TheUndefeated finally ready for ESPN debut

Longdelayed site will focus on content from an AfricanAmerican perspective

TheUndefeated.com, ESPN’s new site featuring sports stories and other content from an African American perspective, is launching Tuesday. The network’s long-awaited digital-storytelling venture has been plagued by management turbulence.

Dubbed “the Black Grantland” — a reference to the defunct ESPN-owned sports commentary site once run by sports journalist Bill Simmons — TheUndefeated’s 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.

TheUndefeated will publish long-form stories derived from original reporting, shorter stories aimed at going viral and “provocative commentary to enlighten and entertain African Americans, as well as sports fans seeking a deeper understanding of black athletes, culture and related issues,” according to ESPN, which is owned by Walt Disney Co.

The launch page contains an essay by editor-in-chief Kevin Merida on the site’s mission; a story on the lynching 100 years ago of Jesse Washington, a 19year-old farmhand; a profile of retired Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch; and a profile of Nate Moore, an AfricanAmerican producer at Marvel.

The site has four sections — sports, culture, The Uplift and HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities). “The Uplift will feature a daily stream of multimedia — written text, photo, audio, video, et al — joy, inspiration, acts of heroism, pro athletes’ community service, short profiles of younger athletes on the rise, and some of the most memorable moments in sports and culture,” ESPN said.

The HBCUs section will run stories related to black colleges, including a weekly ranking of bands and football program profiles. It will also develop a network of college correspondents to provide writing opportunities for African-American students.

Last November, ESPN hired Merida, who was the managing editor of The Washington Post, to lead TheUndefeated’s editorial team, which had been stuck in limbo after the site’s founder, Jason Whitlock, was fired earlier in the year. Whitlock, who was a sports columnist at ESPN before being tapped to create the new site, was fired after several managerial mishaps, including capricious decision-making and inappropriate and offensive emails, according to a series of stories by sports blog Deadspin.

GETTY IMAGES FOR TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL Kevin Merida told USA TODAY in December he hoped the rebooted site would have “an urgent feel” and “some swagger.” But “most importantly,” he said, “it won’t be predictable.”