| Disney's fifth ESPN affair was this weekend and as usual it was a sports fans nirvana. ESPN is the ABC owned sports information network where anything and everything about sports can be gleaned. The format is very similar to the "Super soap" weekends here at the Studios in November. There are live telecasts from the Sorcerer's Hat Stage, Motorcades with your favorite sports figures, Question and Answer sessions with the Athletes, live chats with many of your favorite sportscaster personalities and stars. Among the many popular formats was the "Stump the Schwab" All-Star Game where you can test your sports knowledge with the acknowledged King of sports trivia, Howie Schwab. In addition behind the "Rock N Rollercoaster" there was the ESPN sports Zone. Here in this interactive hands on "Sports Zone", your whole family can try its hand at experiencing Soccer, Golf, Baseball, shoot some baskets and more.
The fans around the park are really into their sports and many were dressed up in their favorite team uniforms and costumes. I could not help take a few pics of some of the more interesting ones. The most popular formats were the live broadcasts from the Sorcerer's Hat. Many famous luminaries attended; Mercury Morris, Martina Navratilova, Darrell Green and Cal Ripken Jr. to name a few. Also popular was the "Inside ESPN" and "Baseball Tonight" at the Theater of the Stars (Beauty and the Beast Stage). It was a big thrill for me to see Jim Palmer, not 30 feet away discussing baseball. The whole weekend was almost Carnival like, with sports fans going from one event to another. In fact, that was one of the problems. If you have ever attended "Mousefest" in December you would see that many events overlapped or were at the same time.
Many of the fans were disappointed when the "Harlem Globetrotters" could not attend the pre-show on Saturday due to unforeseen circumstances, but on the whole everyone was pleased with the event. As with any appearances by celebrities, they are subject to change without notice. The athletes were enthusiastic and all were very receptive to the fans. The best chance to see your favorite stars was in the Motorcades. There were four cars at the largest, cruising down Hollywood Boulevard nice and slow and presented a great opportunity for photos. Always log on to ESPNtheweekend.com for a list of attendees and appearance dates.
Although I enjoy sports, I am not the rabid fan like many who attended this event. But I can see the attraction this yearly sports gathering brings to many of the faithful. I thought last year seemed more crowded, but it's hard to tell since many guests are here for the park itself. I have uploaded some pictures so maybe you'll catch a glimpse of your favorite star.
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