42nd Sports Emmy Nominations: ESPN Tops Among the Networks, Super Bowl LV Leads All Programs

42nd Sports Emmy Nominations: ESPN Tops Among the Networks, Super Bowl LV Leads All Programs By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor

Tuesday, April 20, 2021 - 4:21 pm

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In a year of sports production unlike any other, ESPN led all network groups with 54 nominations, and CBS Sports' presentation of Super Bowl LV topped all individual programs with 11 nods in the 42nd Annual Sports Emmy Awards nominations. The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) unveiled the nominees today, and the ceremony will be live-streamed at Watch.TheEmmys.TV on June 8 at 8 p.m. ET.

ESPN's 54 nods were the most of any network group, followed by Fox Sports (with 31), NFL Media (28), NBC Sports Group (25), CBS Sports (24), Turner Sports (20), HBO (13), MLB Network (10), Netflix (9), RBTV and Univision (5 each), and YouTube, Apple TV , and Showtime (3 each).

CBS's Super Bowl LV earned the most nominations of any program, while NFL Network's NFL 360 had a breakout year with nine nods and ESPN's E:60 had seven. Four nominations apiece went to Fos NASCAR, Fox NFL Sunday, NFL Network's NFL Total Access, HBO's Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel, Netflix's Rising Phoenix, and ESPN's SC Featured. Turner's 2020 NBA All-Star Game on TNT, Fox NFL, Apple TV 's Greatness Code, Turner's Inside the NBA, MLB Network's MLB Tonight, RBTV's The Old World - A Mindtrip Through Europe, and ESPN's The Undefeated Presents each earned three nominations.

Today, we honor the talented professionals who, during this unprecedented time of a worldwide pandemic, still found ways to inform, entertain, and excite the passionate fan base that makes up the sports universe, said NATAS President/CEO Adam Sharp in the announcement. The challenges they have overcome and this inspiring and diverse set of nominees are nothing short of remarkable.

In a year when sports production literally ground to a halt, added Justine Gubar, executive director, Sports Emmy Awards, NATAS, we received a record number of submissions. From innovative solutions to the constraints of production during the pandemic to the superb storytelling that confronted the social-justice issues of our times, we are so proud of what our nominees were able to achieve. I'm particularly excited about the debut of our Outstanding Sports Personality - Emerging On-Air Talent category, which welcomes five new sports personalities into the Emmy-nominee family.

On the technology side, the George Wensel Technical Achievement Award will go to one of the five nominees: Fox NASCAR's Racing Drone, Fox NFL's Megalodon, MLB Network Showcase's Statcast 3D, MLB Postseason on TBS's Base Cam, or NBC's HDR LUTs on Notre Dame Football.

In the Outstanding Technical Team Event category, CBS earned nominations for its Masters and Super Bowl LV coverage, ESPN was nominated for its College Football Playoff National Championship, Fox for its NASCAR coverage, and ESPN/TNT/NBA for the NBA Bubble operation.

On the Outstanding Technical Team Studio side, nods went to the 2020 NFL Draft by ESPN/ABC/NFL Network, ESPN's College GameDay, Fox's NASCAR coverage, MLB Network's MLB Tonight, and The Super Bowl Today on CBS.

Also of note in the live-event categories, Outstanding Live Event Audio/Sound nominations went to NBC's NASCAR coverage and Sunday Night Football, Fox MLB, The NFL on CBS, and ESPN's US Open tennis coverage. In addition, the award for Outstanding Live Graphic Design will g to one of the following: ESPN's College Football, Fox NFL, MLB Networks' MLB Tonight (Welcome Home), Nickelodeon/CBS's NFC Wild Card Game, or CBS's Super Bowl LV.

Here is a full list of the nominees:

OUTSTANDING LIVE SPORTS SPECIAL

2020 NBA All-Star Game on TNT - TNT

The 116th World Series (Tampa Bay Rays vs. Los Angeles Dodgers) - FOX

The 146th Kentucky Derby - NBC

The Match on TNT, Champions for Charity - TNT

Super Bowl LV (Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - CBS

OUTSTANDING LIVE SPORTS SERIES

FOX NASCAR - FOX/FS1

FOX NFL - FOX/NFL Network

NFL on CBS - CBS

PGA Tour on CBS - CBS

Sunday Night Football - NBC

OUTSTANDING PLAYOFF COVERAGE

2020 NBA Playoffs on TNT - TNT

AFC Playoffs - CBS

NASCAR Playoffs on NBC - NBC/NBCSN

NFC Wild Card Game (Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans Saints) - Nickelodeon/CBS Sports

Sunday Night Football: Playoffs - NBC/Peacock

OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL TEAM EVENT

College Football Playoff National Championship (Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Alabama Crimson Tide) - ESPN

FOX NASCAR - FOX/FS1

The Masters - CBS

NBA Bubble - ESPN/TNT/NBA

Super Bowl LV (Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - CBS

OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL TEAM STUDIO

2020 NFL Draft - ESPN/ABC/NFL Network

College GameDay - ESPN

FOX NASCAR - FOX/FS1

MLB Tonight - MLB Network

The Super Bowl Today - CBS

THE GEORGE WENSEL TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

FOX NASCAR, The Racing Drone - FOX/FS1

FOX NFL, Megalodon - FOX

MLB Network Showcase, Statcast 3D - MLB Network

MLB Postseason on TBS, Base Cam - TBS

Notre Dame Football, NBC HDR LUTs - NBC

OUTSTANDING EDITED SPORTS EVENT COVERAGE

America's Game: The 2019 Kansas City Chiefs - NFL Network/NFL Films

Hey Rookie: Welcome To The NFL: 2020 NFL Draft - ESPN/NFL Films

NFL Game Day All-Access, Super Bowl LV - NFL Network/NFL Films

NHL on NBC, WIRED: Stadium Series - Los Angeles Kings vs. Colorado Avalanche - NBCSN

UFC The Walk, McGregor vs. Cowboy - UFC Fight Pass/UFC

OUTSTANDING EDITED SPORTS SPECIAL

Inside the NBA, Kobe Bryant Memorial - TNT

NFL 360, Black History Month - NFL Network

NFL 360, Women in Football - NFL Network

SC Presents: 2020 - Heroes, History and Hope - ESPN

The Undefeated Presents, The Stop - Living, Driving and Dying While Black - ESPN

OUTSTANDING EDITED S

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