No admission necessary. Parking is free for the first 3 hours, and you can get an additional 2 free hours with validation at the AMC movie theater or a table service restaurant (so I'd guess ESPN qualifies).
As for the comparison to WDW's DTD...they both have lots of shopping and restaurants, and movie theaters, but the layout is different. DLR's is not broken up into three sections like WDW's, but rather it is one long continuous stretch. They don't have exactly the same shops, but you'll find clothing, toys, World of Disney, etc. DLR does not have a Cirque show or DisneyQuest, but still offers much in the way of shopping, eating, and sidewalk entertainment (musicians, etc).