JULY 22, 2011:

Walt Disney World announced today that it would no longer host ESPN The Weekend, an annual event staged in Disney's Hollywood Studios, usually around the first weekend of March. The event was first created in 2004 in support of ESPN's 25th anniversary. Disney cited its evolving relationship with ESPN via the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, which it says offers "new opportunities for millions of athletes, coaches and fans, and hundreds of hours of ESPN programming, making our guests part of the show. In addition, the sports complex has become home to the ESPN Innovation Lab, which is the official development hub for ESPN’s 3D network."

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MARCH 3-6, 2011

2011 Photo Gallery

Sunday Times Guide Page 1 (very large image)
Sunday Times Guide Page 2 (very large image)

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CELEBRITIES TENTATIVELY SET TO ATTEND THE 2011 ESPN THE WEEKEND

Athletes		ESPN Personalities
Jose Bautista Bert Blyleven Anquan Boldin Joba Chamberlain Tony Dorsett Donald Driver Chris Duhon Julius Erving Larry Fitzgerald Curtis Granderson Darrell Green Mia Hamm Brandon Jacobs Greg Jennings Jair Jurrjens Carlos Lee Cliff Lee Karl Malone Kevin McHale Rashard Mendenhall Urban Meyer Alonzo Mourning Jameer Nelson Chad Ochocinco Gary Payton	Hunter Pence Martin Prado Darrelle Revis Jason Richardson Cal Ripken Jr. Mariano Rivera Wandy Rodriguez Bart Scott Mike Singletary Tim Tebow Frank Thomas LaDainian Tomlinson Justin Verlander Roddy White Bernie Williams DeAngelo Williams Jason Witten Phillie Phanatic Albert E. Gator Penn State Nittany Lion Oregon Duck Homer the Brave Captain Fear the Buccaneer Sebastian the Ibis	Skip Bayless Derrick Brooks Tedy Bruschi Linda Cohn Colin Cowherd Jay Crawford Jose del Valle Herm Edwards Nomar Garciaparra Mike Golic Mike Greenberg Carolina Guillen Merrill Hoge	Dana Jacobson Ron Jaworski Brian Kenny John Kruk Candy Maldonado Hernan Pereyra Jorge Ramos Karl Ravech Mark Schlereth Howie Schwab Sage Steele Bobby Valentine Dick Vitale Trey Wingo Quinque Wolff

Former Gators Coach Meyer, NFL Stars Ochocinco and Tomlinson and Popular ESPN Personalities Headline ESPN The Weekend at Disney

Eighth annual event at Disney's Hollywood Studios to feature
35 superstar athletes as well as two dozen ESPN on-air personalities

To find the latest updates on Twitter for ESPN The Weekend, go to @DisneySports and search #ESPNWKND.

LIVE ON-SITE BROADCASTS AND STAGE SHOWS
ESPN will present live telecasts – including "Baseball Tonight," "First Take" and "NFL Live" from a set in front of Mickey's Sorcerer's Hat on Hollywood Boulevard at Disney's Hollywood Studios.  Park guests will have a chance to appear on-air via crowd shots while watching the programming on video screens.  Popular ESPN Radio shows "Mike & Mike in the Morning" and "The Herd" with Colin Cowherd will be broadcast live from the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex March 3-4.

As Major League Baseball Spring Training games get underway in Florida, ESPN's on-site program lineup will feature a special two-hour " Baseball Tonight" with host Ravech and analysts Garciaparra, Kruk and Valentine from the theme park March 6 at 4 p.m. ET as ESPN's popular baseball news, information and highlights show kicks off its 21st season.

ESPN Deportes' "Beisbol Esta Noche" with Carolina Guillen and Candy Maldonado will broadcast from Disney's Hollywood Studios, while "Jorge Ramos y Su Banda," with Jorge Ramos, Hernan Pereyra and Jose del Valle, will go live from ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

Radio Disney's on-air personality Ernie D will be broadcasting live from ESPN The Weekend on Saturday, March 5 and Sunday, March 6 at 2 p.m. ET, featuring interviews with athletes.

