About the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame

Honoring Sports Broadcasting pioneers, visionaries, stars

An Idea Whose Time Has Come

Ken Aagaard

For the sports broadcasting production community the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame is dream turned reality. In an industry that has more than its fair share of halls of distinction, it was strange and somewhat disillusioning for there not to be a single place where all of those individuals who have enriched the lives of so many fans, and who have utilized technology in so many brave new ways could be recognized for their achievements.

Our goal is simple: to honor those from across the entire spectrum of the sports broadcast industry who impacted, directly or indirectly, the way sports television is produced. Each class demonstrates a range and diversity of inductees who truly represent the many facets of our unique business. Here league commissioners stand next to directors, producers, technologists, management and operations. Here the renowned join proudly alongside the unrecognized. And rightfully so. No other industry is so interdependent as one that goes live to air, that crafts stories, legends and dramas in real-time before hundreds of millions of people.

The Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame is especially proud of the openness and equitable methodology used to select its inaugural class of inductees. A call for nominees is sent out to more than 10,000 industry professionals each year, representing virtually every broadcaster, league and team in the nation.

Four panels of up industry leaders were established to vote on each of seven categories: Management, Production, Technical Operations, Leagues and Teams, Manufacturers and Vendors, Engineering, and On-Air Talent. We created a transparent voting and nomination process that required two votes for each panel: first to whittle down the nominees for each category to five individuals and then a final vote for each category to elect the final inductees.