2023 Sports Emmy Nominations: ESPN Leads the Way With 59 Nominations; NBC’s Beijing Winter Olympics Coverage Shines

FOX Sports, CBS Sports, Turner Sports, NFL Network, and HBO also net double-digital nominations

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) announced the nominees for the 44th Annual Sports Emmy Awards on Tuesday.

The 44th Annual Sports Emmy Awards ceremony will take place at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall on Monday, May 22, 2023.

ESPN led all network groups with 59 total nominations, while NBC Sports also pulled in an impressive 38 nods. FOX Sports also received 33 selections and CBS Sports (29), Turner Sports (26), NFL Network (15), and HBO (10) all registered double-digit nomination totals.

Among the leaders by program, NBC Sports’ coverage of the Beijing Winter Olympics and NFL 360 from NFL Network received 10 nominations, while Turner Sports’ coverage of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament pulled in eight and FOX Sports’ coverage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup netted seven.

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) will announce the winners at an in-person ceremony at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall on May 22.

“Today we honor these esteemed nominees and celebrate those who bring the thrill of competitive sports into our lives on a daily basis,” Adam Sharp, President & CEO, NATAS said in the official nominations announcement. “We are excited by the extraordinary quality of this year’s submissions and equally excited by the opportunity to honor this year’s Lifetime Achievement honoree, Bryant Gumbel, celebrating his more than five decades of sports broadcasting excellence.”

NATAS announced nominations in 47 categories including Outstanding Live Special, Live Series and Playoff Coverage, along with Outstanding Technical Team Remote and Technical Team Studio, and the prestigious George Wensel Technical Achievement Award.

“The nominee slate never ceases to inspire. This year’s competition is a proud moment for the entire industry,” said Justine Gubar, Head of Sports Awards, NATAS. “I am deeply looking forward to honoring the unparalleled accomplishments of the last year on May 22nd.”

OUTSTANDING LIVE SPECIAL

• 2022 FIFA World Cup Final, Argentina vs France   — FOX/FIFA/HBS
• The 148th Kentucky Derby — NBC
• MLB at Field of Dreams — FOX
• Super Bowl LVII, Kansas City Chiefs vs Philadelphia Eagles — FOX
• XXIV Olympic Winter Games — NBC
• The 118th World Series, Houston Astros vs Philadelphia Phillies — FOX

OUTSTANDING LIVE SERIES

• Monday Night Football — ESPN
• NFL on CBS — CBS
• Saturday Night College Football — ESPN/ESPN2/ABC
• Sunday Night Football — NBC
• Thursday Night Football — Prime Video

OUTSTANDING PLAYOFF COVERAGE

• AFC Championship Game, Cincinnati Bengals vs Kansas City Chiefs — CBS
• FedEx Cup Playoffs on NBC — NBC/Golf Channel
• NHL on TNT — tbs/TNT
• NLCS, San Diego Padres vs Philadelphia Phillies — FOX/FS1
• Sunday Night Football — NBC

  OUTSTANDING EDITED EVENT COVERAGE

• All Access, Davis vs Romero: Epilogue — Showtime
• Hey Rookie: Welcome To The NFL, The 2022 NFL Draft — ESPN/NFL Films
• NFL Game Day All-Access, Super Bowl LVII — YouTube/NFL Films
• Road To The Super Bowl — FOX/NFL Films
• Welcome to the NHL: 2022 NHL Draft — ESPN+/NHL Network/NHL Original Productions

OUTSTANDING EDITED SPECIAL

• Basketball Stories, Sir Charles & The Doctor — NBA TV
• The Great Debate with Charles Barkley — TNT
• NFL 360, The Indelible Legacy of Jimmy Raye — NFL Network
• NFL 360, Women in Football — NFL Network
• SC Featured, White Men Can’t Jump – 30th Anniversary Special — ESPN+
• UFC Year of the Fighter, Amanda Nunes — UFC Fight Pass

OUTSTANDING HOSTED EDITED SERIES

• E60 — ESPN
• Eli’s Places — ESPN+/NFL Films/Omaha Productions
• NFL 360 — NFL Network
• Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel — HBO Max
• The Shop: UNINTERRUPTED — YouTube/UNINTERRUPTED/Frēhand/Hardware Agency

