ESPN's new website, espnW, "a destination for women who are passionate sports fans and athletes," was already controversial well before it launched. Prominent female sports blogger, Julie DiCaro, called the very idea "insulting," observing that "women already have an ESPN. It's called ESPN." Critical pre-launch coverage of the site in The New York Times and USA Today only added fuel to the fire. Now that the site is live, the question certainly isn't going away: Do women really need an ESPN of their own?
Yes, but this one is poorly marketed (so far): "The biggest issue with espnW.com isn't the [site's color scheme], or the format, or the all-female writing staff," says Kristi Dosh in Forbes. "It's the message." It isn't supposed to be about "segregating women," but ESPN hasn't made that clear in promoting the site. Too bad: There is a definite market of "underserved consumers" whose needs aren't being met by ESPN.
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