ESPN execs previewed the planned debut next week of The Undefeated, saying the new site devoted to the intersection of race, sports, and culture will aim to be “fearless, but not reckless.” The Undefeated Editor-in-Chief Kevin Merida and ESPN Exec VP/Global Strategy & Original Content Marie Donoghue said the site will feature a broad mix of traditional journalism, essays, photography, first-person narratives, video, audio and other content forms. The scheduled May 17 launch of The Undefeated will arrive more than two years after ESPN originally hired Jason Whitlock, now with Fox Sports, in a failed effort to build the site. “This has been a long time in coming, but we’re very excited about what it’s become,” Donoghue said, adding the hire of Merida last fall from the Washington Post ranks among her most successful deals. Specific features planned for The Undefeated include a daily blog titled All Day overseen by Clinton Yates, previously at the Post with Merida; tales of heroism and inspiration called The Uplift; a series of short films developed in partnership with noted filmmaker Spike Lee called Spike Lee Little Joints; and a fact checking of various boasts made in the sports world entitled Show Me The Receipts. A series of long-form features will begin in part with a piece on Browns QB Robert Griffin III. The site also intends to have regular contributions from and interactions with other ESPN staffers, including Michael Wilbon, Michael Smith and Jemele Hill. Politics will also be a prominent topic, and The Undefeated intends to cover the two national political conventions this summer. “Not conventional. Never boring. That’s our tagline, and it’s a lot to live up to, but that’s our mission,” Merida said.
NO SPECIFICS ON STAFF NUMBERS: Donoghue and Merida declined to discuss specific staffing numbers for The Undefeated, but Merida said the current headcount is “a good number to get us started.” Despite the site’s rather difficult pre-launch history and increasing investor scrutiny on all of ESPN, Merida insisted he will have free reign editorially to delve into difficult angles surrounding race and politics in sports. “People are looking for more light than heat,” he said. Launch sponsors have not yet been disclosed, but ad sales for the venture are being overseen by Senior VP/Multimedia Sales Wendell Scott.
