!!exclusive!!: Espn2hd

The story of ESPN2HD is the story of legitimacy. For years, ESPN2 was the channel you settled for when your game was bumped. But with HD, it became the channel you sought out . The difference between SD and HD was the difference between watching a game and being there. And by 2012, when ESPN finally shut down the old standard-definition simulcast of ESPN2, no one mourned. The blurry square was dead. Long live the widescreen.

Today, ESPN2HD is simply "ESPN2" — the HD is implied, a forgotten suffix. But for those of us who remember the dark ages of the 4:3 pillarbox, the name “ESPN2HD” carries a quiet nostalgia. It was the moment the little brother finally got his glasses, stood up straight, and looked the world — and every blade of grass on it — directly in the eye. espn2hd

The date was March 30, 2008. A Sunday.

Then, you flip to ESPN2. A familiar sinking feeling hits. The story of ESPN2HD is the story of legitimacy