There’s been a ton of weird things going on at the “Leader” the past couple of weeks, Mount Rushmore, Hannah Storm’s outfits, and now this. ESPN is launching an all Chicago Sports based website. The site will be called ESPNChicago.com and will launch in April. Via the Tribune….
ESPN believes Chicago has big enough shoulders for another local sports outlet, as it will launch its first Web site devoted to local sports fans.
ESPNChicago.com will provide a “24/7 Chicago sports news operation” starting in April, said Marc Horine, a vice president with ESPN digital media.
Prospective advertisers previewed the site last week, and brewer MillerCoors will be the site’s charter advertiser. If the venture is successful, ESPN could roll out more city-specific sites across the country.
“We already have a user base with millions of people coming to [ESPN.com] looking for Chicago sports,” Horine said. “At its core, the mission is simple: to super-serve Chicago sports fans.”
In addition to sports news, the site will have social-networking aspects, a travel partnership and even a way to organize your local softball team.
I wonder why they went with Chicago, over the likes of New York and DC? Seems unlikely that this will succeed, but who knows….maybe Chicago is desperately in need of online Softball planning tools.
ESPN to launch new site devoted to Chicago sports (Chicago Tribune)
