Rutgers University and a look ahead for the University as it – and college athletics – move forward after a tumultuous Final Four week. continue reading…
Conan O’Brien brought his show to Atlanta this week to coincide with the 75th Final Four. In tonight’s final episode from the city (11 p.m. ET, TBS), Conan welcomes Charles Barkley and ESPN’s Dick Vitale to the show. The musical guest is Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.
Vitale also enjoyed some time backstage with one of his boyhood heroes, Hank Aaron. Vitale tweeted he was “honored to be with these two legends (Aaron and Barkley).”
Vitale will call Final Four games this weekend for the first time in his career. He will serve as the analyst on Final Four telecasts from Atlanta, calling a semifinal and the championship for ESPN International.
Front Row will have more behind-the-scenes photos from the show on Friday.
(Meghan Sinclair/CONAN)
(Meghan Sinclair/CONAN)
Conan, Dickie V, Hank Aaron and Sir Charles backstage (Will Becton/Team Coco)
ESPN had itself a day on Tuesday with original reporting on four national stories of note.
From Scott Van Pelt’sradio (and SportsCenter’s simulcast) interview with Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott to Outside the Lines’disturbing story of Rutgers coach Mike Rice’s practice behavior to Josina Anderson’s feature on why Derrick Rose hasn’t returned to the Chicago Bulls, the network’s journalists were working overtime to deliver stories on the topics sports fans were most discussing.
The day was capped off with ESPN NASCAR lead reporter Marty Smith obtaining an exclusive sit-down interview with driver Joey Logano, who has been at the center of controversy early in this NASCAR season. Front Row gives some insight into how Smith got the interview: continue reading…
Magic Johnson on Kia NBA Countdown earlier tonight
UPDATE, Sunday 3/3/13 1:25 p.m. ET.
On Sunday’s edition of KIA NBA Countdown on ABC, Magic Johnson expanded upon Friday night’s comments (below) regarding LeBron James and the dunk contest. Additionally, Lisa Salters (through Michael Wilbon) relayed a message from James.
Tune-in Reminder: Today on ABC: Miami Heat at New York Knicks (1 p.m. ET); Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Clippers (3:30 p.m.). Tonight on ESPN: Chicago Bulls at Indiana Pacers (8 p.m.)
Magic Johnson on LeBron “owning” NBA All-Star/$1 million Slam Dunk Contest offer Johnson: What I would like him to do is own NBA All-Star weekend, like [Michael] Jordan did. He’s only owned the All-Star game itself. Come in on Saturday (of All-Star) like you do on Sunday and own that event the way MJ did it.
LeBron James’ response to Magic’s offer (from reporter Lisa Salters)
“Tell Magic I’ll get back to him.”
Bill Simmons: “I’m starting to think LeBron James is a genius. In the past five weeks he’s shooting 65 percent from the field and he’s turned his pre-game dunks into an event.”
During the Knicks-Heat game, analyst Jeff Van Gundy said: “Tell Magic to give me $100,000 to convince LeBron to take his $1 million.”
KIA NBA Countdown next airs Friday, March 8, at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
END OF UPDATE
On the heels of a week that saw LeBron James both dunking and shaking, ESPN’s Magic Johnson upped the ante by luring LeBron to next year’s dunk contest by offering the winner $1 million. The Hall of Famer made his comments during Friday night’s KIA NBA Countdown.
“Please LeBron, get in the dunk contest. I’m going to put up a million dollars. A million dollars to LeBron. Please get in the dunk contest. I go every year. I want to see you out there. A million to the winner.”
The offer came as viewers and the studio team saw James do an over-the-back, off-the-backboard dunk during pre-game warm-ups.
ESPN’s Bill Simmons later raised the stakes further with a tweet offering an additional $200.
According to the Associated Press, The NBA currently pays $100,000 to the dunk contest’s winner and $50,000 to the runner-up.
Countdown Coordinating Producer Amina Hussein confirmed Magic is serious about the offer: “He’s serious,” Hussein told Front Row as the crew watched the conclusion of Grizzlies-Heat, in the 10 p.m. ET hour. “He legitimately just wants the slam dunk contest to be great again.”
Equally serious, according to Hussein, are Rose and Simmons.
“Jalen and Bill keep saying they will chip in $200 a piece!” she said.
So now we’re up to $1,000,400 if you’re keeping score at home.
