ESPN Hopes to Get Hip and Edgy with Late-Night ESPNU Show UNITE

ESPN really wants to spread their wings and reach a huge demographic, and they hope to do so by creating a show and placing it on a network nobody watches. 

Deadspin's Jack Dickey reports ESPN will once again dabble in late-night programming, hoping to reach a demographic of jaded youth who crave their sports with a heaping dose of social media. 

At least, that's who seems to be the target. 

Dickey points to a release from ESPN at their Media Zone section, where the show and its details are listed. 

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ESPN will officially make its foray into the late-night television circuit on August 27. The network’s first late-night entertainment show, UNITE, will air daily on ESPNU at midnight ET providing a live late-night snack of sports, humor and social buzz Monday through Friday.

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Dickey reminds us this isn't the first time the Worldwide Leader has tried to take a bite out of late night. ESPN2 began with an ill-conceived show called SportsNight. 

You can take a gander at the awkward here. 

Sadly, this is what passed for trying to pass off cool and hip in the early 90's. Unfortunately, I remember it vividly. 

ESPNU vice president Rosalyn Durant had this to say, via ESPN Media Zone.

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We want to connect with some of the most passionate college fans – college students – at the intersection of sports and pop culture.

The way people consume entertainment has shifted dramatically, and continues to evolve by the day.  There is a unique opportunity to provide sports news and humor through new avenues. Some things on UNITE you will recognize as late-night entertainment staples – a couch, guests and, of course, an in-studio musical act – will all be part of the show, but not necessarily in the way you’ve seen it done before.

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Music, guests and a couch certainly do sound revolutionary. The best part of the press release is this detail. 

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...the show’s three hosts will push the envelope Monday – Friday with an often irreverent look at social media and video-driven sports of the day.

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First off, I am not sure how a network like ESPNU is going to push the envelope with college kids who sit down earlier in the night and catch up on shows like Tosh.O, a viral-video heavy series whose host would get fired for some of the things he says. 

That doesn't mean Daniel Tosh isn't hilarious for what he does on his show, recent stand-up controversies of course withstanding. 

I doubt anything that might be said on an ESPN-sanctioned network would shock kids into watching. Not that it matters, because it will be hard for anyone to find it. 

Second on the list to kill this show before it begins is where it airs. ESPNU is college football with a dab of fringe college sports. 

Die hards will struggle to tell you if they even get the channel. 

This alleged forward-thinking show that is hoping to garner ratings from shock and awe is starting from a hole I doubt the get out from. 

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