ESPNW’s The Power of Title IX

Dear Women in Coaching Blog Readers:

In 2010, the Entertainment and Sports Network (ESPN) launched a venture described as the online destination for female sports  fans and athletes known as ESPNW.   The goal of ESPNW is “to provide an engaging environment where women are an integral part of the sports conversation — where you can share your perspective on men’s and women’s sports.” ESPNW is not the first destination for female sports fans and athletes, however.

A century ago, Constance Applebee, who introduced the sport of field hockey to women in the United States in 1901 and founded the American Field Hockey Association, was the innovative and creative force behind the first women’s sports publication, The Sportswoman (1924-1936).

As revolutionary as The Sportswoman was, media ventures focusing exclusively on women’s sport have had difficulty surviving over the long haul, although it should be noted that a good 60% of new publication projects typically fail within the first year regardless of topic.  In her 2005 thesis, University of Florida student Lisa Shearer, provided an overview of some of the most significant attempts at women’s sports publications, including Her Sports, Real Sports, Sports Illustrated for Women, and Women’s Sports & Fitness.   Some of the challenges associated with women’s sports publications have included identifying the niche market (team or individual sport participants or both); focus (female sport participation or elite level women’s sports); content; and the stability of the business plan.

There are aspects in the development of ESPNW that suggest that this may unlock the formula to women’s sports coverage that will change the landscape now and into the future.  First, ESPN has a vested interest in tapping into the women’s sports market, a market that has grown exponentially over the past four decades.  Second, ESPN has an economic interest in this experiment succeeding given relationships with the NCAA to broadcast an increasing number of women’s championships.

This week, ESPNW premiered The Power of IX, a companywide project that will provide programming across multiple platforms to demonstrate what ESPN President, John Skipper said was a commitment to vibrant coverage of women’s sports.   According to Skipper,  “We’ve analyzed the impact of Title IX in the past, and to emphasize the impact of the law at its 40^th milestone, we’re expanding our efforts in a way we have never done before. From specific television programming to an entire issue of ESPN The Magazine devoted to women in sports to a robust microsite on espnW.com, we intend to shine a spotlight on the evolution of women’s sports.”

If today’s edition is any indication of what lies ahead, there will be plenty of inspiring stories to check out.  An interview with President Barack Obama reveals that he has been coaching his daughter Sasha’s basketball team for the past three years.  The obvious delight he has taken in the role of father-coach comes through in the piece along with his view of the importance of athletics in the lives of girls.

ESPNW has made it through the first year and appears to be picking up momentum.  It will be interesting to see where the path leads in terms of balanced coverage of women’s sports in the future.

Kindest regards – Ellen

Ellen J. Staurowsky, Ed.D., Professor, Department of Sport Management, Drexel University