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Freddy Rolón serves as head of digital content and audience expansion at ESPN, a role he was promoted into in June 2023. He is responsible for leading content across ESPN’s digital platforms, including ESPN.com and the ESPN app. He is also responsible for overseeing ESPN’s digital businesses globally and leads ESPN’s US Hispanic business strategy. Prior, Rolón served as SVP of programming and scheduling where he was responsible for leading the overall content strategy for ESPN’s linear networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNEWS. He also oversaw all aspects of the ESPN Deportes business.
In 2020, Rolón was one of the key executives leading ESPN’s programming team that collaborated with numerous league, conference, and event partners to navigate the postponement, cancellation, and rescheduling of thousands of events across ESPN platforms in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak.
In his tenure at ESPN, Rolón has played an integral role in the development of the company’s content strategy to reach bilingual Hispanics consuming sports content across all of ESPN’s English-language platforms. He works closely with ESPN’s programming, production, audio, digital, and print media teams, to maximize the relevance and appeal of ESPN’s English-language products for US Hispanic fans.
At ESPN, he also serves as a member of the Company’s CEO Diversity & Inclusion Council, and is active in developing and implementing company-wide initiatives that promote a representative and truly inclusive culture.
Rolón, who joined ESPN in 2004, held the position of VP and general manager of ESPN Deportes from 2016 to 2020. From 2011-2016, he served as VP of ESPN Deportes Programming and Business Initiatives. In that role, he was responsible for overseeing all programming for ESPN Deportes, including acquisitions, development, and scheduling.
After completing his MBA, he joined ESPN as senior manager of marketing for ESPN Deportes. He was promoted to senior director, marketing, and integration of ESPN Radio (2005-2007), where he oversaw all of their marketing efforts. Before officially joining ESPN in 2004, Rolón was an intern for ESPN International in the summer of 2003.
Rolón has received numerous accolades for his work in the media industry, including being named Most Influential Minorities in Media (2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019) the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications’ (NAMIC) and named one of 2017’s Top 25 Latino Leaders by The Alumni Society. In 2018, Rolón was named to the NAMIC board, and he is also on the board of Partnership with Children.
Beyond his work in Programming, Rolón has long served as an inspiration, mentor, and champion to employees at ESPN, sharing his personal experiences to help encourage and lift others. He has also served as an ally to ESPN’s corporate citizenship team by collaborating with them on how ESPN can leverage the power of the brand to make access to sports more equitable in the Latino community. In august of 2021, under Rolón’s leadership, ESPN’s corporate citizenship team inaugurated the tenth safe space court build in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Rolón graduated from Wesleyan University with a bachelor’s in economics and government, and later received an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
Immerse yourself in Freddy Rolón’s story:
