fw : a weygandt , andrew ; glover , rusty ; beard , jaime ; woodson , todd ; ratzman , eric ; eckermann , derrek ; walker , sam
subject : fw : a & m and espn
for immediate release
june 26 , 2001
espn to launch sidelines network ' s second reality - based series to
premiere with texas a & m football
espn will launch a 13 - episode , prime - time series this fall entitled
sidelines , the network ' s second reality - based title under the espn
original
entertainment ( eoe ) banner . sidelines will document the season of a
prominent team as told through the eyes and ears of the less visible ,
less
celebrated people who are involved with the team . the football aggies
of
texas a & m will be the focus of the series ' premiere episodes to begin
october 5 .
" coach slocum and i made the decision to be a part of this exciting
venture
with espn , " texas a & m athletics director wally groff said . " we couldn ' t
be
more thrilled that espn has chosen texas a & m for this series . the
opportunity espn gave us to showcase this wonderful institution and all
of
its tradition and heritage is something we could not pass up . "
in a " docu - drama " style , the various stories that surround the team will
be
explored through the voices and actions of people whose day - to - day lives
are
directly affected by living in the town and / or going to the school .
players
and coaches will also be visible and heard from in a more peripheral
fashion , but will not be the primary focus .
" this is a good opportunity for texas a & m university and we ' re delighted
espn decided to feature the football program and some of the people
behind
the scenes , " head coach r . c . slocum said . " we look forward to working
with
them . "
the participants will be drawn from a cross section of people who
reflect
every aspect of the university and college station , texas . they will be
students , faculty , media , local storeowners , mothers , fathers and some
of
the high school seniors who aspire to attend the university .
" each person has a role to play with the team , as well as a personal
story , "
said mark shapiro , vice president and general manager , espn original
entertainment . " sidelines will see each person grow in character as the
season progresses - - a kind of ' soap - umentary . ' we ' ll weave the smaller
personal stories together through the bigger story of the progression
and
fate of the team and its season . "
sidelines : texas a & m storylines
- - this is the 125 th anniversary of the school ' s founding ( 1876 ) .
- - the community is still very much dealing with the 1999 bonfire
collapse
which tragically killed 12 students almost two years ago . a 90 - year
tradition came to a tumultuous end . dealing with the loss and the
emotional
toll it took on faculty members , students and families will be an
important
part of this series . the bonfire will return in 2002 but will take on a
different form than has been tradition .
- - texas a & m , who lost a wild , snowy independence bowl last year in
overtime
to mississippi state 43 - 41 , will play notre dame ( at home ) , texas ,
oklahoma ,
kansas st and colorado next year . a tough schedule will provide for
great
drama .
- - the school invented the phrase " 12 th man " and actually owns the
trademark .
one game , the aggies were low on players and had a student suit up and
stand
ready just in case he was needed . ever since , a student is chosen for
every
home game to suit up and play on the kickoff team .
- - billy pickard is in charge of maintaining the facilities . he ' s been at
the
university for 36 years and was the student trainer for bear bryant ' s
a & m
team . he was actually in junction , texas for bryant ' s infamous grueling
summer camp . the story of it was a best - selling book , the junction boys .
- - at midnight on the friday night before every home game , a "
30 , 000
fans show up each week for this time - honored tradition .
eoe , the newest franchise of espn programming , will develop a
wide - variety
of branded programming outside of the network ' s traditional event and
sports
news genres . using a collection of vehicles - - game shows , documentaries
or
reality - based shows - it ' s espn ' s goal to broaden its audience by
appealing
to younger and casual sports fans . in addition , the company is
exploring
new ways to connect with consumers by applying these projects across all
platforms of the espn family - television , internet , radio
- atm -
fw : a weygandt , andrew ; glover , rusty ; beard , jaime ;
woodson , todd ; ratzman , eric ; eckermann , derrek ; walker , sam
subject : fw : a & m and espn
for immediate release
june 26 , 2001
espn to launch sidelines network ' s second reality - based series to
premiere with texas a & m football
espn will launch a 13 - episode , prime - time series this fall entitled
sidelines , the network ' s second reality - based title under the espn
original
entertainment ( eoe ) banner . sidelines will document the season of a
prominent team as told through the eyes and ears of the less visible ,
less
celebrated people who are involved with the team . the football aggies
of
texas a & m will be the focus of the series ' premiere episodes to begin
october 5 .
" coach slocum and i made the decision to be a part of this exciting
venture
with espn , " texas a & m athletics director wally groff said . " we couldn ' t
be
more thrilled that espn has chosen texas a & m for this series . the
opportunity espn gave us to showcase this wonderful institution and all
of
its tradition and heritage is something we could not pass up . "
in a " docu - drama " style , the various stories that surround the team will
be
explored through the voices and actions of people whose day - to - day lives
are
directly affected by living in the town and / or going to the school .
players
and coaches will also be visible and heard from in a more peripheral
fashion , but will not be the primary focus .
" this is a good opportunity for texas a & m university and we ' re delighted
espn decided to feature the football program and some of the people
behind
the scenes , " head coach r . c . slocum said . " we look forward to working
with
them . "
the participants will be drawn from a cross section of people who
reflect
every aspect of the university and college station , texas . they will be
students , faculty , media , local storeowners , mothers , fathers and some
of
the high school seniors who aspire to attend the university .
" each person has a role to play with the team , as well as a personal
story , "
said mark shapiro , vice president and general manager , espn original
entertainment . " sidelines will see each person grow in character as the
season progresses - - a kind of ' soap - umentary . ' we ' ll weave the smaller
personal stories together through the bigger story of the progression
and
fate of the team and its season . "
sidelines : texas a & m storylines
- - this is the 125 th anniversary of the school ' s founding ( 1876 ) .
- - the community is still very much dealing with the 1999 bonfire
collapse
which tragically killed 12 students almost two years ago . a 90 - year
tradition came to a tumultuous end . dealing with the loss and the
emotional
toll it took on faculty members , students and families will be an
important
part of this series . the bonfire will return in 2002 but will take on a
different form than has been tradition .
- - texas a & m , who lost a wild , snowy independence bowl last year in
overtime
to mississippi state 43 - 41 , will play notre dame ( at home ) , texas ,
oklahoma ,
kansas st and colorado next year . a tough schedule will provide for
great
drama .
- - the school invented the phrase " 12 th man " and actually owns the
trademark .
one game , the aggies were low on players and had a student suit up and
stand
ready just in case he was needed . ever since , a student is chosen for
every
home game to suit up and play on the kickoff team .
- - billy pickard is in charge of maintaining the facilities . he ' s been at
the
university for 36 years and was the student trainer for bear bryant ' s
a & m
team . he was actually in junction , texas for bryant ' s infamous grueling
summer camp . the story of it was a best - selling book , the junction boys .
- - at midnight on the friday night before every home game , a "
30 , 000
fans show up each week for this time - honored tradition .
eoe , the newest franchise of espn programming , will develop a
wide - variety
of branded programming outside of the network ' s traditional event and
sports
news genres . using a collection of vehicles - - game shows , documentaries
or
reality - based shows - it ' s espn ' s goal to broaden its audience by
appealing
to younger and casual sports fans . in addition , the company is
exploring
new ways to connect with consumers by applying these projects across all
platforms of the espn family - television , internet , radio
- atm -