Back in May, ESPN announced the creation of a new female-centric content generator – W. Studios, an extension of the espnW brand. And while the label of “content generator” is both broad and vague, we can now watch the first project developed under this new initiative.
And it’s a good one:
W. Studios Fifty/50 Shorts Presented by Google
As the title above indicates, W. Studios partnered with Google to produce a series of shorts to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Each short was created by a woman-led filmmaking crew and centered around the ongoing fight for equality in sports through a variety of cultural lenses.
All five of the shorts initially aired on ESPN2 in June during their Fifty/50 programming blocks, but you can currently catch them anytime on YouTube.
The series of shorts include the following titles:
- Girls Got Game
- Home Field
- Make a Splash
- Let Noor Run
- The Rule of Sedona Prince
Ranging from approximately 10 mins to 25 mins in length, each tale is a quick burst of inspiration. However, my absolute favorite of the bunch is Make a Splash. It tells the story of the Splash, an over-85 women’s basketball team in San Diego. You read that right, these women are 85 years or older and still ballin’. You will cheer, you will laugh, and you most definitely will cry. All are worth a watch though.
Whether or not the creation of W. Studios will result in more TV programming focusing on women in sports by way of more 30 For 30 docs featuring women or any other kind of storytelling has yet to be seen. I am however hopeful that this is indicative of more quality content to come.
