Now the ESPN empire, which has swallowed ABC Sports but has not yet spit it out, has taken a giant leap beyond the annually enormous pregame load.

The ESPN empire was built from almost absurdly humble beginnings, on farmland in Bristol, Conn.

As recently as 2000, the ESPN empire carried only 12 games, and ABC only one.

The ESPN empire viewed the World Baseball Classic as a signature event for Deportes, DeLuca said.

John Skipper is a soccer fan, a prized asset in a top executive at the ESPN empire, which starts its 64-game coverage of the World Cup today.

This being the biggest sports event in the universe does not mean that the ESPN empire is sending all its announcers to Korean and Japanese stadiums.

The Web site's place in the ESPN empire seems to be growing, too.

On the other hand, for the year ended in June 2002, national sports viewing rose 2 percent, partly because more sports are being carried on television, especially in the ESPN empire.

The old and new waves of the ESPN empire are merging this week in Pasadena, Calif.

So will cross-promotion for everything in the vast ESPN empire.