ESPN.com is the place to be (espn.com)

Member Name: Lakerfanster

Product:	espn.com
Date:	09/04/07 (97 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Content, Stats,

Disadvantages: None

INTRODUCTION

Living in the the United Kingdom and being a fan of American Sports can be hard due to the low coverage of the sports over here. Yeah all sports are covered on TV but there really isnt enough variety for the British fan of American sports. That is why I have been using epsn.com to get my fix of all the latest news, views, stats and recaps from the world of the NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL and MLS.

LAYOUT

I am always very impressed with the layout of this website because of the clear way that everything is spaced out into it's own section and all the sections are clearly layed out at the top of the page with each sport in a lineup. And each sports section is also well laid out with direct links back to the homepage and other sports at the top of the page in a black line below a red one.

NFL

I am not that keen on American Football but watch a game from time to time and enjoy the superbowl. There's a great amount of information and stats here aswell as views from espn columnists. And news and interviews from the games top stars like Terrell Owens, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning aswell as many other of the leagues superstars.

NBA

This is the main page that I view when I am on the ESPN website because Basketball is one of my big passions and The Los Angeles Lakers in particular as some of you may have thought from my username.
ESPN are one of the main networks in the United States for NBA and it's no different here with loads of stats, news, interviews and columns about the latest happenings in the NBA. There's also rumor central which talks about the latest rumours around the NBA about trades, unhappy players and player returns from injury.

And regular columns from the likes of respected espn journalists John Hollinger, Chris Sheridan, Marc Stein, Chad Ford and Chris Broussard who wax lyrical about their views on the lates happenings in the NBA. And they also give you their views on MVP races and other things like that.

MLB

With the Major League Baseball season only just underway there's not much in the way of stats and predictions yet but the site is up to date in terms of news and what stats there are yet. And information about offseason trades and the fixture lists for the days games will appear on the MLB page. A great place to go if you are a baseball fan but want to know more about the latest action.

NHL

With the NHL playoffs coming up on the 11th April there's a real buzz at the moment on this page with the rankings and home advantages being looked at closely. There are wrap ups of the regular season and news and views about the favourites for the Stanley Cup.

I'm sure more people would be fans of Ice Hockey if they understood the rules better and a bit of time on here should put that right with all the information you are likely to need about the rules and history of the NHL.

COLLEGE SPORTS

The main reason why Americans are so succesful at the Olympics and other events is because they take their college sport so seriously and are already experienced players when they leave college. ESPN reflects this with an extensive site of mens and womens college sports.

ESPN is one reason why young players have such a reputation before they have even left college. all the stats and news about the latest games and news and views from top journalists. All you need for the budding college sports fan and a lesson to colleges around the world.

NASCAR

I am not a fan of NASCAR but I have to say that This section has all the news and results from the Nextel cup and the Busch cup. Along with standings of the season and views from NASCAR columnists Terry Blount, David Newton and Marty Smith.

OTHER SPORTS

There are also good sections of the website for Tennis, Golf, Boxing and "soccer" or football as we know it in the United Kingdom. These sections are regularly updated with news, views, standings and fixtures. And there are also some good bits of Tennis history with all the grand slam winners.

MESSAGE BOARDS

On the main page you will find a link to the message boards and you can choose one of the sports, you need to be a member to use the boards but it is quick and easy to get started.. you can then start airing your views on your chosen sport and can open your own board about whatever you choose in the sporting world.

You even have individual boards for NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS teams aswell as football teams from europe. This allows you to talk about your favourite team with other fans.

ESPN INSIDER

This is a great thing which allows you to access extra posts from the columnists which pop up quite often. You can only access these stories with insider though which is dissapointing but for $39.95 you can get a years subsciption. they are offering a free trail at the moment so It many be worth looking at.

ESPN MOTION

This is a great thing that you can download free and it will appear on your page when you access espn.com. You can watch highlights of the latest games and watch news casts and interviews with the top players from the NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS. You can choose to watch full screen if you want, you need a good connection for that though.

Another good thing about ESPN motion is that you can see what is available and can click on it and watch it. Great if you are looking for highlights of a certain team. When you are in a particular sports section then it will only show that sports action but on the homepage it will do a round up of the latest news from around the world.

GAME COVERAGE

You can use a thing called gamecast to follow games up to date, you can choose to do a basic box score which will just show stats or you can choose the gamecast which will come up with all the action nearly as it happens. which is the best way to watch it if you can't watch it on TV or live.

OVERALL

This is one of the most visited sites for me because it has so much great content and is updated quickly and along with NBA.com is the best sports site around. One of the most well rounded sites I have seen. With everything a sports fan could need.

Summary: Great site