What Is Up With This ESPNChicago?

ESPN has launched a mini-site today that is devoted entirely to Chicago sports. The question is not "Why Chicago?", but rather "Why do we need a site like this at all?"

ESPN Chicago is just like ESPN.com, except that the content is exclusively about Chicago teams. Yay? Is it that hard to track down stories about Chicago sports teams these? Are there obscure Bulls tidbits that you somehow can't find on the Chicago Bulls team page on regular ESPN.com? What are we getting here that isn't already provided by their website, four networks, or all the other Chicago media outlets that have already run out of things to say about the Windy City? Sure, Chris Berman took five minutes out of his day to record a Chicago-only SportsCenter, but how long do you think that's going to last?

Maybe Scoop Jackson can explain it:

In our minds, this site, one dedicated to all of Chicagoland sports at every level, is long overdue. Because when it comes to the games we all play, watch and love, no one — and I repeat no one — on any corner of any block in any city any place in the world got swagger like us.

Yes, that's true. That's also why everyone else finds Chicago sports fans so annoying. Ok, maybe it's just me, but your Devin Hester obsessions have gone a little too far. We're not laughing with you, Cubbies fans. And seriously ... it's time to let go of Mike Ditka. But I digress from the original point. Why do we need more regional coverage from a national news outlet? Wouldn't most people prefer to get their biased hometown coverage from their own biased hometown sources? Unless the goal is simply to destroy all local sports media by co-opting it, in which case, congratulations to ESPN. You win.

Plus, Chicago is not even the first ESPN local site. They launched ESPN Boston years ago. (Yeah, I went there.)

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