In conjunction with International Women’s Day, ESPN has revealed details about its month-long “Fifty/50” initiative celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX in June. ESPN is programming a serie…
ESPN is programming a series of short and long-form documentaries directed and produced by women to commemorate the landmark federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in any educational institution that receives federal funding and gives women the equal opportunity to play.
Debra OConnell, president of Networks for Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, called Fifty/50 a significant initiative for the company and its affiliates, adding, “the breadth of content is a reflection of the progress that has occurred over the last 50 years and how much more is still to be done.” and Nicole Newnham titled “37 Words,” ESPN revealed that the network will kick off Title IX 50th anniversary programming on June 1 with “Fifty/50 Shorts.
“Fifty/50 Shorts” will air on ESPN 2 and will be followed by Kristen Lappas’s “30 for 30” three-part docuseries, “Dream On.” The series chronicles the formation of the 1996 U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team; its gold medal performance at the Atlanta Games; and the groundwork the players laid, leading to the birth of the WNBA. “Dream On” will premiere June 15 on ESPN.
“I wanted to make this series because I think Title IX is one of the most misunderstood civil rights laws,” Porter toldin May. “It was enacted in the early ’70s coming right out of the Civil Rights movement when there was so much activity around race. Women saw how successful that could be, and really modeled a lot of their activism against the successful civil rights activists. I thought that was a great story.