ESPN Signs Influencer Lily Shimbashi to Multi-Year Deal for Major Events

The "Sportsish" founder moves from the Creator Network to a full-time role starting at the NFL Honors.
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ESPN is expanding its digital roster by finalizing a two-year deal with star influencer Lily Shimbashi to serve as a cornerstone creator for the network’s premier sporting events.

What’s Happening:

  • Shimbashi, the mind behind the popular "Not Your Boyfriend’s Sports News" tagline, will contribute custom content across espnW and various social platforms.
  • Her new role begins this Thursday as the lead red carpet creator for the NFL Honors, where she will focus on athlete storytelling over traditional statistics.
  • Following Super Bowl week, Shimbashi is slated to cover the NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Final, and The ESPY Awards.
  • The deal positions Shimbashi as a key player for ESPN’s first-ever Super Bowl telecast in 2027 at SoFi Stadium.
  • ESPN envisions Shimbashi in a hybrid role similar to other creator-driven stars, bridging the gap between legacy broadcasting and Gen Z fandom.

About the Checketts Sporting Legacy:

  • Lily Shimbashi is the youngest child of Dave Checketts, the former president of the New York Knicks and the Utah Jazz.
  • Dave Checketts was instrumental in the 1997 launch of the New York Liberty; Lily grew up as one of the franchise's earliest fans at the Garden.
  • Founded five years ago, Shimbashi’s "Sportsish" brand was designed to fill a perceived gap in mainstream sports media specifically for female audiences.
  • Before this full-time deal, Shimbashi began her "four-letter" journey in August 2025 as part of ESPN’s pilot program for independent creators.
  • Shimbashi represents a new era of "mobile-first" media, having built her entire business infrastructure via smartphone before landing a major network contract.

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Daniel Kaplan
Daniel loves theme parks — specifically how the narrative of theme park attractions differs from film or books — and loves debating what constitutes a "good" theme park attraction story.
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