Behind The Scenes

Inside ESPNDeportesLA.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp3_6Ce918o

Editor’s note: Tuesday, ESPN and most other television outlets are presenting their best wares for the media and major advertisers at the Upfront in New York City. The recent launch of ESPNDeportesLA.com is among the major announcements ESPN will make at the Upfront. As Deputy Editor of ESPNDeportesLA.com, Mario Fraticelli explains how the new website addresses one of ESPN’s company priorities for 2011-12, to better serve the U.S. Hispanic sports fan.

LOS ANGELES –- The Census Bureau recently reported that the Hispanic population in the United States grew by 43 percent in the last decade, exceeding the 50 million mark. Today, approximately 1 out of 6 Americans are Hispanic.

Look around and you’ll notice that the United States has steadily become a landscape of multiculturalism.

And above the diversity, there’s one common element: We love sports.

On May 5, ESPN Deportes launched ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com, the first Spanish-language site fully dedicated to covering sports for the local fan. The site features exclusive, relevant and original content focused on analysis and opinion.

By going live, ESPN Deportes sent a clear and loud message: We are fully committed to serving the US Hispanic Sports fan both at a national and a local level.

The site features exclusive access to Latino athletes and coaches in Los Angeles. Most importantly, we want you the fan to be part of the Journalistic experience.

We will trigger debates based on our team of experts’ proactive analysis — and as part of the process, the opinion of the L.A. fan will be solicited and featured.

The site features contributions from veteran ESPN reporters and well-known writers connected closely to the city of Los Angeles.

Because Mexican-Americans represent the majority of Hispanics in Los Angeles, we’ll also have writers reporting directly from Mexico.

They’ll cover stories on anything from Mexico’s National Tournament, the National Team (El Tri) and Mexican Wrestling (Lucha Libre).

Meet the team:

· Rafa Ramos, one of the most esteemed sports journalists in Los Angeles, serves as a general columnist. Ramos offers Los Angeles fans his vast experience in sports. Most recently, Ramos served as a reporter and soccer columnist for La Opinión, the largest Spanish-language daily newspaper in the U.S. Ramos also continues to work as a panelist for Juego Cruzado, the network’s Spanish-language version of , and also as co-host of ESPN Deportes Radio’s morning show Raza Deportiva.

· Enrique Rojas from ESPNdeportes.com also serves as a general columnist, covering all the baseball-related local news. With more than 20 years of journalistic experience, Rojas’ reports on MLB breaking news have had unprecedented international impact.

· Miguel Ángel Cebreros is the host of the show A Los Golpes on ESPN Deportes Radio. Cebreros has solid contacts in the boxing world, particularly in L.A.

· Rigo Cervantez will be one of the site’s MLS columnists. His main beat will be the Chivas USA. He currently does the play-by-play for Chivas USA’s radio broadcasts in L.A., and has served as a writer for ESPN Deportes La Revista.

· Noel Piñeiro joins ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com to cover LA’s NBA and MLB teams. Noel has years of experience reporting on international events for El Nuevo Día in Puerto Rico.

· Gonzalo Aguirregomezcorta will cover the L.A. Galaxy, after spending the last few years reporting on the New York Red Bulls and international friendlies for Spain’s El Mundo newspaper.

· Fernando López, Ricardo L. Juárez and Adrián López are based in Mexico, each covering stories which are relevant to the Mexican sports fans in L.A.

· Sebastián M. Christensen will report stories from Miami on several sports categories with a focus on the L.A. fan.

ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com is a solid step forward in the continued growth of ESPN Deportes’ digital presence in the United States – one small step for mankind; one giant leap for the Spanglish kind.

ESPN believes in growth. There will be more.

In the meantime, let us stand as one nation, indivisible, with liberty and sports for all.

Mario Fraticelli is the deputy editor for ESPNDeportes.com and ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com, overseeing content for both sites.

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