OUTSTANDING ESPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE

• BLAST Premier Fall Final 2022 — BLAST.tv/BLAST
• 2022 Call of Duty League Championship Weekend, Atlanta Faze vs Los Angeles Thieves — YouTube/Activision Blizzard Esports/Esports Engine
• The International 11 – Dota2 Championship, Team Secret vs Tundra Esports — Twitch/YouTube/Steam TV/Valve Corporation
• League of Legends Worlds 2022 Final, T1 vs DRX — LoLEsports.com/Twitch/YouTube/Riot Games
• VCT Champions 2022 Grand Final, OpTic vs LOUD — ValorantEsports.com/Twitch/YouTube/Riot Games

OUTSTANDING SHORT DOCUMENTARY

• 38 at the Garden — HBO Max/Mr. Fahrenheit/GTG Entertainment
• Fault Lines, Bloodsport — Al Jazeera English
• Fightlore, Mark Schultz’s Ultimate Victory — UFC Fight Pass
• Hold Your Breath: The Ice Dive — Netflix/Archer’s Mark
• NBA on TNT, Bill Russell: Answer the Call — TNT

OUTSTANDING LONG DOCUMENTARY

• After Jackie — History Channel/UNINTERRUPTED/Major League Baseball/Firelight Films/Jackie Robinson Foundation
• Citizen Ashe — CNN/CNN Films/Dogwoof
• NYC Point Gods — Showtime/Boardroom
• The Redeem Team — Netflix/Olympic Channel/Kennedy/Marshall Company/Mandalay Sports Media/NBA Entertainment/USA Basketball/59th & Prairie Entertainment/UNINTERRUPTED
• Woooooo! Becoming Ric Flair — Peacock/WWE

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY SERIES

• ’72 – A Gathering Of Champions — Olympics.com/Hock FIlms/Game1/Hatcreek Films
• Good Rivals — Prime Video/Amazon Studios/Skydance Media/Meadowlark Media
• Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers — Hulu/Los Angeles Media Fund/The Los Angeles Lakers Inc/Haven Entertainment/Hill District Media
• Meddling — NBC/Peacock
• SHAQ — HBO Max/Film 45/Hardware Studios/Jersey Legends]

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY SERIES – SERIALIZED

• Coach Prime — Prime Video/SMAC Entertainment/DG West
• Formula 1: Drive to Survive — Netflix/Box to Box Films
• Hard Knocks, Training Camp with the Detroit Lions — HBO/HBO Max/NFL Films
• Last Chance U, Basketball — Netflix/GQ Studios/Endgame Entertainment/One Potato Productions/Boardwalk Pictures
• Race: Bubba Wallace — Netflix/300 Studios/Boardwalk Pictures

OUTSTANDING STUDIO SHOW – WEEKLY

• College GameDay — ESPN
• FOX NFL Sunday — FOX
• Inside the NBA — TNT
• Monday Night Countdown — ESPN
• NFL Slimetime — Nickelodeon/Nickelodeon Productions/CBS Sports

 OUTSTANDING STUDIO SHOW – DAILY

• MLB Tonight — MLB Network
• NFL Live — ESPN
• Pardon The Interruption — ESPN/Rydholm Projects
• The Rich Eisen Show — Peacock/The Roku Channel/Rich Eisen Productions
• SportsCenter — ESPN

OUTSTANDING STUDIO SHOW – LIMITED RUN

• FOX MLB: The Postseason — FOX/FS1
• Inside the NBA: Playoffs — TNT
• Postseason NFL Countdown — ESPN
• Road to the Final Four — tbs/CBS/TNT/truTV
• World Cup Today — FOX/FS1

OUTSTANDING JOURNALISM

• E60, Qatar’s World Cup — ESPN
• E60, Remember the Blue and Yellow — ESPN/ESPN+                                                                                       
• E60, The Survivor: The Remarkable Life of Shaul Ladany — ESPN
• NFL 360, Who If Not Us — NFL Network
• Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, The IOC Way — HBO Max

OUTSTANDING SHORT FEATURE

• Big Noon Kickoff, A Mother’s Love — FOX
• College GameDay, Jump Around — ESPN
• IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, Kyle Brown — Outside TV/The IRONMAN Group Productions
• Sunday NFL Countdown, Voodoo Doll-phins — ESPN
• Super Bowl LVII, My Little Brother — FOX

