The ESPY Awards has expanded its voting body - the ESPY Awards Academy -- to include nationally recognized print and broadcast sports journalists who will be joined by a compilation of Hall of Fame athletes from each of the sports disciplines the ESPYs honor (athlete list to be announced shortly). The ESPY Awards - for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly - set the stage for the sports world to celebrate the year's achievements, relive the memorable moments and salute the best performers and performances. The live telecast will be staged at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Monday, Feb. 12, 2001 at 9 p.m. ET, with a one-hour red carpet show featuring live arrivals at 8 p.m.
"The ESPY Awards Academy is an inclusionary effort to allow those who performed at the highest level across the spectrum of sports and the expert journalists who cover them to offer today's best performers and performances their place in sports history," said Maureen Murray Quinn, who recently joined ESPN as executive director of the ESPY Awards. "We want to thank them for their participation and appreciate their dedicated efforts for helping us make the ESPYs the sports industry's awards show."
The editors, writers and columnists who have joined the ESPY Awards Academy:
Mitch Albom - Detroit Free Press
Furman Bisher - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hal Bock - Associated Press
Christine Brennan - USA Today
Bill Colson - Sports Illustrated
Bill Conlin - Philadelphia Daily News
Mel Durslag - veteran journalist
Tom Friend - ESPN The Magazine
Bud Greenspan - sports documentarian
David Halberstam - author
Steve Hirdt - Elias Sports Bureau
Jeff Jacobs - Hartford Courant
Steve Jacobson - Newsday
Rick Jaffee - FoxSports On Line
Sally Jenkins - Washington Post
Dave Kindred - The Sporting News
Tony Kornheiser - Washington Post
Dan Le Batard - Miami Herald
Bernie Lincicome - Rocky Mtn. News
Bill Livingston - Cleveland Plain Dealer
Monte Lorell - USA Today
Mike Lupica - New York Daily News
Tom McEwen - Tampa Tribune
Bernie Miklasz - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Hubert Mizell - St. Petersburg Times
Woody Paige - Denver Post
Bill Plaschke - Los Angeles Times
Ed Pope - Miami Herald
John Rawlings - The Sporting News
Ken Rosenthal - The Sporting News
Bob Ryan - Boston Globe
Steve Serby - New York Post
Dan Shaughnessy - Boston Globe
Blackie Sherrod - Dallas Morning News
Art Spander - Oakland Tribune
Terry Taylor - Associated Press
Rick Telander - Chicago Sun Times
Laura Vescey - Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Mark Whicker - Orange County Register
Michael Wilbon - Washington Post
They are joined on the ESPY Awards Academy by their broadcast media colleagues:
Scott Ackerson - FOX
James Brown - FOX
Joe Buck - FOX
Bob Costas - NBC
Dick Enberg - CBS
Curt Gowdy - hall of famer
Bryant Gumbel - CBS/HBO
Greg Gumbel - CBS
Fred Hickman - CNN
Keith Jackson - ABC
Larry King - CNN
Al Michaels - ABC
Brent Musburger - ABC
Jim Nantz - CBS
Vin Scully - Hall of Famer
Hannah Storm - NBC
Lesley Visser - CBS
In addition, the following ESPN sportscasters and executives are ESPY Awards Academy members:
Chris Berman
Linda Cohn
Vince Doria
Jed Drake
Bob Eaton
Rich Eisen
Chris Fowler
Suzy Kolber
Andrea Kremer
Steve Levy
Bob Ley
John Marvel
Kenny Mayne
Chris McKendry
Joe Morgan
Dan Patrick
Karl Ravech
Robin Roberts
John Saunders
Dick Schaap
Stuart Scott
Charley Steiner
Mike Tirico
John A. Walsh
Norby Williamson
The ESPY Awards are highlighted by 14 awards in which the best of the best in a variety of sports disciplines compete directly -- including Male and Female Athlete-of-the-Year, Coach/Manager of the Year and Breakthrough Athlete of the Year. The ESPY Awards also honor the performer of the year in 20 professional and college sports. In addition, the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage is presented to an individual whose contributions transcend sports. The winners have included Jim Valvano (1993), Muhammad Ali (1997), Billie Jean King (1999) and Columbine High School coach Dave Sanders (2000).
The ESPY Awards annually supports The V Foundation for Cancer Research, established at the inaugural ESPYs in 1993 by ESPN with the late Jim Valvano.
