ESPN has begun its three month-long recognition of Title IX. It has already launched a dedicated microsite and begun some programming initiatives.
ESPN’s networks will be all over the 40th anniversary weekend in June with documentaries, espnW features and a whole host of women’s sports. Let’s see what ESPN has planned for June 23.
ESPN Networks to Offer a Variety of Women in Sports Programming Throughout Title IX Anniversary Weekend
ESPN Schedule on June 23 Includes WNBA, USA Softball and Several Studio Shows
ESPN will offer a weekend of events and studio shows June 22-24 featuring women in sports across its networks — ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3 and ESPN Classic – highlighted by a full day of programming Saturday, June 23. The offering is part of the network’s three-month companywide initiative, The Power of IX, recognizing the 40th anniversary of Title IX, signed June 23, 1972.
The June 23 multi-network programming will be tied together, beginning at 11 a.m. ET, through studio coverage from ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., headquarters. ESPN soccer analyst Julie Foudy will host from a Title IX-themed set and welcome special guests who have impacted or been affected by the law throughout the day. ESPN will also report from Liberty State Park in Jersey City, N.J., where more than 30,000 Girl Scouts will be part of the B.I.G. Celebration (Believe in Girls) and the 100th anniversary of the organization.
“I am extremely proud of ESPN for recognizing and focusing on the 40th anniversary of this legislation,” said Carol Stiff, vice president, programming & acquisitions at ESPN. “The hours of programming multiple ESPN networks are dedicating on June 23 show the company’s ongoing commitment to increasing the coverage of women’s sports.”
ABC
SEC Storied: Lolo Jones — One of the brighter stars in the history of the LSU women’s track and field dynasty is Lori “Lolo” Jones. A standout hurdler, she won three NCAA titles and 11 All-American honors. But Jones had to overcome significant obstacles to get there. “Lolo” will explore her inspiring rise from an unstable home life to national stardom that included a spot on the 2008 United States Olympic team. The film will include her stunning disappointment in the 2008 Beijing Games and her journey to make it back to the Olympics this summer. This fourth installment of SEC Storied will run at 4 p.m., and also on ESPNU at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.ESPN Sports Saturday — A weekly look at the biggest stories in sports at 5 p.m., the show will include a discussion of Title IX. The show typically consists of informative debate from ESPN programs such as Pardon the Interruption, First Take, SportsNation, and Mike & Mike In the Morning, as well as game previews and predictions from NFL Live, College Gameday, NBA Countdown, Baseball Tonight and more.
ESPN
ESPN’s coverage will kick off with segments on SportsCenter at 11 a.m., with segments previewing the day’s events and sharing special Title IX vignettes and memories.Two WNBA games will highlight ESPN’s day — Chicago Sky at Minnesota Lynx at 12:30 p.m. and Los Angeles Sparks at Phoenix Mercury at 9 p.m. The four teams include Olympic Gold Medalists; NCAA National Champions; NCAA Women of the Year; Naismith, John R. Wooden and State Farm Players of the Year; All-Americans; Conference Players of the Year and NCAA record holders.
The NASCAR Nationwide Series – Road America 200 from Elkhart Lake, Wis., at 3:30 p.m.features Danica Patrick, one of the most successful women in the history of American racing. She is the only woman to win in the IndyCar Series and she is the highest female finisher at the Indianapolis 500 (third).
USA Softball will take on the Canadian National Team at 7 p.m. from Oklahoma City in the Title IX 40th Anniversary Celebration Game. The teams include current and former student-athletes who are now playing at an elite level.
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Sporting Chance is a Title IX documentary produced by the NCAA in conjunction with Creative Street Entertainment Group.E:60 Women’s Special will take some of the top profiles, investigations and stories of the series that featured female athletes. The newsmagazine show will run at 1 p.m.
A U.S. Women’s Soccer Special will air at 5 p.m., a 30-minute program showcasing the 1999 U.S. Women’s World Cup gold-medal winning team in a feature, followed by a roundtable discussion about the impact of Title IX on the growth and success of women’s soccer in this country. The panel will include soccer and women’s sports notables.
ESPNU
Honda Sports Awards will showcase the Collegiate Women Sports Awards program that annually recognizes the accomplishments of top female athletes in NCAA-member colleges with a variety of prestigious awards. ESPN’s Sage Steele will host the live 60-minute special from ESPN’s Los Angeles Production Center at 3 p.m.ESPN3
National Pro Fastpitch will stage a doubleheader between the Florida Pride and Carolina Diamonds, at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.ESPN Classic will have more than 50 hours of women’s programming relating to Title IX beginning Friday and running through Sunday.
Additional details will be announced at a later date.
ESPN’s Title IX — June 23 Programming (subject to change)
11 a.m. — SportsCenter, ESPN
11:30 a.m. — Women’s Athletic Programming, ESPN Classic
Noon — Sporting Chance, ESPN
12:30 p.m. — WNBA Game: Chicago Sky at Minnesota Lynx, ESPN
1 p.m. — E:60 Women’s Special, ESPN2
1 p.m. — National Pro Fastpitch: Florida at Carolina (Charlotte), ESPN32 p.m. — SEC Storied: Lolo Jones, ESPNU<
3 p.m. — NASCAR Countdown, ESPN
3 p.m. — Honda Sports Awards (ESPN’s Los Angeles Production Center), ESPNU3:30 p.m. — NASCAR Nationwide: Road America 200 (Elkhart Lake, Wis.), ESPN
4 p.m. — SEC Storied: Lolo Jones, ABC
4 p.m. — NCAA Women’s Championships Programming, ESPNU
4 p.m. — National Pro Fastpitch: Florida at Carolina (Charlotte), ESPN35 p.m. — Sports Saturday: Week in Review, ABC
5 p.m. — U.S. Women Soccer National Team Documentary, ESPN27 p.m. — USA National Softball vs. Canada (Oklahoma City),ESPN
7 p.m. — SEC Storied: Lolo Jones, ESPNU8 p.m. — Sporting Chance, ESPNU
9 p.m. — WNBA Game: Los Angeles Sparks at Phoenix Mercury, ESPN
9 p.m. — NCAA Women’s Championships Programming, ESPNU
9 p.m. — Women’s Athletic Programming, ESPN Classic
There you have it.
