Social Media and ESPN

On the topic of innovative cable news, many of us probably think of Ted Turner and CNN—the first broadcast of its kind to offer 24-7 news in aggregate via network television. Although CNN first launched on June 1st 1980, they were not the first to implement this business model. In fact, ESPN beat them to the punch.

Founded by Bill Rasmussen and his son Scott, ESPN first launched their American-based, global cable and satellite television channel on September 7th, 1979. Today ESPN is a drastically different network which has managed to adapt through the “new media” era to remain the top sports website on the internet despite competition from others like Bleacher Report and Yahoo Sports.

ESPN’s website launched in 1995 and was initially called ESPNet.SportsZone.com. In its early stages, it was nowhere near as impactful and connecting in terms of bringing sports fans together. Thanks to its partnerships with sports leagues and technological advances coming out of silicon valley, ESPN’s website is now a hub of engagement and connection for millions of fans. When viewing their page on the home screen, you can see “ESPN: The Worldwide Leader of Sports” when placing the cursor on the tab. At the top they have live scores and you can even click on any game that is currently being played no matter the sport, which will navigate you to the box score with stats, highlights, the latest tweets from staff writers, and a play by play with minimal animation. You can even follow the news of your favorite teams which are updated at a constant rate. Though you can’t navigate to NBA.com or NHL.com, with the partnerships between ESPN and the multitude of professional sports websites, you can easily get the same information from, let’s say celtics.com. Most of the beat writers for professional sports teams work for ESPN. Within ESPN’s online page there are other sites within the site such as ESPN Deportes, SportsNation, and X games giving users more ways to get the information they need.

You can connect with “The Worldwide Leader of Sports” via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and even ESPN Daily which after signing up, gives the consumer other ways of getting trending sports related news. ESPN Daily has the feel of an email account and “delivers the biggest sports news and moments directly to your inbox.” Another cool way you can connect with ESPN via social media platforms- you can watch shows like Mike & Mike and “join the conversation” by following the show on twitter (@mikeandmike).

You can engage and interact with most if not all of ESPN’s numerous sports shows such as SportsNation, which has it’s own webpage within the ESPN website, and First Take. By connecting with these programs on social media you can implement your own ideas of where the anchors should direct their conversations. This new wave of engagement which was not possible a decade ago has definitely made a huge impact in how ESPN can interact with its viewers.

Sometimes there can be flaws in regards to the use of social media; not just for viewers and fans but also for those employed by said company, which I might add is owned by Disney. There are social media guidelines put in place by ESPN for their anchors and staff writers. Their original policy was released in 2011, revised in twice before the Presidential election, then those were finally tweaked in April of this year.

Recently, SC6 co-host Jemele Hill was suspended for 2 weeks after violating this policy. The guidelines warn against political bias and to avoid “overt partnership, personal attacks, and inflammatory rhetoric on social media.” In September 2017, Hill took to social media to call out Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys after he stated that any player “disrespecting the flag” will not play.

Jerry Jones on 2 Cowboys raising fists at end of national anthem: "I don’t know about that. But if there is anything that is disrespectful to the flag we will not play. You understand? If we are disrespecting the flag we won’t play. Period. We’re going to respect the flag."

— Brandon George (@DMN_George) October 9, 2017

He was referencing the NFL player protests that have recently taken place. From the perspective of the players this protest is supposed to be on the topic of police brutality towards the black community but unfortunately a large portion of Americans took the protests as disrespectful to the flag and members of the U.S. military. Hill later tweeted “if you strongly reject what Jerry Jones said” the key is boycotting his (Jones) advertisers.

If you strongly reject what Jerry Jones said, the key is his advertisers. Don't place the burden squarely on the players. https://t.co/Gc48kchkuv

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 9, 2017

This suspension took place just weeks after Hill’s first incident in which she used Twitter to call President Trump a “white supremacist,” which was in violation of the political bias rule that had been previously implemented.

We now live in a connected world where we are obligated to engage on social media whether as a sports journalist/anchor and fans or in everyday life for that matter regardless of the social environment. This is the current social climate within many professions and as employees we must adhere to the rules that have been executed by our company’s policies. As we can see from the Jemele Hill incident, we must have some sort of awareness as to the dialogue we choose to take on and the execution of said dialogue on social media platforms.

As a sports fan in general, I love the engagement that social media has brought to the world of sports and through ESPN. Its convenience is stellar; allowing consumers to communicate with players, staff, and other fans through a hybrid version of secondary interpersonal communication. We are still in the age of a new frontier where online connection has infiltrated almost every aspect of our lives. It will be interesting to see where this all goes next in terms of sports web pages and engagement with fans and consumer.