Additionally, live stage shows will bring fans and guests behind-the-scenes of some of the network's most popular programs, including "Baseball Tonight," "First Take," "NFL Live" and "Stump the Schwab."  The shows will provide an inside look at favorite athletes, teams and ESPN programs.  Fans can get into the action themselves by asking questions directly to ESPN personalities and athletes.

ESPN SPORTS ZONE INTERACTIVE AREA
The ESPN Sports Zone will give guests of all ages the opportunity to test their skills at a wide variety of sports.  MLB-, NBA-, NFL- and BASS-themed interactive areas within the Zone will have fans swinging for the fences, shooting baskets and throwing passes, as well as Dick's Sporting Goods' Sports Caravan, a multi-sport interactive area.

ESPN RADIO'S MIKE & MIKE HOST "ULTIMATE GUY'S WEEKEND"
ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike in the Morning"will broadcast live from ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Thursday and Friday, March 3-4 (6-10 a.m. ET). Co-hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic will also host the "Ultimate Guy's Weekend" during ESPN The Weekend, including activities such a round of golf, Friday Night Fights, a clambake and much more. ESPN Radio's popular morning-drive show launched in January 2000 and today is heard (and seen on ESPN2) by more than 12 million listeners each week on more than 350 stations nationwide.

YANKEE LEGEND TO PERFORM NIGHTLY
Four-time MLB world champion turned classical guitarist Bernie Williams, who closed out last year's event with a live performance on "Baseball Tonight," returns and will perform all three nights at the Sorcerer Hat Stage to close out the day's activities. The former New York Yankee outfielder, who plays and composes his own music, has released two albums, The Journey Within and Moving Forward. 

FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex will host its first-ever "Friday Night Fights" on March 4, with six professional bouts planned for the Jostens Center. The marquee event features two undefeated fighters, NABF Light Heavyweight Champion Ismayl Sillakh (14-0-0) and challenger Yordanis Despaigne (8-0-0), headlining a series of bouts scheduled to air on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. ET.

5K ROAD RACE AND FUN RUN
The Champion 5K at Dick's Sporting Goods Presents ESPN The Weekend returns for its third year at Disney's Hollywood Studios on Saturday, March 5, at 7 a.m., challenging runners along the course with ESPN and sports trivia and will feature athletes and ESPN personalities, including Jay Crawford, Dana Jacobson and Trey Wingo.  The 5K will benefit The V Foundation for Cancer Research, and all participants will receive a T-shirt and finisher's medal.  There will also be a Fun Run for kids at 8 a.m.  To register, visit runDisney.com.

TICKETING AND ADMISSION
Event activities are included in regular admission to Disney's Hollywood Studios.  The Walt Disney World innovative ticket pricing system, Magic Your Way, provides guests with the opportunity to customize their vacations and Florida residents can save on tickets all year long.  Separate tickets must be purchased for events at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

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Archives

February 26-28, 2010

2010 Photo Gallery

ESPN The Weekend Presented by Dick's Sporting Goods Returns to Walt Disney World Resort

Disney's Hollywood Studios to Host Ultimate Sports Experience

More Than 30 Superstar Athletes & Two Dozen Popular ESPN Personalities 

ESPN and the Walt Disney World Resort are again offering fans the opportunity to see and hear many ESPN personalities, including Mike & Mike in the Morning co-hosts Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg, who are celebrating their 10 years together next week. In addition, current and legendary athletes on hand include Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia and former Heisman Trophy winner and current University of South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier.  ESPN The Weekend presented by Dick's Sporting Goods, Feb. 25-28, is a one-of-a-kind sports-themed special event at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park and the newly re-imagined ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. 

