WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2004 If the troops can't get to ESPN, then ESPN will go to the troops.
The cable sports network's "SportsCenter" show will broadcast from Kuwait beginning Sept. 11. "It's our way of honoring the troops," said ESPN spokesman Dan Quinn. The network is setting up a full studio in a warehouse at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. "We'll have a complete studio and bleacher seating for about 700 soldiers," Quinn said. Among those attending the shows will be 2,000 members of the 1st Armored Division just out of Iraq. Stuart Scott will anchor the shows from Kuwait. He will be joined by Lisa Salters, Steve Levy, Kenny Mayne and Sean Salisbury. The 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time shows will be broadcast entirely from Kuwait. For other broadcasts, SportsCenter will air segments showing the life of servicemembers in the region and how they accomplish their missions. It will also broadcast segments featuring notable military athletes serving in the region, and the sporting accomplishments of the sons and daughters of servicemembers. The program will show daily flag football games in the sands of Kuwait and will follow units as they do their daily physical training. The show also will highlight to the folks back home just how tough duty is for Americans in the region: One planned segment is to buy an ice cream cone and show how fast it melts in the 120-degree heat servicemembers work in. SportsCenter will close its Middle East bureau on Sept. 17.
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