Sort of a combo post here because both tidbits are about ESPN, but both were interesting enough to warrant a spot on the site. First up is the news that the "Leader" will soon be charging for some of its video content that was once free to visitors of the website. Via Mediapost....

Over the past several years, ESPN has moved aggressively in making full episodes of its popular debate shows "PTI" and "Around the Horn" widely available on the Internet. First, the shows were carried on ESPN360.com (which is free, but in only 24 million homes). Then, they were moved to ESPN.com, available to everyone for nothing.

No more. Now, in order to view the duo on ESPN.com, a person must be what's called an ESPN Insider and pay a fee ($6.95 a month, $39.95 a year).

ESPN is also looking at curtailing access to some of the live events it provides at no cost on ESPN360.com--where it offers a wealth of high-profile simulcasts of games seen on its networks. Here again, the programmer has been ambitious in expanding its offerings, which include NBA playoff games; Duke vs. North Carolina and other top college basketball games; SEC football; and starting last summer, Major League Baseball.

I had always wondered why they put so much time and effort into a free service, but their video content had gotten so good over the last few years, I wasn't about to complain. It stinks for fans of those shows and that content, but it certainly makes good business sense.

As far as our second little item, it seems as if ESPN the Mag will be letting Maria Sharapova run things for an issue. Every so often, the Mag will grab an athlete to edit its pages for an issue (Chad Johnson, Matt Leinart), and the Tennis star will be the next one to do so. According to Deadspin though, they are having some issues finding Ms. Sharapova assignments....

Folks,

Maria Sharapova is going to be the "Editor-in-Chief" of our Athletes Issue. She accepted this responsibility with great enthusiasm and would like, for an issue, to focus her efforts for the Magazine toward revamping the fashion-sense of America's favorite athletes. She has two ideas:

-The make-over. She wants to redo the style of LeBron (even though he only wears Ralph Lauren's premium label), Carmelo Anthony, Reggie Bush etc.
-The Best Dressed/Worst Dressed list. It's debut in our pages.

Why am I going on about this? Because we need to come up with some other things she can do in addition (or in place of) the above. Ideally, some of you have ideas that put to use her interest in style and applies it to our pages. I'd love to hear any and all thoughts on the matter. There are no stupid ideas. Please take a few minutes and ask yourself "If Maria Sharapova were my boss for a day, how could she make the magazine better?" And then send me what you come up with. By Wednesday, please.

I think when you say "there are no stupid ideas", you're pretty much setting yourself up for some stupid ideas. Hopefully they don't embarrass her too much. Good times at the "Leader"!

No Free Ride: ESPN Charges For Some Web Shows (Media Post)
ESPN Mag To Get a Sharapova-cized Makeover (Deadspin)