Additionally, ESPN personalities John Anderson, Tedy Bruschi, Colin Cowherd, Ron Jaworski, Karl Ravech, Sage Steele, Dick Vitale and Trey Wingo are scheduled to participate, along with more than 30 athletes, including running back Maurice Jones-Drew, tight end Jason Witten, kicker Adam Vinatieri and safety Brian Dawkins; New York Yankees CC Sabathia and Joba Chamberlain; MLB legends Curt Schilling, Bernie Williams and Hall of Famers Andre Dawson and Jim Palmer; NFL Hall of Famers Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and Darrell Green; former LPGA golfer Annika Sorenstam; and U.S. Olympic gold medalists Shawn Johnson and Brandi Chastain, among many others. The ESPN personalities and sports celebrities expected to attend the sixth annual event are listed at www.espntheweekend.com

Celebrities tentatively scheduled to attend 2010 ESPN The Weekend:

Athletes Mike Alstott Lance Berkman Joba Chamberlain Brandi Chastain Brian Dawkins Andre Dawson Mary Jo Fernandez Josh Freeman Darrell Green Devin Hester Robert Horry Steven Jackson Shawn Johnson Maurice Jones-Drew Jim Kelly John Lannan Rick Mahorn Misty May-Treanor Rashard Mendenhall Chad Ochocinco Roy Oswalt Jim Palmer Hunter Pence Scottie Pippen Darrelle Revis Ray Rice CC Sabathia Curt Schilling Annika Sorenstam Steve Spurrier Frank Thomas Thurman Thomas Kyle Vanden Bosch Adam Vinatieri Bernie Williams DeAngelo Williams Jason Witten Ryan Zimmerman Harlem Globetrotters

ESPN Personalities John Anderson Skip Bayless Michelle Beadle Derrick Brooks Tedy Bruschi Colin Cowherd Jay Crawford Bruce Feldman Mike Golic Mike Greenberg Jay Harris Dana Jacobson Ron Jaworski K.C. Joyner Eric Karabell John Kruk Tim Kurkjian Chad Millman Buster Olney Sal Paolantonio Karl Ravech Mark Schlereth Howie Schwab Chris Singleton Sage Steele Bobby Valentine Dick Vitale Trey Wingo

ESPN The Weekend will feature on-site telecasts of popular ESPN programs (beginning Thursday, Feb. 25), including Baseball Tonight, First Take, Mike & Mike in the Morning, NFL Live and interview segments on SportsCenter, motorcades and Q&A sessions with athletes and ESPN personalities; Inside ESPN sports shows with commentators and athletes; live ESPN Radio broadcasts; and the ESPN Sports Zone interactive area.  Dick's Sporting Goods will serve as presenting sponsor of the event for the fourth consecutive year. 

This year, the event branches out to the soon-to-be relaunched ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, formerly Disney's Wide World of Sports, for a special performance by the Harlem Globetrotters and two days of Major League soccer action, which help kick off the grand opening of the 220-acre multi-sport venue.  

To find the latest updates on Twitter for ESPN The Weekend, go to @DisneySports and search #ESPNWKND. 

LIVE ON-SITE ESPN TELECASTS
ESPN will present live telecasts -- including First Take and NFL Live -- from a set in front of the Disney's Hollywood Studios Sorcerer's Hat on Hollywood Blvd.  Park guests will have a chance to appear on air via crowd shots while watching the programming on video screens.  Popular ESPN Radio shows Mike & Mike in the Morning and The Herd with Colin Cowherd will be broadcast live from the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Feb. 25-26. 

As Major League Baseball Spring Training games get underway in Florida, ESPN's on-site program lineup will feature a special two-hour Baseball Tonight with host Karl Ravech and analysts John Kruk, Bobby Valentine and Chris Singleton from the theme park Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. ET as ESPN's popular baseball news, information and highlights show kicks off its 21st season.

MIKE & MIKE CELEBRATE 10 YEARS TOGETHER

ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike in the Morning will celebrate the show's 10th anniversary at the newly-re-imagined ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World on Wednesday, Feb. 24 (6-10 a.m. ET).  ESPN Radio's popular morning-drive show hosted by Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic launched in January 2000.  Today the show is heard (and seen on ESPN2) by more than 12 million listeners each week on more than 350 stations nationwide.

