Hard To Beat: The Undefeated Refreshes Look, Celebrates Zion Williamson With #ZionTrain Takeover
ESPN platform for sports, race and culture launches its homepage's new design by examining Duke phenomenon who is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2019 NBA Draft
The Undefeated turned a new page today. The ESPN platform for sports, race and culture launched its new design by dedicating the home page to content on Zion Williamson (#ZionTrain) – the Duke men’s basketball star and perhaps the most anticipated NBA Draft prospect since LeBron James in 2003.
#ZionTrain complements ESPN’s multiplatform coverage of the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery (Tuesday, May 14, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Chicago. The Undefeated’s new home page design coincides with the platform’s third-year anniversary.
Managing editor Raina Kelley discusses #ZionTrain and The Undefeated home page’s refreshed look, which can be seen in the photos above (new) and below (old):
Why Zion?
People like to say that the homepage isn’t a thing. People go to stories. But people also flock to shared cultural moments that are bigger than a single story. Zion Williamson is a cultural moment. We wanted to dig deep regarding the No. 1 NBA Draft pick which is almost definitely going to be Zion or as we called him: the hoops legend who hasn’t even been drafted yet. It’s his lottery, we’re just hopping aboard.
Has The Undefeated dedicated the home page to a person or subject before Zion?
We’ve done this before but not often. We turned the page purple and dedicated the home page to stories about Prince [Rogers Nelson] after he died [the musician died April 21, 2016] – in appreciation of his massive cultural contribution. We also once turned the page to [tennis star] Serena [Williams] on Sept. 9, 2016 [to note significant career milestones].
What’s the thinking behind the timing to redesign the home page?
Consumers of The Undefeated content come to us from all sorts of places. Shout out to espn.com! But we wanted a home page that highlighted our mission to differentiate and nuance. We wanted to create a look and feel that also felt curated and considered. A homepage with the flexibility to highlight all our strengths across platforms. Now we can shine a top of page light on our writers, our wonderful video work or even a single subject matter that takes over the news cycle and still allows for breaking news in our wheelhouse. Also, it’s our motto …“Not Conventional. Never boring.†We’re going to be three-years-old in a week [Friday, May 17]. Time for a change.
Mac Nwulu contributed to this post.
ESPN VP, Production, Mike Shiffman, previews 2019 NBA Draft Lottery coverage plans in this New York Post article.
