ESPN360 is Dropping the 60

File this one under re-branding for re-branding's sake. ESPN360, the most useful tool in the universe for people who: a) like off-beat and international sporting events, b) don't have a TV in their office, and c) let their wives control the remote because it's just easier that way, is changing its name to ESPN3. Sayonara 60!

“The name ESPN3.com more closely aligns with the existing naming convention for our networks,” said Sean Bratches, executive vice president, sales and marketing. "We have approached this as a network for years, and as users have become more accustomed to engaging with content across various screens, it made sense to make adjustments that reflect both the product’s and the industry’s evolution.”

You know the people at every major company who make a ton of money and nobody's ever really sure what they do? Those are the people who change the names of things to keep up with the "industry's evolution." It's how some VP can justify coming up with Xfinity to replace Comcast or Altria Group to replace Philip Morris. Actually, those are two examples of companies people hated, where re-branding was borne out of necessity. People love ESPN360, so this one's just change for the heck of it.

Sure, they want people to stop thinking of their online video portal as just a place to watch games, and more of a full-on network, so calling it "ESPN3" just keeps it in line with their current model of television networks. It's funny, because ESPN makes so much money per cable TV subscriber, yet constantly looks for new ways to attract viewers through alternate channels – cell phone, XBOX360, internet video, PodCenter – thereby strengthening their standing with the cable providers by showing those companies that they need ESPN more than the WWL needs them. The VP who thought of that deserves a raise. And yes, if it's the same guy who came up with re-branding ESPN3 because of industry evolution, then fine, he's a genius.

For those who don’t habitually watch 360, it's fantastic. They even put events currently on their television networks up on the site, so you can watch your computer while the wife catches up on soap operas (yes, this actually happens). ESPN's release says that they run more than 3,500 events over their "broadband sports viewing" portal in both widescreen (16:9) and normal (4:3) views, with a plan to start "rolling out new enhancements to offer the best viewing experience possible in the months ahead."

A word of advice: get with the HD video already. Calling something widescreen when you're just pulling the normal view apart isn't as good as you want it to be. CBS gives us HD video for the NCAA Tournament and the Masters. NBC gives us HD Olympic coverage. I don't care what you call the network, as long as the video quality continues to improve.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.