ESPN is single-handedly making sure you despise the Miami Heat this season.
ESPN.com will launch a section on their website called The Heat Index, dedicated just to the Miami Heat.
Mike Wallace and Brian Windhorst, who we mentioned last week being on ESPN.com’s radar, will headline the editorial contributions when the section launches on Oct. 11.
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Normally I would just touch on a few of The Heat Index features, but I want to list them all in order to emphasis the overkill coverage:
- breaking news surrounding the Miami Heat;
- coverage of every Heat game and team practice;
- constantly updated aggregation of all ESPN stories regarding the Heat;
- Chase for 72 – an automated, daily forecast of how many games the Heat will win including ESPN.com’s John Hollinger projecting the odds of the Heat matching the Chicago Bulls’ record of 72 wins;
- Tracking the Big 3 – an automated tracking of how James, Wade and Bosh stack up against the best trios in NBA history;
- Heat Tweets – a module that collects tweets from Heat players and fans;
- complete video, podcast and story contributions from ESPN reporters Marc Stein, Chris Broussard, Chad Ford, Chris Sheridan, John Hollinger and Ric Bucher;
- Heat content from ESPN TV analysts;
- Hollinger Stats – automated applications featuring Hollinger’s analytics on the Heat team and players;
- Hollinger’s All-Time Power Rankings – a ranking pinning the Heat against the NBA’s all-time great teams;
- Triple-Double Tracker – a module tracking James’ progress towards averaging a triple-double for an entire season;
- Hoop Schemes – basketball analysis and video breakdowns by TrueHoop’s Arnovitz;
- video analysis by Scout Inc.’s David Thorpe;
- live chats during each Heat game involving Heat Index contributions;
- a Heat Index Facebook page;
- photo galleries of Heat players and celebrity fans;
- The Scene – Jemele Hill covering the culture, scene and lifestyle angles tied to South Beach as it relates to the Heat and the buzz surrounding the team;
- contributions from athletes, including former Heat players, and celebrities who live in South Florida and are regulars at Heat games.
Really?
I guess this is what ESPN had in mind about doing things to serve sports fans.