For 10 years, ESPN and ABC have been putting on special programming to commemorate V Week, a weeklong tribute to the V Foundation, a cancer research organization founded by ESPN in memory of North Carolina State basketball coach Jim Valvano.
This, the 11th year of such programming, featured a decidedly contemporary addition. Twitch partnered with ESPN for a 24-hour live-streaming marathon that concluded Wednesday.
The streaming show took place in downtown Los Angeles and featured esports gamers, Twitch commentators and ESPN TV personalities. Twitch’s DoA, Machine and Tasty Steve accompanied Rachel Nichols, Marcellus Wiley, and Arash Markazi from ESPN to tell stories about how cancer has impacted them. Other Twitch and ESPN hosts were also in attendance.
Watch The Jimmy V 24-hour Charity Stream – “Don’t Ever Give Up” – Nov 28-29 at 3pm ET from ESPN Esports on www.twitch.tv
“As we approach our annual V Week, we can reflect on the tremendous progress we have made every year,” ESPN president John Skipper said in a statement through the V Foundation. “All of us have had too many reminders of cancer’s devastating effects and therefore the critical nature of the V Foundation’s cause. During V Week, we take pride in sharing heartfelt stories and inspiring journeys, while documenting the wide-ranging challenges that our friends and loved ones face.”
Twitch was also involved in giving calls to action and tracking live donations to the V Foundation, as well as offering game giveaways, interaction with viewers, and free, unauthenticated global access.
Videos taken from the livestream event reveal Twitch and ESPN hosts talking and playing esports, as well as clips of major figures discussing how cancer has affected them.
“V Week provides the V Foundation an excellent opportunity to reach out to men and women across the country and ask for help in our quest to end cancer,” Susan Braun, the V Foundation’s CEO, said in a statement. “ESPN so generously provides platforms for 10 days to make this happen and develops opportunities and content that make this message clear. This year’s theme, ‘Cancer is…,’ teaches us about who cancer touches. We end with our own ‘Cancer Is’ – it is on its way out!”
Watch The Jimmy V 24-hour Charity Stream – “Don’t Ever Give Up” – Nov 28-29 at 3pm ET from ESPN Esports on www.twitch.tv
