Tracking ESPN

ESPN describes itself as the “worldwide leader in sports,” and fulfills this commitment by extending its coverage beyond basic sports reporting.

ESPN embraces the multimedia journalism practice with its news and radio stations, social media accounts on platforms like Twitter and Snapchat, and interactive feature stories.

We are men, wearing makeup, talking about sports. pic.twitter.com/7h22vvaFhk

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 28, 2017

photo courtesy of ESPN Snapchat

ESPN is also the parent company of FiveThirtyEight, the analytics blog known for things like Super Bowl and Presidential election predictions. By hosting FiveThirtyEight, ESPN can add statistics and “data journalism” to its already well-known sports commentary.

Likewise, ESPN produces more features and breaking news about sports than politics. Hosting FiveThirtyEight adds another genre for ESPN to claim and publish, widening its potential audience.

Recent coverage of American politics on FiveThirtyEight includes podcasts, statistical analysis, and other overviews of things like the 2016 Presidential Election and President Donald Trump’s current agenda.

.@FiveThirtyEight on Trump + data:
– Overview: https://t.co/iEnUbs3fbo
– Podcast: https://t.co/zr4ClZQhCZ
– Science: https://t.co/pmmd6GRYlk

— Jody Avirgan (@jodyavirgan) January 25, 2017

screengrab courtesy FiveThirtyEight

This mixture of analytics, up-to-the-minute commentary, and even some “fun” feature stories (like the Snapchat screenshot above) indeed supports ESPN’s claim to become an international sports news source.