Editing ESPN2 (section)

==History==
ESPN2 launched on October 1, 1993, at 7:30 p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|ET]]. Its inaugural program was the premiere of ''SportsNight'', a sports news program originally hosted by [[Keith Olbermann]] and [[Suzy Kolber]]; Olbermann opened the show and the channel by jokingly welcoming viewers to "the end of our careers."<ref name="usatoday-keith">{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2007-08-23-Olbermann-NFL_N.htm |title=Olbermann's career veers onto NFL path |work=USA Today |access-date=September 25, 2012 |first=Michael |last=Hiestand |date=August 28, 2007}}</ref> Launching with an estimated carriage of about 10 million homes, and nicknamed "The Deuce",<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mandell |first=Nina |date=August 2, 2018 |title='Dodgeball' director on origins of ESPN 8 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ftw/2018/08/02/dodgeball-director-on-origins-of-espn-8-it-just-kind-of-writes-itself/111209324/ |access-date=2019-01-27 |website=USA Today |language=en}}</ref> ESPN2 aimed to be a more informal and youth-oriented channel than parent network ESPN. The youthful image was also reflected in its overall presentation, which featured a [[graffiti]]-themed logo and on-air graphics.<ref name="baltimoresun-espn2">{{cite web |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1993/10/01/whether-you-get-it-or-not-espn2-has-no-tie-to-the-tried-and-true/ |title=Whether you get it or not, ESPN2 has no tie to the tried and true |publisher=Baltimore Sun |access-date=September 25, 2012 |date=October 1, 1993 |archive-date=October 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001232654/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1993-10-01/sports/1993274121_1_sportsnight-sportscenter-olbermann |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="sbnation-usedtoshow">{{cite web |last=Pincus |first=David |date=January 14, 2013 |title=Remembering stuff ESPN used to put on TV |url=https://www.sbnation.com/2013/1/14/3767596/old-espn-tv-shows |access-date=October 29, 2024 |website=SB Nation |publisher=Vox Media}}</ref>

Its initial lineup featured studio programs such as ''SportsNight''—which host Keith Olbermann characterized as a "lighter" parallel to ESPN's ''[[SportsCenter]]'' that would still be "comprehensive, thorough and extremely skeptical", ''[[Talk2]]''—a nightly talk show hosted by [[Jim Rome]] that was billed as an equivalent to [[CNN]]'s ''[[Larry King Live]]'', ''Max Out''—an extreme sports [[anthology series]] carried over from ESPN, and ''SportsSmash''—a five-minute recap of sports headlines which aired every half-hour. ESPN2 also carried several half-hour, sport-specific studio programs under the ''2Night'' banner, such as ''[[NFL Live|NFL 2Night]]'', ''[[NHL 2Night]],'' and ''[[ESPN SpeedWorld|RPM 2Night]]''. Event coverage would focus on coverage of mainstream sports popular within the 18–34 age demographic, such as auto racing, [[ESPN College Basketball|college basketball]] and [[NHL on ESPN|NHL hockey]] (where, beginning in the [[1993–94 NHL season|1993–94 season]], it aired up to five games per week under the title ''NHL Fire on Ice''),<ref name=bsun-youthminded>{{cite news|title=For youth-minded ESPN2, casual is in when they're talking 'puck'|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1993/11/09/for-youth-minded-espn2-casual-is-in-when-theyre-talking-puck/|access-date=30 January 2016|work=Baltimore Sun}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Nidetz |first=Steve |date=October 1, 1993 |title=ESPN2 TAKES AIM AT YOUNG, RESTLESS |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1993-10-01-9310010193-story.html |access-date=February 9, 2016 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref> while also covering atypical sports such as [[BMX]] and other [[extreme sport]]s.<ref name="baltimoresun-espn2"/>

ESPN2 would also be used to showcase new technology and experimental means of broadcasting events: on September 18, 1994, ESPN2 simulcast [[Champ Car|CART]]'s [[Firestone Indy 225|Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix]] using only [[onboard camera]] feeds. In 1995, ESPN2 introduced the "[[ESPN BottomLine|BottomLine]]", a persistent [[news ticker]] which displayed sports news and scores. The BottomLine would later be adopted by ESPN itself and all of its future properties.<ref name="USA">{{cite news |last=Hiestand |first=Michael |date=March 7, 2008 |title=Dedicated staff keeps close watch on ESPN's Bottom Line |url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2008-03-06-hiestand-weekend_N.htm |access-date=March 27, 2008 |work=USA Today}}</ref>

In the late 1990s, ESPN2 began to phase out its youth-oriented format, and transitioned to becoming a secondary outlet for ESPN's mainstream sports programming; telecasts began to adopt a more conventional style, and the "graffiti 2" logo was dropped in 2001 in favor of a version of ESPN's main logo. On-screen graphics (such as the BottomLine) used a blue color scheme instead of red to differentiate them from ESPN. Since February 12, 2007, the ESPN2 brand has been used for [[station identification]] only, with all programming using the same on-air presentation and ESPN branding as those on the main network.<ref name="deadspin-lastdays">{{cite web |last=Leitch |first=<!--not stated--> |date=February 1, 2007 |title=The Last Days Of ESPN2 |url=http://deadspin.com/233272/the-last-days-of-espn2 |access-date=September 26, 2012 |publisher=Deadspin}}</ref>