The Undefeated, ESPN's website dedicated to the intersection of sports, race and culture, officially launched this morning, and Editor-in-Chief Kevin Merida posted a mission statement on the site, writing the staff will be "brave, adventurous and independent, refusing to be crushed by the setbacks that inevitably will happen along the way." Merida writes, "We’ll produce a rich mix of original reporting, innovative storytelling, provocative commentary, must-see video, narratives and investigations. We aim to be vibrant, soulful, smart, dope. Unapologetic and unpredictable. We will work hard to live up to our motto: Not conventional. Never boring." He wants the site to feel "urgent, necessary, not dutiful." Merida: "We won’t shrink from challenging subjects: the image and depiction of black athletes, black ownership in professional sports, the evaluation of black coaches. But we also need more on how black athletes think and dream, their views about love and leadership" (THEUNDEFEATED.com, 5/17). NBC's Chuck Todd wrote on Twitter, "Excited for one of DC's best journos @meridak who launched The Undefeated today. Great essay kicks things off." N.Y. Times Magazine's Greg Howard noted The Undefeated "went live today, and it looks gorgeous" (TWITTER.com, 5/17). USA TODAY's Roger Yu notes the May 17 launch date "was chosen to coincide with the 62nd anniversary of the Supreme Court's 'Brown v. Board of Education' decision, which declared separate schools for black and white students unconstitutional" (USA TODAY, 5/17).
OPENING DAY ACTIVATION: MetroPCS and Ford have signed on as launch sponsors of the venture. Both companies have significant displays on the main page and across the site. Ford, in particular, will sponsor The Undefeated’s Culture section, an area ESPN describes as “a fun, illuminating personality column of loves, likes and dislikes,” featuring various athletes, authors, actors, designers, musicians and other cultural influencers. MetroPCS will be featured in the site’s Uplift section, which focuses on stories of triumph, heroism and inspiration (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer). The lead story on The Undefeated this morning is a piece by Lonnae O'Neal in which she spends 36 hours with former NFLer Marshawn Lynch. That story is the first story in the Sports section, while a profile of Marvel's Nate Moore is the top story in the Culture section. Highlights from speeches of various recent graduation speakers tops the HBCU section, while the photos of the week are featured in the Uplift section (THE DAILY).
VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE: NPR's David Folkenflik noted ESPN over the years has "encouraged a lot of reporting that deviates from pure sports coverage," and the Undefeated's staff includes a "former White House reporter for The Washington Post, a former BuzzFeed editor to cover entertainment (and) a fashion and style writer." NPR's Kelly McEvers noted the Undefeated's "small staff carries big aspirations, and lots of swagger" ("All Things Considered," NPR, 5/16). Merida appeared on ESPN Radio’s “Mike & Mike” this morning and said, "We have this amazingly talented staff that's come from a lot of different places. They're really here because they want to plum this topic, which is really just how we see race in sports, the intersection between sports and culture. They want to do new, innovative reporting, different kind of storytelling, to really help explain black athletes in a way that sometimes they felt they haven't been explained and understood" (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 5/17).
DON'T STRAY TOO FAR: ESPN Public Editor Jim Brady in his latest filing noted the "key question for The Undefeated is whether the form in which it has to fit into the larger ESPN business and culture is able to withstand the challenges that will surely come its way." When ESPN shuttered Grantland last fall, one reason was a "desire to move away from culture coverage." However, that is a "core part of The Undefeated, and remains an occasional subject for FiveThirtyEight, as well." Merida said that sports "will be at the site's core." He said, "We exist because the race part is in there, but sports will be the center of it." Brady noted from a strategic standpoint, launching a "site geared toward African-Americans is a no-brainer for ESPN." According to the net’s research and analytics department, 29 million African-Americans visit ESPN "every week and spend an average of 9 minutes, 23 seconds" on the net’s various platforms -- 80% "more than the average ESPN consumer." Additionally, Brady noted from an editorial standpoint, The Undefeated "plans to rethink storytelling in unique ways" (ESPN.com 5/16).