OUTSTANDING LONG FEATURE

• Betsy & Irv — ESPN+/ESPN Films
• Big Noon Kickoff, Meechie — FOX
• NFL 360, Kahuku Mana — NFL Network
• Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Unstoppable: The Story of Kirstie Ennis — HBO Max
• SportsCenter, SC Featured: Mind Over Matter — ESPN
• SportsCenter, SC Featured: Seams to Heal — ESPN

OUTSTANDING OPEN/TEASE

• The 123rd Army-Navy Game, It’s A Family — CBS
• 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship, Of Grit and Glory — ESPN
• 2022 NCAA March Madness, NOLA Vibes featuring Jon Batiste — tbs/CBS/TNT/truTV
• US Open, I Was Here — ESPN
• XXIV Olympic Winter Games, The Ride of Their Lives — NBC

OUTSTANDING INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE – EVENT COVERAGE

• CFP National Championship MegaCast — ESPN/ESPN2/ ESPN Deportes/ ESPNU/ESPNews/SEC Network/ESPN App/ABC
• Fan Controlled Football — NBCLX/DAZN/Twitch/Fubo TV/Crazy Legs Productions
• 2022 FIFA World Cup — FOX/FS1/FOX Digital
• XXIV Olympic Winter Games — NBC
• Thursday Night Football — Prime Video/TNF Optionality

OUTSTANDING INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE – ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING

• House of Highlights, Showdown: The Return of Dodgeball — Bleacher Report
• The Men In Blazers Show — Twitch
• NFL 360, Who If Not Us — NFL Network
• NHL on ESPN, Ovechkin 800 — ESPN.com
• World Cup Now — FOX Digital

OUTSTANDING DIGITAL INNOVATION

• Fan Controlled Football, 2.0 — NBCLX/DAZN/Twitch/Fubo TV/Crazy Leg Productions
• McEnroe vs McEnroe — ABC/ESPN/ESPN+
• NBA App, Reimagined — NBA Digital
• XXIV Olympic Winter Games, The World’s First Immersive 8K Livestream — NBC/Cosm/Intel
• Thursday Night Football, Prime Vision — Prime Video

OUTSTANDING PERSONALITY/STUDIO HOST

• James Brown — CBS/Paramount+
• Rece Davis — ESPN/ESPN2/ABC
• Rich Eisen — NFL Network/Peacock/The Roku Channel
• Mike Tirico — NBC/Golf Channel
• Scott Van Pelt — ESPN

OUTSTANDING PERSONALITY/PLAY-BY-PLAY

• Kenny Albert — FOX/FS1/NBC/TNT/tbs
• Mike Breen — ABC
• Joe Buck — ESPN
• Ian Eagle — tbs/CBS/TNT/truTV
• Chris Fowler — ESPN/ESPN2/ABC
• Al Michaels — Prime Video
• Mike Tirico — NBC

OUTSTANDING PERSONALITY/STUDIO ANALYST

• Charles Barkley — TNT
• Jay Bilas — ESPN/ESPN2/ABC
• Nate Burleson — CBS/CBS Sports Network/Nickelodeon/NFL Network
• Ryan Clark — ESPN/ESPN2/ABC
• Shaquille O’Neal — TNT
• Kenny Smith — TNT
• Tom Verducci — MLB Network

OUTSTANDING PERSONALITY/ EVENT ANALYST

• Cris Collinsworth — NBC
• Gary Danielson — CBS
• Peyton Manning — ESPN2/ESPN+
• Bill Raftery  tbs/CBS/TNT/truTV
• John Smoltz — FOX | FS1

OUTSTANDING PERSONALITY/REPORTER

• Molly McGrath — ESPN/ESPN2/ABC
• Tom Rinaldi — FOX | FS1
• Holly Rowe — ESPN/ESPN2/ABC
• Lisa Salters — ESPN/ABC
• Melissa Stark — NBC

OUTSTANDING PERSONALITY/EMERGING ON-AIR TALENT

• Andraya Carter — ESPN/ESPN2/ABC/SEC Network
• Robert Griffin III — ESPN
• Eli Manning — ESPN2/ESPN+
• Greg Olsen — FOX
• JJ Redick — ESPN/ESPN2/ABC

OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL TEAM EVENT

• 2022 FIFA World Cup — FOX | FS1
• The Masters — CBS
• Monday Night Football — ESPN
• XXIV Olympic Winter Games — NBC
• Super Bowl LVII — FOX

OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL TEAM STUDIO

• College GameDay — ESPN
• 2022 FIFA World Cup — FOX/FS1
• FOX NFL Sunday — FOX
• NFL Draft — ESPN/ABC
• XXIV Olympic Winter Games — NBC

OUTSTANDING CAMERA WORK – SHORT FORM

• The Dragon — YouTube/Red Bull Media House
• The 148th Kentucky Derby — NBC
• NFL 360, See It Through — NFL Network
• The Nonstop NBA — NBA Social/PrettyBird
• Super Bowl LVII, Ragged Old Flag: An American Chorus — FOX

OUTSTANDING CAMERA WORK – LONG FORM

• Edge of the Earth — HBO Max/Teton Gravity Research
• Hold Your Breath: The Ice Dive — Netflix/Archer’s Mark
• Meddling — NBC/Peacock/SoHi Media
• NFL 360, Kahuku Mana — NFL Network
• NFL 360, NFL Africa: The Journey — NFL Network
• Race to Miami — Red Bull TV/Red Bull Media House

OUTSTANDING EDITING – SHORT FORM

• The 123rd Army-Navy Game, It’s A Family — CBS
• Monday Night Football, Teases — ESPN/ABC
• 2022 NCAA March Madness, NOLA Vibes featuring Jon Batiste — tbs/CBS/TNT/truTV
• XXIV Olympic Winter Games, Titans — NBC
• Outside The Lines, Without You — ESPN

OUTSTANDING EDITING – LONG FORM

• 38 at the Garden — HBO Max/Mr. Fahrenheit/GTG Entertainment
• McEnroe — Showtime/Sylver Entertainment
• 2022 NCAA March Madness, Coach K Final Four Tribute — tbs/CBS/TNT/truTV
• The Redeem Team — Netflix/Olympic Channel/Kennedy/Marshall Company/Mandalay Sports Media/NBA Entertainment/USA Basketball/59th & Prairie Entertainment/UNINTERRUPTED
• SHAQ — HBO Max/Film 45/Hardware Studios/Jersey Legends]

THE DICK SCHAAP OUTSTANDING WRITING AWARD – SHORT FORM

• 2022 FIFA World Cup, Chaos and Order | Colors | Messi/Mbappe — FOX/FS1
• 2022 NCAA March Madness, The Commencement — tbs/CBS/TNT/truTV
• The NFL Today, Kyle Brandt Series — CBS
• The 150th Open, Teases — NBC
• Outside The Lines, Without You — ESPN

OUTSTANDING WRITING – LONG FORM

• All Access, Spence vs Ugas — Showtime
• E60, The Survivor: The Remarkable Life of Shaul Ladany — ESPN
• NFL Films Presents, Joe and the Magic Bean 2.0 — FS1/NFL Films
• RIVALS: Ohio State vs Michigan — Sinclair Broadcast Group/TC Studios/Big Ten Network/DLP Media Group
• Yankees-Dodgers: An Uncivil War — ESPN/ESPN Films/FILM45/Peakmark Films

OUTSTANDING MUSIC DIRECTION

• 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship, Of Grit and Glory — ESPN
• McEnroe — Showtime/Sylver Entertainment
• 2022 NCAA March Madness, NOLA Vibes featuring Jon Batiste — tbs/CBS/TNT/truTV
• NFL 360, Who If Not Us — NFL Network
• Say Hey, Willie Mays! — HBO Max/Company Name/UNINTERRUPTED/Zipper Bros Films/Major League Baseball
• Super Bowl LVII, Ragged Old Flag: An American Chorus — FOX

OUTSTANDING AUDIO/SOUND – LIVE EVENT

• FOX NFL — FOX
• Friday Night Baseball — Apple TV+/MLB Network
• NASCAR on NBC — NBC/USA
• XXIV Olympic Winter Games — NBC/USA
• US Open — ESPN

OUTSTANDING AUDIO/SOUND – POST-PRODUCED

• Formula 1: Drive to Survive — Netflix/Box to Box Films
• La Liste – Everything or Nothing — Prime Video/Sherpas Cinema/Red Bull Studios
• 2022 NCAA March Madness, NOLA Vibes featuring Jon Batiste — tbs/CBS/TNT/truTV
• Race to Miami — Red Bull TV/Red Bull Media House
• Road To The Super Bowl — FOX/NFL Films

