A new vehicle for Jay Marrioti perhaps???

"I wonder why they went with Chicago, over the likes of New York and DC?"

I'd say the main ESPN site covers New York quite well. And Chicago is a bigger market than DC. Makes sense to me.

DC???? Yeah because everyone wants to know when the Wizards are going to lose by 20 next.

What was that about Hannah Storm?

Also, the two newspapers are in a weakened state right now and might be susceptible to Web competition.

Don't forget the corporate synergy with ESPN 1000 radio. (For those on the backside of 50, the 1000 dial position was once the home of rock'n'roll station WCFL.)

That's what I was thinking too, gmoney. But the bigger question: when are they going to come up with ESPNRichmondva.com?

Don't forget the corporate synergy with ESPN 1000 radio.

Exactly, and the other cities with major ESPN Radio affiliates (NY, LA, Dallas, even Pittsburgh) will get their own ESPN.coms soon enough.

maybe Chicago is desperately in need of online Softball planning tools.

The New Market Mallers will go to any lengths to keep Al Bundy off their team.

103.3 FM of Dallas is the best ESPN Radio affiliate, primarily because I'm a Mavericks fan. The funny thing is I like all Dallas teams except the Cowboys. Not even an LDS mission in Texas could make me a Cowboys convert. I bleed orange and blue. GO BRONCOS!!! Of course, jackasses like TO and Jerry Jones don't make it any easier to be a Boys fan.

Im assuming they went to Chicago because its a big city and its media there is not the be-all, end-all that it is in other cities. For example, ESPN could never grab a foothold in Boston or New York. And they may have avoided DC because they've always had a good relationship with the Washington Post and that paper has one of the best online presences of any mainstream newspaper. Especially when it comes to blogs.

ESPN already has a complete channel and website dedicated to the New York area. It's called "ESPN."

If I'm not mistaken, ESPN Radio's flagship is still AM1000 (also, to those who remember, the old AM Loop).

Also, we know that nobody in L.A. doesn't care about their sports teams.

In addition to owned and operated ESPN Radio station, "Mother Mouse" has an ABC owned and operated TV station in Chicago, unlike Dallas or Washington (The other "trifecta" markets are New York and Los Angeles.)

I see this site being tightly integrated with the ABC station.

Chicago does seem kind of random for them to get a site and no one else. I would think ESPN's alleged NY bias would be a reason TO put up a separate site, to get all that annoying stuff about the Lakers out and perhaps lessen the alleged NY bias on the main site. And what about Boston?

I can't help but think when this gets officially announced there will be one or two other "local" sites as well.