ESPN The Weekend is no more

[doconeill]

One more special event goes away...

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/07/disneys-espn-the-weekend-update/

Now, if they could only come up with reasons for people to go to WWOS who aren't already competing in the events there...

 

[EDuke98080]

Wow, that stinks! I am glad we got my DS to that event a couple of years ago. He is a total sports fan and loved it. Disappointing

 

[PeterPan09]

I was crushed when I saw this. My niece and I had an amazing time there last year-she met her childhood hero Mia Hamm! We had planned a longer weekend this year to do more Disney as well as the ESPN events.

Just keep cutting stuff, Meg....

 

[GAN]

I had never been, but was hoping to catch it one of these years. It's not so much that it's gone that bothers me, but the fact that Disney is really beginning to distance themselves from me. I've been going fairly regularly since the 80's, I'm starting to believe my "generation" is on the way out and they are looking for new money and forgetting about the old.

 

[LMO429]

R.I.P...grad nights, lights of winter, resort specific merchandise and now epsn the weekend...feel free to add to the list if you'd like.

however i remain positive disney will continue to bring about new exciting experiences....i hope..seems as of late they are taking away far more than they are giving back.

 

[bucsfan1029]

This is really sad news...This was one of our favorite weekends to visit the parks, and we loved running the Champions 5K. And Disney's excuse about WWS is lame in my opinion. What's next? Canceling Food and Wine Festival??

 

[WaltD4Me]

I've never been to any of their events like ESPN, Super Soap or Star Wars, so I'm curious if ESPN just wasn't doing that well. I remember Bob saying the ESPN Weekend he went to was disappointing and that had to be at least four years ago. Maybe they were having trouble getting athletes or something? I'm not defending Disney, but I can't imagine Disney pulling something that was making money/bringing people into the parks. How was last year's weekend?

 

[DavidandLeahZ]

I've never been to any of their events like ESPN, Super Soap or Star Wars, so I'm curious if ESPN just wasn't doing that well. I remember Bob saying the ESPN Weekend he went to was disappointing and that had to be at least four years ago. Maybe they were having trouble getting athletes or something? I'm not defending Disney, but I can't imagine Disney pulling something that was making money/bringing people into the parks. How was last year's weekend?

I went two years ago and, while it was a fun added event, I don't think I would travel specifically for that. One of the main draws was the specific athletes who would attend, but there were never any HUGE names; probably due to the fact that it was at an odd time of the off-season for some (NFL, MLB) and during the season for others (NBA, NHL).

- D

 

[SrisonS]

This is really sad news. As a lover of sports and Disney, I looked forward to this every year.

I'm really big into the NFL, so I thought it was actually a great time to have the event. It was held not too long after the season ending. So it was good to get that continuous dose of football.

Hopefully, they'll finally use WWOS to some great appeal. Maybe have more interactivity with the athletes; especially on their specific fields/courts.

 

[PeterPan09]

There will have to be a LOT of changes to WWOS to even come close to the fan experience that ESPN the Weekend was. The only professional athletes that use that facility are the Atlanta Braves during spring training. There is a college basketball weekend in November, but other than those 2 things it's all youth sports. If you are not an involved child or you do not have connections to one, it's not likely you're going to go over there. The RISE games referred to in the article are going on now-and they are youth sporting events.

ESPN the weekend had tv and radio personalities from the network, live broadcasts and tons of athlete appearances. For a sports fan, it was 3 days of Nirvana. The last 2 years I found DHS to be pretty hopping on the weekend with lots of folks dressed in their sports gear hoping for a glimpse of their favorite athlete.

But like the other things a PP mentioned-gone without a satisfactory replacement or explanation.

 

[PeterPan09]

This is really sad news...This was one of our favorite weekends to visit the parks, and we loved running the Champions 5K. And Disney's excuse about WWS is lame in my opinion. What's next? Canceling Food and Wine Festival??

Don't give 'em any ideas!

I'm glad I got to run that once before they killed it. Our spring vacation is now off.

 

[GAN]

It's been a couple years since I've been to F&W but haven't they already been charging for what were the "Free" Tasting Seminars -what is it $10-12 now? Sure a novice will definitely pick up some pointers at these, but basically all they are is a 45-min infomercial on the Vineyard/Winery. For us, it was a way to sample some different wines(and learn about them) to see if we had any interest in buying them in the future. I can still do that for free at my local wine shop and get personal service at the same time.

 

[Buzzster]

We don't lose Star Wars Weekends I won't miss ESPN