RISE UP: ESPN's New Inspiration Series to Debut This Fall

Four High Schools Chronicled; Kenny Chesney Pens Theme Song

ESPN's new original series RISE UP will be telling the story of four communities coming together to renovate their local high school's athletic facilities. The inspirational, four-episode series will showcase renovation projects from start to finish and will also focus on giving students advice, training, and tools that they can use to become better athletes. POWERADE(R) is a sponsor of RISE UP, providing hydration products for the series.

RISE UP will debut on Tuesday, September 13, airing on consecutive Tuesdays: September 20, September 27, and October 4. All episodes will be televised at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN. The series will be hosted by ESPN college football analyst Chris Spielman and mechanical engineer and television personality Deanne Bell. Country super star Kenny Chesney co-wrote and will record the theme song for the series.

The schools and communities highlighted in the series are:

Wellston High School in Wellston, OH

The Dorchester Education Complex in Boston, MA

Ingraham High School in Seattle, WA

Walter H. Dyett High School in Chicago, IL

"I am pleased to be part of a team dedicated to giving back and serving schools that have a desire to excel both on the field and off," said Spielman. "Our goal is to provide these students with the proper tools and equipment to give them an opportunity to succeed. I believe what you give will grow, what you keep you will lose."

Inspired by ESPN RISE's mission to engage and elevate high school athletes through recognition, resources, information, and inspiration, the series chronicles the renovation of a different school each week. Each episode will follow as community members come together to refurbish the one thing that ties them all together - the local high school athletic program. RISE UP will spend time with the students and coaches in each community, uncovering the challenges facing high school athletes today, and working with professional athletes, coaches, and trainers to help motivate and inspire them to reach even greater goals.

"Currently, many schools across America are suffering from budget cuts that severely limit their ability to offer sports and physical education to their students," said Executive Producer and Vice President of ESPN Content Development Joan Lynch. "RISE UP was created to shine a spotlight on public high schools that realize the long-term benefit of students who play sports and are maximizing their limited resources and facilities to keep their students engaged in and inspired by athletics."

In September 2010, ESPN aired a one-hour special, RISE UP: New Orleans in which McMain Secondary High School in New Orleans was renovated over the school's summer break so that the new facilities would be ready for the first day of school. The special served as a pilot. RISE UP is produced by ESPN Content Development and Asylum Entertainment. St. Martin Brown, the design and architectural firm who championed the initial RISE UP project in New Orleans, has extended their efforts and will continue their participation as the RISE UP initiative continues nationwide.

For more details on the schools and communities RISE UP will be chronicling, visit espnrise.com/riseup.

About ESPN RISE

ESPN RISE represents ESPN's commitment to engage and elevate high school student-athletes by providing them with recognition, resources, information and inspiration to improve their skills and achieve their goals. ESPN RISE assets include ESPN RISE Guy and Girl magazines, with special issues for football, basketball, track and recruiting; ESPNRISE.com; mobile and social media products (Facebook.com/ESPNRISE and Twitter @ESPNRISE); and more than 160 high school events including Elite 11, Elite 24, ESPN RISE Games, ESPN RISE National High School Invitational, Area Code Baseball, ESPN RISE Girls Showcase, and ESPN RISE Nike Football Combines/Nike Football Training Camps. ESPN RISE is uniquely positioned to provide high school student-athletes and the company's core fans with compelling high school sports content across multiple ESPN platforms. To follow ESPN RISE Girls on Facebook, please visit www.Facebook.com/espnrisegirl.

About ESPN Content Development

ESPN Content Development manages the strategy and creation of original content for placement throughout ESPN's vast media portfolio. The unit is charged with developing and producing cross-platform programming that engages sports fans through innovation, experimentation and breakthrough sports-driven initiatives. Programs originating from ESPN Content Development include digital features, sports documentaries from ESPN Films, scripted content, news and analysis shows, unscripted series such as E:60 and SportsNation, and sports-related feature events such as the annual ESPYs.