You might have noticed that I get a bit irritated with the lack of coverage for sports women in the mainstream media? Well, it looks like ESPN has met some other frustrated athletes. They are giving us espnW in the new year. Not a network but a blog and other digital media although so far it's just a FB and Twitter page.
Bloggers seem generally positive. Megan Hueter, a Women Talk Sports blogger posted this: "I think it’s safe to say that, at the very heart of this new business is the mission to serve current and former female athletes… a uniquely different audience, one that’s been struggling for public attention for 38 years." She's talking about the progress/lack of progress (depending on your view) in promoting American women in sport since Title IX. Read about Title IX here.
But on the Mister Women's Sports blog, we get: " What I am confused about, even after reading the opening remarks from the recent espnW retreat, is why ESPN is committing to the creation of a blog rather than bringing more gender equity to their current array of cable channels."
I'm curious to see what they will actually do. It could be an opportunity for women to gain exposure, new fans and sponsorship. Or it could become a backwater used to sideline women's sport or deepen the divide between so-called real sport and girls just messing around.
What do you think - a great idea or are we moving backwards?
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