INSIDE ESPN
Live stage shows will bring fans and guests behind-the-scenes of some of the network's most popular programs, including SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight, First Take, NFL Live and Stump the Schwab.  The shows will provide an inside look at favorite athletes, teams and ESPN programs.  Fans can get into the action themselves by asking questions directly to ESPN personalities and athletes.  

DREAM JOB – THE EXPERIENCE
Guests who think they have what it takes to be on SportsCenter can experience what it's like to audition for ESPN.  Select contestants will go through a series of on-air tasks and the audience will select the best sportscaster during each show.  ESPN personalities and sports celebrities will help mentor contestants as part of the experience.

MOTORCADES AND CONVERSATIONS
Periodically throughout each day, sports stars will motorcade up the park's Hollywood Boulevard to the stage at the base of the Sorcerer's Hat and join ESPN commentators for conversations about their careers and Q&A sessions with park guests. 

ESPN SPORTS ZONE INTERACTIVE AREA
The ESPN Sports Zone will give guests of all ages the opportunity to test their skills at a wide variety of sports.  MLB-, NBA-, NFL- and BASS-themed interactive areas within the Zone will have fans swinging for the fences, shooting baskets and throwing passes, as well as Dick's Sporting Goods' Sports Caravan, a multi-sport interactive area. 

ESPN WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS COMPLEX RE-LAUNCH EVENT

ESPN innovation and entertainment joins the magic and hospitality of Walt Disney World Resort when the gates open with a special grand opening event at the newly re-imagined ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on Feb. 25.  Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall, and a number of other popular athletes and ESPN personalities are expected to be in attendance, along with George Bodenheimer, President, ESPN, Inc. and ABC Sports, Meg Crofton, President, Walt Disney World Resort and Ken Potrock, Sr. Vice President, Disney Sports Enterprises.  From a state-of-the-art digital center, to professionally kept fields and courts, there will be no other sports facility like this on Earth.  Key festivities include a special grand opening ceremony, live ESPN Radio broadcasts and a variety of sports competitions.  Opened originally as Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in 1997, the multi-sport complex annually hosts more than 300 events a year, including Atlanta Braves Spring Training at Champion Stadium. 

HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS

The world-famous Harlem Globetrotters take center court to help tip off the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex relaunch Thurs., Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.  The clown princes of basketball, including Globetrotter stars Special K Daley, Flight Time Lang and Big Easy Lofton, have entertained fans for more than 84 seasons and boast over 23,000 wins.  This special performance will feature Greenberg and Golic as honorary coaches, along with a number of other popular athletes and ESPN personalities joining in on the fun at the Milk House.  The game will air on ESPN2 the following day, Friday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m., and ESPN's Emerging Technology Group will use the game as a test for the company's planned ESPN 3D network launch this summer.   

5K ROAD RACE AND FUN RUN

The Champion 5K returns for its second year at Disney's Hollywood Studios on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 7 a.m., challenging runners along the course with ESPN and sports trivia and will feature athletes and ESPN personalities, including John Anderson, Dana Jacobson and Trey Wingo. The 5K will benefit The V Foundation for Cancer Research, and all participants will receive a T-shirt and finisher's medal. There will also be a Fun Run for kids at 8 a.m. To register, visit www.disneyenduranceseries.com

MLS AT ESPNWWOS

Helping kick off the relaunch at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, four Major League Soccer clubs, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, the New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC, will compete in the inaugural Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic Feb. 25 and 27.  On Thursday, Feb. 25 the Houston Dynamo faces the New York Red Bulls at 6 p.m. followed by FC Dallas versus Toronto FC at 8:30 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 27, the two losing teams will kick off at 6 p.m. with the two winners playing in the championship game at 8:30 p.m.

TICKETING AND ADMISSION

Event activities are included in regular admission to Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.  Walt Disney World Resort's innovative ticket pricing system "Magic Your Way" provides guests with the opportunity to customize their vacations, and Florida residents can save on tickets all year long.

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