Kevin Merida left his prestigious job as the managing editor of The Washington Post in November to lead ESPN’s The Undefeated, a job he says he sees as “an adventure.”
He’ll get his share of excitement. The Undefeatedwas destined to be controversial. Described as “a Black Grantland” — a reference to the now-defunct culture-and-sports site founded by sportswriter Bill Simmons — the site is a new ESPN vertical that aims to chronicle the essential but inherently contentious intersection of culture, race and sports.
The behind-the-scenes interplay of the site’s editors as it geared up for launch was startling and dramatic, much of it exhaustively reported by sports news site Deadspin. The tribulations of its founding editor, Jason Whitlock — his wanton decisions, inappropriate statements during meetings, emails that can be charitably described as undiplomatic — were laid bare by the site.
After Deadspin’s series, Whitlock, whose columns on sports and race at ESPN, AOL, Fox Sports and The Kansas City Star won him fans and detractors in equal amounts, was fired by his ESPN bosses in June, about a year into the project. The forlorn site, visible with about a dozen stories, waits for a relaunch under Merida.
Though other writers’ names surfaced as possible replacements for Whitlock, ESPN’s president, John Skipper, perhaps stung by the experience of tapping a leader with no previous management experience, seems focused on someone who has run a newsroom.
As he recovers from recent knee surgery, Merida says his focus is to define the site’s identity and work with staffers who are “anxious” to get out of the gate.
To read the full interview visit the USA Today where it was originally published
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