OUTSTANDING GRAPHIC DESIGN – EVENT/SHOW

• 2022 FIFA World Cup — FOX/FS1
• NBA on ESPN — ESPN/ABC
• NFL Exclusive Games — NFL Network
• Nickelodeon NFL “Nickmas” Game, Denver Broncos vs LA Rams — Nickelodeon
• XXIV Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games — NBC/USA/CNBC/Peacock/Twitter/NBCOlympics.com

OUTSTANDING GRAPHIC DESIGN – SPECIALTY

• 38 at the Garden — HBO Max/Mr. Fahrenheit/GTG Entertainment
• Greatness Code — Apple TV+/Religion of Sports/UNINTERRUPTED
• McEnroe — Showtime/Sylver Entertainment
• The Portal — Bleacher Report
• Thursday Night Football, Opening Tiles — Prime Video

 OUTSTANDING STUDIO OR PRODUCTION DESIGN/ART DIRECTION

• 2022 FIFA World Cup, Doha Set — FOX | FS1
• 2022 NCAA March Madness, Coach K Final Four Tribute — tbs/CBS/TNT/truTV
• 2022 NCAA March Madness, NOLA Vibes featuring Jon Batiste — tbs/CBS/TNT/truTV
• NFL Slimetime — Nickelodeon/Nickelodeon Productions/CBS Sports
• The Nonstop NBA — NBA Social/PrettyBird
• Playoffs on NBA Lane — NBA Social/Superprime

THE GEORGE WENSEL TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

• FOX NFL Sunday,  FOX Sports Live MULTICAM XR Set — FOX
• The International 11 – Dota2 Championship, Multicam XR Premium — Twitch/YouTube/Steam TV/Valve/Myreze/Pixotope/Ghostframe
• NHL Broadcasts, Digitally Enhanced Dasher Boards — ESPN/ABC/TNT/tbs/NHL Network
• Nickelodeon NFL “Nickmas” Game, An Unreal Nickmas — Nickelodeon
• XXIV Olympic Winter Games, Rewiring the Olympics — NBC

OUTSTANDING PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT

• Edge of the Earth, Trailer — HBO Max/BOND
• 2022 FIFA World Cup, Tis The FIFA World Cup Campaign — FOX | FS1
• NBA TV, 75 Years of Unpredictable | Rivalry | Wow — NBA TV
• XXIV Olympic Winter Games, Jurassic — NBC
• Say Hey, Willie Mays!, Trailer — HBO Max/Mark Woollen & Associates

  OUTSTANDING PUBLIC SERVICE CONTENT

• An Unbreakable Spirit, CBS Black History Month Campaign — CBS/CBS Sports Network
• Mental Health Is Health, Aaron Taylor — CBS/CBS Sports Network
• Mindset Series, Solomon Thomas | Megan Rapinoe | Courtney Williams — CBS Sports Network
• #See Us, CBS Sports LGBTQ Campaign — CBS/CBS Sports Network
• Super Bowl LVII, Run With It — FOX/Hungry Man

OUTSTANDING STUDIO SHOW IN SPANISH

• Copa Mundial de la FIFA Qatar 2022 — Telemundo
• Debate Mundial — Telemundo
• Hoy en La Copa — Telemundo
• SportsCenter — ESPN Deportes
• Sunday Night Football en Universo — Telemundo

OUTSTANDING FEATURE STORY IN SPANISH

• Diana Flores: La Campeona de Nextitla — Mundo/NFL Mexico/Sway
• Diana Flores Super Bowl Commercial Surprise — Mundo/NFL Mexico/Sway
• Hoy en la Copa, Raúl Jiménez – El Milagro — Telemundo
• SportsCenter, SC Reportajes: Arraigado — ESPN Deportes
• SportsCenter, SC Reportajes: The Real Deal — ESPN Deportes
• Un Tren A Qatar — ESPN Deportes

OUTSTANDING ON-AIR PERSONALITY IN SPANISH

• Andrés Cantor — Telemundo
• Rolando Cantú — Telemundo
• Lindsay Casinelli — Univision/TUDN
• Carolina Guillén — ESPN Deportes
• Miguel Gurwitz — Telemundo
• Pilar Pérez — ESPN Deportes