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