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The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is a 220- acre state of the art sports facility. It’s quite impressive with the imposing 7,500 seat Cracker Jack stadium.
It is difficult to get to the facility. Having a car helps since the buses only run from a few of the resorts. Buses run from the All Star resorts, Pop Century and Caribbean Beach. There is no parking fee.
ESPN Wide World of Sports serves many purposes. Pre-season training for the Atlanta Braves and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take place here. In addition, it is host to many athletic competitions including the Amateur Athletic Union Championship Events. For a complete schedule, look here: Wide World of Sports
If you’re a sports fan, you may want to head to the ESPN Wide World of Sports to watch a competition. There’s an admission fee that varies depending on the event. Don't bring a lawn chair, and don't plant your umbrella in the turf. This is not allowed. Coolers are allowed but no alcohol and no glass containers. (The cooler policy is subject to change.)
The weekend’s events are scattered around Disney’s Hollywood Studios and are divided into four main categories:
Throughout the weekend, there were athletes who were transported down Hollywood Boulevard in motorcades with Disney characters as a way to get them to the main stage in front of the Sorcerer’s Hat. They would then participate in panel discussions about their respective sports with ESPN hosts. To say the turnout for these motorcades was disappointing would be an understatement.
The panel discussions were somewhat interesting (if you were a fan of the particular sport of the session) but were very rushed as they only lasted around 30 minutes. It was during these sessions that the mantra of the weekend was hammered home: ‘ESPN the Weekend is about you, the fans.’ While not always successfully executed, many of the Q & A sessions did involve fan questions. In addition, fans lined up near the stage exit in an attempt to get autographs (we also saw some of them waiting outside other backstage doors). In comparison, Star Wars Weekends, another fan event held at the Studios, controls autograph sessions by utilizing fastpasses as an attempt to “level the playing field.”
The live tapings of such shows as Baseball Tonight and ESPN First Take drew some of the biggest crowds of the weekend. While it was interesting to witness a live television production in action (somewhat reminiscent of the early days of the Studios) the recordings became stale after a short amount of time because of very little (if any) fan interaction. The shows filmed in the Premiere Theater felt a bit more intimate and personal, perhaps as a result of being off the beaten path.
The best way to describe these two events would be as ESPN the Weekend versions of The American Idol Experience. Held in the Sounds Dangerous Theater (yes, it’s actually being used for something), these two shows each had four performances daily. Dream Job is a reality program on the ESPN Network where contestants participate in different challenges in a competition to become a sportscaster. Stump the Schwab is a very popular sports trivia show where contestants do battle with sports trivia genius Howie Schwab. Both productions lasted approximately 30 minutes and involved regular guests (just like The American Idol Experience). One selling point for these two shows was that they incorporated the celebrities that make the television versions successful. Al Jaffe, a programming executive for ESPN participated in Dream Job and Howie Schwab himself was on stage to go head-to-head with contestants.
Nestled in the back of the park behind Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster was a large area of interactive games that gave guests of all ages the chance to test their skills in their favorite sports. Spread out across this backstage lot were football, golf, baseball, basketball, tennis and even fishing activities. What made this area intriguing was the fact that the athletes in attendance for the weekend would stop by unannounced and participate with guests in their respective sports. For those who may attend this event in the future, I recommend visiting the Interactive Sports Zone early in the day, because the activities did get very crowded as the day went on.
Overall, I have mixed feelings on the weekend. While it was definitely a nice change of pace from the normal offerings of the Studios, I don’t believe it necessitates the devotion of an entire weekend. Had I been an autograph/memorabilia seeker, I may have seen things in a different light. However, I think this event was more catered to fans of ESPN and its properties than fans of sports in general. Bottom line: If you’re already in Orlando when the event is taking place next year and you’re a fan of ESPN, you might enjoy the offerings for a day or so. If you’re not already going to be in town, I don’t know if I’d make a special trip for it.
-David Zanolla
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