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The creation of this article included the use of AI and was edited by human content creators. Read more on our AI policy\u00a0here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n The sports media landscape is shifting, and ESPN just made a move that signals where the industry is headed.<\/span><\/p>\n The network is finalizing a two-year contract with Lily Shimbashi<\/strong>, founder of sports gossip brand Sportsish, to serve as a full-time creator, per <\/span>Front Office Sports<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Her first major assignment? Leading red carpet content at the NFL Honors awards show on Feb. 5.<\/span><\/p>\n This isn\u2019t a typical broadcasting hire. Shimbashi built her audience on her phone, not in a newsroom. Her company operates under the slogan \u201cNot Your Boyfriend\u2019s Sports News.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And ESPN is betting that her approach to sports coverage represents something bigger than a niche audience play.<\/span><\/p>\n Shimbashi started collaborating with ESPN in August as part of its <\/span>ESPN Creator Network<\/span><\/a> alongside creators Brittney Elena<\/strong>, Jaylin James<\/strong>, Trey Phills<\/strong> and Emily Harrigan<\/strong>. The new deal elevates that relationship significantly.<\/span><\/p>\n From Factory Worker to $975 Million: How Khaby Lame Built a Social Media Empire You Can Learn From<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI always grew up wanting to be an ESPN reporter, and then I felt like there was a gap in mainstream sports media,\u201d she said in an <\/span>interview with Front Office Sports<\/span><\/a> on Feb. 3.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo out of college, I kind of developed this business plan that became Sportsish, which is the company I\u2019ve been building over the last five years,\u201d she added.<\/span><\/p>\n The gap she identified? Sports coverage that speaks to fans who care about the stories behind the stats.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd slowly but surely, ESPN took note that we have an audience of female fans, and it\u2019s a fandom that they\u2019re trying to reach. And so now we are official partners, and I can\u2019t wait to bring it to life,\u201d she continued, per Front Office.<\/span><\/p>\n The <\/span>2026 NFL Honors<\/span><\/a> Red Carpet Show airs on Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on NFL Network, and Shimbashi\u2019s approach to the event offers a preview of what this partnership will look like in practice.<\/span><\/p>\n Shimbashi\u2019s content philosophy flips the traditional sports interview format. Rather than leading with performance metrics and game analysis, she prioritizes the human element.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf I get a chance to talk with [Rams QB] Matthew Stafford<\/strong>, a potential MVP pick, I\u2019m going to ask him why he thinks his wife, Kelly<\/strong>, is the MVP of their home. She\u2019s raising four girls. She\u2019s bringing them to all their games in matching outfits. That\u2019s impressive, right?\u201d she told Front Office.<\/span><\/p>\n Her theory: connection creates fandom.<\/span><\/p>\n Beauty Influencer Mikayla Nogueira Announces Launch of New PDRN Skincare Products<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cSo I want to know about people\u2019s stories, how they got to where they are today,\u201d she added. \u201cBecause I believe that is what creates a fan. When you learn about the athlete, then you\u2019re going to want to see them succeed. You\u2019re going to want to cheer for them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n This represents a fundamentally different entry point into sports content.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Traditional coverage assumes viewers already have allegiances and want tactical analysis. Shimbashi\u2019s approach assumes viewers might be looking for reasons to care in the first place.<\/span><\/p>\n ESPN isn\u2019t making this move based on intuition. The data supporting female sports viewership has become impossible to ignore.<\/span><\/p>\n The 2025 WNBA season was the league\u2019s most-watched ever across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, <\/span>per The Athletic<\/span><\/a>. The postseason, aired entirely on ESPN, followed the same pattern.<\/span><\/p>\n The 2025 Women\u2019s College World Series set records with an average of 1.3 million viewers across 15 games on ESPN\u2019s platforms, surpassing the record set in 2021, <\/span>per ESPN<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n The 2024-25 women\u2019s college basketball campaign was the most-watched regular season on ESPN platforms since 2008-09 with an average of 280,000 viewers, <\/span>via ESPN<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n And then there\u2019s the Taylor Swif<\/strong>t effect. According to the NBC<\/a>, the NFL reportedly saw $1 billion in publicity and revenue as a result of Swift\u2019s relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton\u2019s A-List Dating History: From Rihanna to the Kardashians, Inside F1\u2019s Most Star-Studded Love Life<\/a><\/p>\n That last data point is particularly telling. It suggests that the intersection of celebrity culture, personal narrative, and sports creates engagement that pure athletic coverage doesn\u2019t capture.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Shimbashi\u2019s <\/span>Sportsish<\/span><\/a> brand has been operating in exactly that space.<\/span><\/p>\n Shimbashi\u2019s path to ESPN reflects a broader shift in how media companies think about talent and audience development.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOnce upon a time, people were reading newspapers. Once upon a time, people were turning on the news. Now we are on our little rectangle screens reading about sports\u2014and no one knows how to do sports media better than content creators,\u201d Shimbashi told Front Office.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve grown audiences authentically themselves. And that\u2019s what I\u2019ve done over the past five years. I have built a business off of my phone\u2014and now I\u2019m going to NFL honors with ESPN,\u201d she added.<\/span><\/p>\n Traditional sports media built audiences through institutional credibility and broadcast access. Creators like Shimbashi built audiences through direct connection and content that resonated with underserved fans.<\/span><\/p>\n ESPN\u2019s move suggests the network sees these approaches as complementary rather than competing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n They have the access, the production resources, and the distribution. Shimbashi has the audience relationship and the content instincts.<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s a personal dimension to Shimbashi\u2019s work that adds context to her career trajectory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Her father, Dave Checketts<\/strong>, was the former president of the New York Knicks and was largely responsible for founding the WNBA\u2019s New York Liberty in 1997 when he served as president and CEO of Madison Square Garden, <\/span>per WBGO<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n In addition to the Knicks and Liberty, MSG also owns the New York Rangers, MSG Network and Radio City Music Hall.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy Dad was part of the New York Liberty coming to Madison Square Garden. It\u2019s an honor for me to say that my dad was a champion of women\u2019s sports long before a lot of other people,\u201d she told Front Office Sports.<\/span><\/p>\n The Liberty launched nearly 30 years ago, during a period when women\u2019s professional basketball was still proving its viability. Shimbashi is now working to expand female sports fandom at a moment when that viability question has been definitively answered.<\/span><\/p>\n ESPN\u2019s investment in creator-driven content targeting female audiences isn\u2019t happening in isolation. The network has been building out its creator program, and this deal represents an escalation of that strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n The underlying premise: sports fandom isn\u2019t monolithic. Different audiences want different entry points, different storytelling approaches, and different content formats.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A highlight package that works for one viewer might not work for another. A stats-heavy breakdown might engage some fans while leaving others cold.<\/span><\/p>\n Shimbashi\u2019s approach\u2014leading with human stories, family dynamics, and the personalities behind the jerseys\u2014represents one answer to the question of how to expand sports audiences beyond traditional demographics.<\/span><\/p>\nLily Shimbashi represents a change in sports media<\/b><\/h2>\n
\n<\/blockquote>\n
A different kind of sports interview<\/b><\/h2>\n
The numbers behind ESPN\u2019s bet on creator content<\/b><\/h2>\n
The creator economy meets legacy media<\/b><\/h2>\n
A family legacy in women\u2019s sports<\/b><\/h2>\n
What this move signals for sports media<\/b><\/h2>\n