James and Miami won the game 98-91 and he finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists. And more than a million reasons to consider dunking in NOLA in 2014.
KIA NBA Countdown airs again Sunday, March 3, at 12:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
New England was blitzed overnight with a storm that dumped two feet of snow on ESPN’s Bristol campus. Through a dedicated staff and careful preparation, the network’s non-stop blizzard of sports didn’t miss a beat.
Before us “non essential” employees headed home mid-day Friday, ESPN photographer Rich Arden set up this time-lapse video of the historical storm. It captured a picture every 30 minutes of the first 28 hours of the storm, from Rich’s office, overlooking the ESPN “Dish Farm.” Our corporate cousin Nemo was essential to the project and toughed out the storm – through 30 mile per hour winds and temperatures in the low 20s – managing to swim through the mounting snow.
Time-lapse photography and video production by Rich Arden
Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2013 inductee, ESPN’s Bill Parcells
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee met today in New Orleans to vote on the 17 finalists who had been chosen for consideration.
When this year’s class of inductees was announced shortly before 6:00 p.m. ET, two of ESPN’s football analysts, Bill Parcells and Cris Carter, were among the seven men chosen for enshrinement.
Additionally, offensive linemen Larry Allen and Jonathan Ogden and defensive lineman Warren Sapp are part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s five-man modern-era Class of 2013. Two senior inductees, former Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Oilers defensive tackle Curley Culp and former Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins linebacker Dave Robinson.
ESPN President John Skipper said: “Cris was not only one of the most prolific wide receivers in NFL history, he was a consummate team player who made everyone around him better. Bill Parcells is one of the most respected football minds of his or any era. He won two Super Bowls and helped build multiple franchises from the ground up. Both continue to contribute to the game today by sharing their perspective on ESPN with fans. On behalf of everyone at ESPN, I congratulate them on this prestigious honor and we look forward to being in Canton for the induction in August.”
Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2013 inductee, ESPN’s Cris Carter
Other ESPN NFL commentators also reacted to the news:
“Through the years we had fun saying, ‘Cris Carter, all he does is catch touchdowns.’ Today all he does is get in the Hall of Fame. I congratulate him as a colleague and as a fan. … Bill Parcells’ mark on the NFL is indelible and will be for decades to come. His ability to see football’s little picture and big picture at the same time is remarkable. I congratulate him as a colleague, but much more importantly, I thank him for always reaching for greatness. Today is proof that he achieved it. … Being emcee at the Hall of Fame is one of my favorite days of the year and to share a podium with Cris and Bill will make that day even more special for me, and I can only imagine what it’s going to be like for them.”
– Chris Berman, Host, ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown, and emcee of the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony continue reading…
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J.A. Adande wears many hats at ESPN — he’s an ESPN.com senior writer, an Around the Horn panelist and sometimes host of Pardon the Interruption. Perhaps not as well known is that Adande has another title to his name: educator. Since 2004, Adande has taught at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. He serves as an adjunct professor, teaching Sports Commentary to undergraduate and graduate students (including this Front Row contributor).
An alumnus of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, Adande brings lessons from his own schooling and his experience at ESPN to his students, even running them through mock PTI and ATH exercises to demonstrate that being on camera isn’t as easy as he and his co-panelists make it look.
Front Row recently sat down with Adande to talk with him about his experiences in the classroom, his thoughts on education and how ESPN factors into his lessons.
posted by Tara Chozet on January 8, 2013 2:15 PM
Front & Center: J.A. Adande
ESPN’s JA Adande. (Rich Arden/ESPN Images)
Click HERE to listen or visit iTunes to download the podcast and be sure to SUBSCRIBE to the Front & Center podcast. Also, make sure to check out the ESPN Radio app, available for the iPad.
J.A. Adande wears many hats at ESPN — he’s an ESPN.com senior writer, an Around the Horn panelist and sometimes host of Pardon the Interruption. Perhaps not as well known is that Adande has another title to his name: educator. Since 2004, Adande has taught at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. He serves as an adjunct professor, teaching Sports Commentary to undergraduate and graduate students (including this Front Row contributor).
An alumnus of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, Adande brings lessons from his own schooling and his experience at ESPN to his students, even running them through mock PTI and ATH exercises to demonstrate that being on camera isn’t as easy as he and his co-panelists make it look.
Front Row recently sat down with Adande to talk with him about his experiences in the classroom, his thoughts on education and how ESPN factors into his lessons.
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