ESPN is launching Fifty/50, an interactive and shared 3D world built for inspiration, education, and reflection in a digital destination that amplifies the network’s content around the month of the 50th anniversary of Title IX.
What’s Happening:
- ESPN continues to explore thoughtful ways to show up in immersive digital platforms. The latest, launching today, is Fifty/50 World, an immersive digital destination that amplifies ESPN’s content around the powerful month championing the 50th Anniversary of Title IX.
- Fifty/50 World runs through June 30, featuring content watch/listen parties, guest speakers, and virtual games throughout the two-week span. All programming inside Fifty/50 World begins at 1p ET.
- Featured within Fifty/50 World includes: Julie Foudy’s Laughter Permitted Podcast, Fifty50 x Special Olympics discussion featuring Loretta Claiborne and Novie Craven, The Ultimate Fighter: Julianna Peña vs. Amanda Nunes, and much more.
- The first interactive virtual event for ESPN features all programming inside Fifty/50 World’s virtual ESPN Wide World of Sports. Additionally, the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando will feature Fifty/50 World content on digital screens throughout the sports complex, also guiding guests to activate via their mobile devices. A photo look into the virtual world can be found here.
- To enter Fifty/50 World, head over to espnfifty50.com.
What They’re Saying:
- Kevin Lopes, VP of Business Development & Innovation, ESPN: “Fifty/50 World is the latest in a long line of innovative firsts for ESPN Edge, as we look to engage our fans in new, exciting, and immersive ways”
- Kati Fernandez, Director of Original Content & Integration, ESPN: “Over the course of two weeks, fans are going to be able to deep dive into this interactive and shared 3D world together to uncover more stories of Title IX and the women moving the world forward.”
Fifty/50 World Programming:
- Thursday, June 16th:
- 1:00 PM ET Dream On Part 1 Screening
- Part one of the three part, three-hour documentary telling the story of how the dominating run to a gold medal by the 1996 United States women’s Olympic team cemented the birth of the WNBA, and inspired generations of stars to follow. The film chronicles the team’s formation; its worldwide tour that preceded the Olympics; its tremendous performance at the Atlanta Games; and its impact that continues to resonate more than a quarter century later.
- 2:00 PM PT Angel City x Fifty50 Talkback with Julie Uhrman and Katia Castorena
- Live Q&A with Angel City Co-Founder Julie Uhrman moderated by Katia Castorena.
- Friday, June 17th:
- 1:00 PM ET A Love Letter to Black Women
- The special amplifies and acknowledges the beauty and the resilience of Black women in sports who create history every day. The message is simple: We love you, but the program is really about themes of admiration, confidence, vulnerability, and strength. We highlight those themes throughout the show before finishing with a special essay, written and voiced by Talaya Wilkins, honoring Black Women behind the scenes at ESPN. In addition to interviews with Serena Williams, Common, Russell Wilson, Lisa Leslie, and Isaiah Thomas, the show also features “Love Letters” from Undefeated contributor Jesse Washington, SportsCenter anchor Elle Duncan, rising music star Jensen McRae, professional softball player A.J. Andrews, and Pittsburgh poet Vanessa German. Followed by a live Q&A moderated by Courtney Smith featuring Sharon Matthews (Executive Producer) And Director Jalaine Edwards of the Black History Always Special.
- Saturday, June 18th:
- 1:00 PM ET: Julie Foudy’s Laughter Permitted Podcast featuring Donna Lopiano
- Laughter Permitted will feature a conversation with Women’s World Cup Champion and Angel City Football Club co-owner Julie Foudy, including Women’s Sports Foundation founder Donna Lopiano on the history of Title IX.
- Sunday, June 19th:
- 1:00 PM ET: Fifty50 x Special Olympics discussion featuring Loretta Claiborne and Novie Craven
- Thousands of people across the country are given a chance to grow and shine through Special Olympics USA. The Special Olympics strives to create a better world by fostering the acceptance and inclusion of all people. Few people have championed this work around the country as much as Loretta Claiborne, winner of ESPN’s ESPY Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, inspiration for the Walt Disney Productions film The Loretta Claiborne Story.
- Monday, June 20th:
- 1:00 PM ET: 144: The Power of the WNBA
- In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 WNBA season was played in Bradenton, Florida; 144 players across 12 teams spent the summer in a bubble. 144 is the inside story of what unfolded on and off the court over the tumultuous two-and-a-half-month season, culled from the extensive, exclusive coverage by ESPN cameras. Followed by a live Q&A moderated by Alex Cooper featuring Directors Lauren Stowell and Jenna Contreras
- Tuesday, June 21st:
- 1:00 PM ET Abby’s Places
- “The 99’ers,” Abby Wambach takes us back to the ‘90s to take a look at one of, if not the most iconic moment in the history of soccer. She’s joined by three of the members of the US Women’s National Team from the 1999 World Cup to relive their incredible run.
- 1:25 PM ET Nine for IX: 99’ers
- The film, directed by Erin Leyden, and produced by Julie Foudy tells the incredible story of the 1999 United States women’s national soccer team, who on July 10, 1999 kicked upside down the world of women’s sports. Before a sold-out crowd of more than 90,000 at the Rose Bowl and an estimated 40 million Americans watching on television, the women’s soccer team reached a cultural and athletic pinnacle with its penalty-kick shoot-out victory over China to win the Women’s World Cup.
