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Andscape
Type of site
Media and entertainment
Available inEnglish
OwnerESPN Inc.
EditorRaina Kelley
URLandscape.com
CommercialYes
LaunchedMay 17, 2016; 8 years ago (2016-05-17)

Andscape, formerly The Undefeated, is a sports and pop culture website owned and operated by ESPN. Launched May 17, 2016,[1] the site describes itself as "the premier platform for exploring the intersections of race, sports and culture."[2]

History

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In 2014, ESPN announced the creation of a new website "that will provide in-depth coverage, commentary and insight on sports, race and culture directed towards the African-American audience".[3] Editor-in-chief Jason Whitlock described the then-unnamed site as a "Black Grantland",[4] a reference to the now-defunct ESPN sports website overseen by popular sports columnist Bill Simmons. Whitlock said the name "The Undefeated" was inspired by a passage from American poet Maya Angelou: "You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated."

While the site was still in development, a Deadspin report alleged that Whitlock was "poisoning" The Undefeated with an unconventional management style that made it difficult for the site to attract and retain prime talent, with several anonymous sources documenting an extremely negative work environment.[5] On June 12, 2015, Whitlock had been removed from his post,[6] and he attributed his dismissal to "numerous reasons, including my foolish belief that I could manage like a football coach. I learned there's an art to corporate politics that I'm not good at."[7]

On October 19, 2015, Kevin Merida, author, journalist and Washington Post managing editor, took over the editor-in-chief position at The Undefeated.[8] He left to become executive editor of the Los Angeles Times in 2021. Raina Kelley, who was the managing editor since 2015, became editor-in-chief.[9]

On February 27, 2022, The Undefeated officially changed its name to Andscape. The name change was because Andscape intended to expand into book publishing, live experiences, music, television and film, but ESPN and Disney did not own The Undefeated trademark outside of news and commentary.[9]

Notable achievements

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On June 25, 2016, Michael Jordan issued an exclusive statement to The Undefeated announcing his $2 million donation to organizations working to improve police-community relations.[10] In August 2015, The Undefeated hosted a town hall meeting entitled "An Undefeated Conversation: Athletes, Responsibility, and Violence."[11] The event occurred at the South Side YMCA in Chicago. Among the panelists was Chicago native and Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade, who appeared via satellite. Other panelists included Chicago Bulls point guard Rajon Rondo, former Detroit Pistons point guard Isiah Thomas, WNBA/Chicago Sky guard Cappie Pondexter, and ESPN analysts Doug Glanville and Marcellus Wiley.

On October 11, 2016, the site hosted "The Undefeated Conversation with President Obama: Sports, Race and Achievement", a forum at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "ESPN's The Undefeated to Launch May 17 – ESPN MediaZone". April 18, 2016.
  2. ^ "About". June 15, 2015.
  3. ^ "Three Journalists Join Jason Whitlock's ESPN Site for African-American Audiences – ESPN MediaZone". November 18, 2014.
  4. ^ "Jason Whitlock and the Messy Saga of ESPN's 'Black Grantland'".
  5. ^ Howard, Greg. "How Jason Whitlock Is Poisoning ESPN's "Black Grantland"".
  6. ^ "Jason Whitlock Out as Head of ESPN Website Built for Him". The New York Times. June 13, 2015.
  7. ^ Boren, Cindy (October 14, 2015). "Jason Whitlock begins his 'Explanation' with a few shots at Deadspin". Washington Post. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  8. ^ "Kevin Merida Named Editor-in-Chief for "The Undefeated" – ESPN Site on Sports, Race and Culture". ESPN MediaZone.
  9. ^ a b Barnes, Brooks (February 28, 2022). "ESPN Rebrands Black-Focused Undefeated Site as Andscape". The New York Times. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  10. ^ "How The Undefeated Got Michael Jordan Exclusive".
  11. ^ Bembry, Jerry (August 26, 2016). "Hard stories of violence and loss".
  12. ^ Rascoe, Ayesha. "Obama tells students at town hall about how failures have shaped him". Archived from the original on October 12, 2016.
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