Fort Worth's Sundance Square to be home to ESPN during Super Bowl XLV

FORT WORTH, Texas (July 21, 2010) - Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief and Ed Bass, developer of Sundance Square, announced today ESPN, Inc. has chosen downtown Fort Worth's Sundance Square as its production headquarters for Super Bowl XLV. More than 80 hours of ESPN television coverage, as well as ESPN Radio shows, and other related content across ESPN's multimedia platforms will be based out of Sundance Square. On-site telecasts will begin Monday, January 31, 2011 and all shows will be open for free public viewing.

"I cannot think of a better partner for Fort Worth than ESPN," said Mayor Mike Moncrief. "Super Bowl week is going to be very special for our citizens and ESPN will add to the excitement. We welcome the ESPN team into our family."

ESPN selected Sundance Square for its ability to showcase the historic Tarrant County Courthouse, skyscrapers and the notable settings in and around Sundance Square. ESPN will construct a large outdoor set in the Chisholm Trail lot at the heart of Sundance Square with Richard Haas' three-story trompe l'oeil The Chisholm Trail mural as the backdrop. A separate ESPN Radio set and a demonstration field will also be built in this area. Equipment and production trucks will sit adjacent to the Chisholm Trail lot on the parking lot near the Flying Saucer.

Some of ESPN's most popular programs will originate from Sundance Square throughout the week, including daily editions of Mike & Mike in the Morning, SportsCenter, NFL Live, a special three-hour edition of Sunday NFL Countdown on Super Bowl Sunday and more. Chris Berman, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Ron Jaworski, Keyshawn Johnson, Suzy Kolber, Stuart Scott, Hannah Storm, Trey Wingo and Steve Young are among the many on-air commentators expected to be featured throughout Super Bowl week, along with top guests from the world of sports and entertainment. Program schedules will be released at a later date and all shows will be open for public viewing.

"This is one of the biggest broadcasting opportunities we have ever hosted," said Ed Bass, Sundance Square developer. "As the cultural heart of the city, Sundance Square offers the perfect location, availability of space, and built-in audience where ESPN can interact with our visitors. ESPN will benefit from this dynamic urban environment and Fort Worth will be showcased as a vibrant, authentic, and diverse city to millions of people across the country."

ESPN the Magazine has also chosen Fort Worth as the site for its annual NEXT event, one of Super Bowl week's top parties. ESPN the Magazine will announce the event venue later this year.

ESPN's Super Bowl week coverage from Fort Worth will be seen and heard across ESPN's many domestic networks - including in Spanish on ESPN Deportes - and available in more than 100 countries and territories via ESPN International. In addition, ESPN Radio 103.3, the wholly-owned ESPN property based in Dallas-Ft. Worth and one of 750 ESPN Radio affiliates nationwide, will broadcast from Sundance Square during the week.

"The city and business leaders from Fort Worth and Sundance Square have welcomed ESPN with open arms, and we are thrilled that our production headquarters, ESPN The Magazine's NEXT party and other related events will originate from this world-class destination throughout the week of Super Bowl XLV," said ESPN Executive Vice President John Skipper.

Super Bowl XLV will be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on February 6, 2011.

Passing Of A Brand?

George Steinbrenner's death means a lot of things to a lot of different people. It certainly has brought pain and anguish to his loved ones. It has Yankees players, executives and staff looking back and reflecting on the time they spent with one of baseball's most iconic leaders. It had fans, whether for or against him, observing a moment of silence in his honor at last night's All Star Game. One of the least talked about losses, however, is the loss of the personal brand attached to Mr. Steinbrenner.

What does it take to elevate one's personal brand to such great heights? First of all, it takes commitment. In this case, it was commitment to a game and, more specifically, to an organization. It was also a commitment to excellence: never accepting less than the best. Many people ridiculed and despised Mr. Steinbrenner and the Yankees for this unrelenting dedication to success. Others will don those iconic pinstripes their entire lives because of it. The bottom line: whether you love or hate the Yankees, you know who they are. This is due largely in part to George Steinbrenner.

Building such a salient personal brand also takes time. Steinbrenner purchased the Yankees with a group of investors in 1973 for a reported $10 million. He quickly became notorious for his rapid turnover of management and player personnel. It wasn't out of the ordinary for Steinbrenner to pay top dollar for a free agent, only to engage in public feuds with him shortly after. This certainly wasn't the best way to garner attention, but it was effective in keeping Steinbrenner and the Yankees in the headlines year after year. Before long, this behavior was expected - a brand was born.

Steinbrenner continued with these antics throughout his career, even receiving a lifetime ban from baseball in 1980 (he was reinstated in 1993). Along the way, however, he was wildly successful in winning championships. Many fans will argue that these championships were undeserved, as they came as a result of one of the most outlandish payrolls in baseball history. No matter how you look at it, though, the trophies and rings are still there.

So what does it take to create a personal brand so iconic and recognizable? Many of the same things it takes to create any successful brand: time, awareness and consistent delivery of an expected experience (or in this case, behavior). How then, you might ask, can Mr. Steinbrenner's personal brand mean such drastically different things to different people? After all, most people are divided between loving or loathing him. The answer is simple: no matter how hard you work to establish the brand that you wish to be remembered by, your true brand will always be at the discretion of the public.