To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the passing of Title IX, ESPN is rolling out a month-long, original-programming push – including documentaries and podcasts – in June to highlight the fight for gender equality in sports and culture and began promoting this in March through a 30-second spot timed to leverage International Women’s Day on 8 March.
The network ran the commercial on-air and across its digital and social platforms to preview the Title IX project and build awareness and excitement ahead of the programming platform.
The video, which was created by agency Arts & Letters Creative Co, it honours the stories of Title IX and of the women who have and who continue to move the world forward.
It features actress Tessa Thompson reading the text of Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in any education institution that receives federal funding.
“This initiative is an incredible undertaking by our team to provide a 360-degree view of the journey of women in sports and to underscore our commitment to telling women’s stories,” commented ESPN Chair Of Sports Content Jimmy Pitaro. “Fifty/50 promises to be a project about a story in progress, examining where we’ve been and where we’re headed.”
“Fifty/50 is such an important and exciting initiative, and we set out to make something that honored the past 50 years and all the women who have moved the sports world and the world at large forward,” added Arts & Letters Creative Director Molly Jamison. “By using a seamless interconnected visual technique against the simple, but powerful 37 words of Title IX, we showed how each contribution and person in this fight has pushed progress and created unstoppable momentum into the future.”
The campaign was created for an ESPN team which included Laura Gentile (EVP, Commercial Marketing, Disney Networks & ESPN), Rachel Epstein (Senior Director, Emerging Properties & Brands), Christina Ryan (Marketing Manager, Emerging Properties & Brands), Amanda Marcotullio (Marketing Manager, Emerging Properties & Brands) and Stennett Smith (Associate Marketing Manager, Emerging Properties & Brands) by Arts & Letters Creative Co.
The agency team was led by Charles Hodges (Founder, Executive Creative Director), Molly Jamison (Creative Director), NJ Placentra (Creative Director), Lillian O’Connor (Creative), Brett Simone (Creative), Temma Shoaf (Director of Production), Calleen Colburn (Executive Producer), Rachel Acors (Senior Producer), Rich Weinstein (Managing Director), Brenda Schneider (Group Business Director), Hill Shore (Business Director), Erin Shepherd (Business Manager), Andy Grayson (Director of Strategy), Jessica Sartoretto (Strategy Director), Alex Morrison (Strategy Director), Millie Tunnell (Strategist), Nana Dadzie (Strategist), Lenora Cushing (Director of Business Affairs), Jennifer Kmetzsch (Business Affairs Assistant), Casey Wheeler (Music Supervisor) and Tom Anesta (Group Manager).
Editorial was handled by Cosmo Street Editorial, colour by Company 3, audio by Wave NY and licensing was courtesy of University of Illinois, Schlesinger Library, Harvard Radcliffe Institute and The562.org
Comment
On 23 June, 1972, the 92 US Congress passed what is widely referred to as ‘Title IX’: a federal civil rights law in the USA passed as part of the 1972 Education Amendments which prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or other education program that receives funding from the federal government. Title IX is arguably best known for its impact on high school and collegiate athletics: giving women athletes equal rights of participating.
The programming slate in June will include 50 female sports stories told in multiple formats: ranging from long-form reporting to documentary storytelling, plus podcasts, features, and digital and social platforms.
They will include:
> 37 Words: A four-part docuseries from Dawn Porter, a central piece of the content looking at the decades-spanning fight to nullify Title IX’s significance; the rippling impact of the law across society, access and equality; and how that struggle continues today
> Fifty/50 Shorts: A series of stand-alone short docs about women in sports and battle for equality – made by directors Allison Glock, Kate T. Parker, Shayla Harris, Bethany Mollenkof, Elizabeth Lo and Bonni Cohen, and executive producer Robin Roberts
> Dream On: A three-part 30 for 30 docuseries about the 1996 U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team and how it led to the birth of the WNBA
> Our America – Fifty/50: A collection of eight short documentaries profiling young women and girls associated with the Women Sports Foundation and espnW’s Sports 4 Life Program
This initiative broke during ESPN’s Women’s History Month programme.
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