by Dave Parfitt

DIS Unplugged

February 22, 2010

Disney is putting the finishing touches on their Wide World of Sports Complex; "re-branding" the facility the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (ESPN WWoS) in a push to make the venue one of the premier destinations for amateur and youth sports in the country.   On Thursday, February 25, 2010, a red-carpet opening ceremony with over 500 professional athletes, ESPN personalities, and invited guests will be held to kick off Disney's annual sports-themed fan-fest, ESPN: The Weekend.

Disney's Wide World of Sports opened in 1997, annually staging over 200 events in 60 different sports from baseball, basketball, and football; to cheerleading, dance, and gymnastics; to canine agility, jump rope, and surfing.  Athletes from more than 70 different countries compete in the pinnacle of their sports including championships in youth football (Pop Warner Super Bowl), youth cheer and dance (Pop Warner National Championship), and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) National Championships in youth baseball, basketball, cross country, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling to name but a few.  In addition to amateur and youth sports, a few professional events are also held at the complex such as spring training for Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves (beginning in March 2010) and a tour stop of the Professional Golf Association with the Children's Miracle Network Classic (November 2010).