- Wednesday, June 22nd:
- 1:00 PM ET: Trinity Rodman
- Charlotte Gibson talks about the profile feature on Washington Spirit forward and USWNT rising star Trinity Rodman. The story is about Rodman making history on the field, earning the largest contract in NWSL history and coming to terms with the complicated relationship she has with her father and NBA Hall of Famer, Dennis Rodman. The feature explores how Trinity, the NWSL Rookie of the Year and the highest paid player in the league, is owning her last name and defining her own legacy in sports. The digital feature was paired with an impressive SC Featured 8-minute video that originally aired on SportsCenter on June 5. Watch the feature followed by a talkback with Gibson moderated by Ericka Goodman-Hughey.
- Thursday, June 23rd:
- 1:00 PM ET: 37 Words Part 1 Screening
- “37 Words” Directed by Dawn Porter & Nicole Newnham. From ESPN Films, Industrial Media, and Trilogy Films, “37 Words” tells the inspiring story of Title IX – the hard-fought battle to push for equal rights in education and athletics; the decades-spanning effort to nullify its impact; and the rippling impacts of the landmark civil rights law that continue to resonate today.
- Julie Foudy’s Laughter Permitted Podcast featuring journalist Katie Barnes
- Laughter Permitted will feature a conversation with journalist Katie Barnes discussing the intersection of Title IX and transgender athletes.
- Friday, June 24th:
- 1:00 PM ET: ABC Owned Television Stations’ Race and Culture Content Team Presents “Our America: Fifty/50″ Hosted by Sofia Carson
- A collection of eight short documentaries profiling young women and girls associated with the Women Sports Foundation and espnW’s Sports 4 Life Program who are working to level the playing field through athletics and activism. Followed by Storytelling Spotlight of the women of Fifty/50.
- Saturday, June 25th:
- 1:00 PM ET: Julie Foudy’s Laughter Permitted Podcast
- Laughter Permitted will feature a conversation with Women’s World Cup, Olympic Champion, and teammate Mia Hamm to discuss how Title IX has impacted both their lives and the lives of their daughters.
- Sunday, June 26th:
- 1:00 PM ET: Somos Latinas
- In a beauty salon in New York City, five accomplished Latina athletes from across generations and disciplines, came together to have an intimate conversation about the challenges they face as women athletes, and navigating cultural and societal beauty standards in their athletic careers.
- Moderated by ESPN Deportes’ Katia Castorena, Somos Latinas features a candid discussion about body image, cultural notions about hair, and the experience of motherhood. The panel includes Olympic gold medalist Mónica Puig, Paralympic gold medalist Nicky Nieves, Olympic bronze medalist and WBC Flyweight champion Marlen Esparza, SEC Gymnast of the Year Luisa Blanco, and UFC fighter Joselyne Edwards.
- Somos Latinas Talkback: Behind The Scenes
- In addition to bringing together a unique group of women athletes to discuss the challenges they navigate in their profession, Somos Latinas brought together another group of talented women who brought this conversation to life. Somos Latinas was produced entirely by women, including all producers, coordinating producer, director of photography, camera operators, field support and video editor, among others. Not by chance, but by design. It was imperative for the success of the conversation to create a safe, comfortable space for the five athletes to open up about their own unique experiences, and to do that they were empowered by an amazing group of experienced and accomplished women in the television industry who not only had their backs during the production, but were best positioned to tell their story honestly and thoroughly.
- Moderated by Santa Brito (Associate Director of Consumer Marketing for ESPN Deportes), this peek behind the scenes of the production, brings together some of the women who made this happen: Maria Soares (Senior Vice President, Production and Content Strategy for ESPN), Mireya Torres (Associate Producer for ESPN), Nubia De La Vega (Lead Video Editor for ESPN), and invites back Luisa Blanco to discuss the importance of having women bringing women stories to life.
- Monday, June 27th:
- 1:00 PM ET: W Studios Fifty50 Shorts presented by Google
- Five W. Studios short films presented by Google, meeting at the intersection of women, sports, culture and the fight for equality. The creators include directors Allison Glock (executive producer W. Studios and Fifty/50) and Kate T. Parker (“Strong is the New Pretty”); Shayla Harris (producer, “Who Killed Malcolm X?”); Bethany Mollenkof; Elizabeth Lo (“Stray”); and Bonni Cohen (“Athlete A”), as well as executive producer Robin Roberts.
- Tuesday, June 28th:
- 1:00 PM ET: The Ultimate Fighter: Julianna Peña vs Amanda Nunes
- The Ultimate Fighter’s 30th season features a coaching matchup of UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Peña and the woman she beat for the title, longtime two-division champ Amanda Nunes. After the season, they will meet in a rematch of the stunning upset Peña pulled off in December to secure the belt.
- Bald Men on Campus Title IX Special
- ESPN College Basketball analysts and podcast hosts Jay Bilas, Seth Greenberg and LaPhonso Ellis will be joined by Kara Lawson and LaChina Robinson to discuss the impact of Title IX on women’s college basketball and the work still to be done.
- Wednesday, June 29th:
- 1:00 PM ET Learn the History of Title IX
- “Learn the History of Title IX” with best-selling author Helaine Becker, History Professor and Women & LGBTQ+ Expert Susan Cain, and 2021 Naismith Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Carol Stiff. The event, a collaboration of ESPN Families, SOMOS ESPN, and ESPN Women, was moderated by ESPN Deportes On-Air Talent, Katia Castorena.
- Thursday, June 30th:
- 1:00 PM ET: The Women & Allies of Fifty/50
- Content and talkbacks highlighting the women and allies of Fifty/50.