ESPN Press Room reports as part of its expansion and commitment to multidimensional content on the intersections of sports, race and culture, The Undefeated has added two experienced journalists as senior editors at the ESPN media platform.
What’s Happening:
- Former Charlotte Observer journalist Mike McCray joins as senior editor for daily digital content, as well as Erik Horne arrives from The Athletic to serve as senior editor for sports.
- Mike McCray joined The Undefeated from The Charlotte Observer, where he worked on audience growth and retention for the North Carolina-based media outlet from 2018.
- Erik Horne, a news editor at The Athletic in Oklahoma City for the past two years, joins The Undefeated as a senior editor for sports.
- McCray, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, is a 2009 journalism and mass communication graduate from North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro. McCray’s credit includes award-winning CARRUTH, which won Sports Illustrated’s 2018 Best Podcast, and Brooklyn: How A Black Community Was Erased from Uptown Charlotte, which earned The Charlotte Observer its first regional Emmy nomination.
- Horne was the web editor and producer at NewsOK.com, the digital arm for The Oklahoman – from 2013 – 2015, covering Oklahoma high school sports, the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder and college sports at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University. He then covered the Thunder from 2015 – 2019 for The Oklahoman as a beat writer.
- The Undefeated is ESPN’s multiplatform content initiative exploring the intersection of sports, race and culture. The Undefeated’s digital hub, launched in May 2016, combines innovative long-form and short-form storytelling, investigation, original reporting, and provocative commentary to enlighten and entertain African Americans and sports fans seeking a deeper understanding of Black athletes, culture and related issues. In addition to its cutting-edge content, The Undefeated seeks to be a thought-leader on race, sports, and culture in the country convening insightful forums to discuss and debate topical issues affecting sports and race in America.
What They’re Saying:
- Raina Kelley, ESPN Vice President and Editor-in-Chief, The Undefeated:
- “I am very pleased to welcome Mike and Erik – two tremendously talented journalists – to the team,”
- “Their experience, creativity and innovation within the profession will expand our gaze on Black experience across sports, culture, fashion, and everything.”