What it does: ESPN is a sports-broadcasting network offering sports fans thousands of live sports events and programs.
Mission: ESPN's mission is to serve sports fans in the community, anytime and anywhere, so fans are able to have the SportsCenter in the palm of their hand.
Size and presence: ESPN employs around 4,000 employees in the USA alongside an approximated 8,000 worldwide.
Best known for: ESPN is known for being the leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment brand providing a plethora of sports highlights, talk shows and pre-taped and live telecasts.
The good bits: ESPN has planted itself as the world’s leading sports digital platform, reaching approximately 76 million television households in just the United States as of 2021 and features the broadest portfolio of multimedia sports assets and proving highly sought-out internships and graduate opportunities.
The not-so-good bits: ESPN garnered popularity through its inclusive and fun workplace however, there have been complaints that it can be difficult to advance in your career as there is not much room to grow.
The roots of ESPN were planted by its founder Bill Rasmussen in 1979 when he was fired from his communications manager job for the New England Whalers. All his life, Rasmussen has had a love for sports and had a brilliant idea of creating a cable television network that would cover all sporting events held in the state of Connecticut as, during that time, channels were limited to specific sports and their teams.
Inspired by this idea, Rasmussen and his colleagues set out to seek support from cable operators and potential investors, naming the sports channel, Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESP) but were met with disinterest and a lack of support. Despite this, they were still able to find a way to broadcast their new sports channel at United Cable which shot their channel into fame. With the launch of satellite communication, their channel could be broadcasted to the whole country resulting in a wide audience.
Rasmussen and his son were able to further expand on their original concept, deciding that their channel would show a variety of sports 24/7, received adequate funding and bought the property and set up their headquarters. Now, ESPN is now considered a World Wide Leader of the sports industry and its popularity is only increasing.
ESPN's core values include “care, respect, diversity, teamwork, creativity, quality, integrity, the aggressive pursuit of new ideas, audience growth and building shareholder value,” and this certainly shines true as the company recognizes the importance of maintaining these values at their company.
Moreover, whether you are an intern or a fresh graduate taking your first entry-level job, ESPN garnered a reputation of being a fun and friendly place to work wherein the work pace is comfortably fast and you get the chance to have a flexible schedule catered to you and your own needs. Moreover, as an employee at ESPN, you’re always on the move to proactively contribute innovative ideas that will help further grow the company- your thoughts will always be wanted so get that brain working. So get ready to join a fun and exhilarating environment where you get to share your love of sports with like-minded teammates and get the chance to meet with professional athletes as a bonus!
ESPN has been named one of the best companies for fresh graduates to start their careers and offers internships during the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters to all students currently enrolled in college and are graduating within 12 months of the internship. Departments for interns to explore include: Technology, Communications, Programming, Digital Media and more.
In order to apply for an internship or a job, navigate to the careers section of the ESPN website wherein you can filter out the results of the search according to the category, region, state, and job level. Once, you find an internship or job that suits you, you may click on the ‘Apply’ button wherein you will be asked to fill in your required details and make sure to ensure they are accurate and correct.
Following this, you will be asked to submit a cover letter that contains your resume and according to the position, they may ask you to answer a few questions in order to gauge your skill level and personality. Once the company processes your application and finds that it meets their requirements, you will be invited to either an on-site interview or a phone interview wherein they will ask questions related to the job position and your level of experience and skills. After your interview, it typically takes about two days to two weeks to receive an offer and from there, you may start the onboarding process unique to your department.
ESPN prides itself in creating digital media products that are to be consumed by millions of fans globally and is looking for strong performers who can help them achieve that. As an intern or a fresh graduate on their first job, ESPN promotes a great learning environment wherein you are able to have the opportunity to learn and improve your skills through a multitude of training options they provide.
Here in ESPN, it was reported that seniors such as your managers position your training for promotion and career advancement, providing support and providing you with enough autonomy to make decisions in addition to this, as internal promotions are preferred over hires, it is more likely for interns to be offered full-time positions after their work duration and current employees to scale up the ladder.
ESPN offers competitive wages to its employees wherein the average hourly pay range for interns starts at $18 per hour but may differ according to which department you belong to. Fresh graduates and entry-level employees may receive an average of $51,000.
ESPN has seen how sports have the encompassing ability to transform lives and has made it its goal to provide multi-faceted community initiatives, charitable giving and volunteerism and utilising their platform to uplift diverse communities. The company has helped more than 1.3 million youth access sports, ensuring every person has the opportunity to try by hosting Special Olympics Sports programs while also being a staunch supporter of cancer research, raising over $100 million since 1993.
During the pandemic, ESPN Pay-TV Carriage suffered financial loss as it shrank 10% to end the 2021 fiscal year and announced that it would lay off 300 employees, about 6% of its global staff, leaving 200 positions unfilled, especially in the broadcasting department.