ESPN Finalizing Two-Year Deal With Influencer Lily Shimbashi

SAN FRANCISCO — ESPN is finalizing a two-year deal with star influencer Lily Shimbashi of Sportsish to serve as a full-time creator for the network’s major events. 

ESPN envisions Shimbashi in a Katie Feeney-type role, contributing custom-made Sportsish content across espnW and other social media platforms. Sportsish’s tagline succinctly sums up her commitment to speaking in the voice of female fans: “Not Your Boyfriend’s Sports News.”  

Shimbashi talked about joining the four letters during an interview with Front Office Sports on Radio Row on Tuesday. 

“I’m really excited to be associated with a company like ESPN. I always grew up wanting to be an ESPN reporter, and then I felt like there was a gap in mainstream sports media. So out of college, I kind of developed this business plan that became Sportsish, which is the company I’ve been building over the last five years,” she said. “And slowly but surely, ESPN took note that we have an audience of female fans, and it’s a fandom that they’re trying to reach. And so now we are official partners, and I can’t wait to bring it to life.”

Shimbashi started contributing to the worldwide leader in August 2025 as part of the “ESPN Creator Network.” Her proven ability to reach female sports fans makes her a valuable hire, according to Kaitee Daley, ESPN’s senior vice president of digital, social and streaming content. 

“Lily understands that fandom doesn’t look the same for everyone and she has created a space that welcomes people into sports rather than asking them to prove they belong,” Daley told FOS in a statement. “Her ability to create culture-forward sports content for a female audience makes her a powerful addition to ESPN as we continue expanding how and where audiences connect with sports.”

Shimbashi will kick off her new role Thursday, when she’ll serve as ESPN’s lead red carpet content creator for the annual NFL Honors awards show. Many female sports fans are more interested in storylines than stats, she says. That’s what she aims to provide on the red carpet.

“If I get a chance to talk with [Rams QB] Matthew Stafford, a potential MVP pick, I’m going to ask him why he thinks his wife, Kelly, is the MVP of their home. She’s raising four girls. She’s bringing them to all their games in matching outfits. That’s impressive, right?” she says. “So I want to know about people’s stories, how they got to where they are today. Because I believe that is what creates a fan. When you learn about the athlete, then you’re going to want to see them succeed. You’re going to want to cheer for them. [Patriots QB] Drake Maye is so likable. And when you hear him talk, you want that guy to succeed.”

Once Super Bowl Week is a wrap, Shimbashi will create content for many of ESPN’s other tentpole events, such as the NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Final, and The ESPY Awards. Plus, ESPN is already knee-deep in planning for its first Super Bowl telecast on Feb. 14, 2027, from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

Across pro and college sports, the sheer number of female sports fans keeps growing, according to Shimbashi. Female sports fans generate big business. Singer Taylor Swift’s romance with Travis Kelce of the Chiefs generated an estimated $1 billion. 

That’s why legacy media networks like ESPN and NBC Sports are recruiting young influencers such as Shimbashi, Feeney, and Kenny Beecham. They provide a level of creative authenticity. And they provide a direct pipeline to the younger fans that networks and streamers want.

“Once upon a time, people were reading newspapers. Once upon a time, people were turning on the news. Now we are on our little rectangle screens reading about sports—and no one knows how to do sports media better than content creators,” she says. “They’ve grown audiences authentically themselves. And that’s what I’ve done over the past five years. I have built a business off of my phone–and now I’m going to NFL honors with ESPN.”

As the youngest child of former Knicks president Dave Checketts, Shimbashi grew up around high-level pro sports at Madison Square Garden. Even then, she had an affinity for women’s sports, rooting for the WNBA’s New York Liberty.

“My Dad was part of the New York Liberty coming to Madison Square Garden. It’s an honor for me to say that my dad was a champion of women’s sports long before a lot of other people,” she says.