33rd Annual Sports Emmy Nominations Announced

We have the nominations, all 170 in 33 different categories, for the 33rd Annual Sports Emmy Awards. They just came out today. There are some surprises like massive hockey charlatan Pierre McGuire nominated in the Sports Reporter category and for some really strange reason, Skippy Bayless of ESPN2’s First Take was nominated for Best Studio Analyst. What analysis does he do besides yelling and having massive manlove for Tim Tebow?

There are some of the usual suspects are nominated, Bob Costas for Best Studio Host, Al Michaels in Play-by-Play, Cris Collinsworth for both Studio and Game Analyst.

Some of the nominations I agree with include Mike Mayock for Best Game Analyst, College GameDay and Football Night in America as Best Studio Shows and all of the movies in the Sports Documentary category. Sports documentaries were strong this year and I have trouble picking one although Catching Hell, the ESPN Films effort on Steve Bartman and the Chicago Cubs might be the weakest of the bunch, but the doc was still very good.

Ok, get ready to scroll, the entire list is below. We do need a page break so the list of nominees will after the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences press releases.

THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES THE NOMINEES FOR THE 33RD ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS

Winners to be Honored During the April 30th Ceremony At Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center
Jack Whitaker to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award

New York, NY – March 20, 2012 – The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) today announced the nominees for the 33rd Annual Sports Emmy® Awards.

More than 170 nominees were announced in 33 categories including outstanding live sports special, live series, sports documentary, studio show, promotional announcements, play-by-play personality and studio analyst.  The Awards will be given out at the prestigious Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center located in the Time Warner Center on April 30th, 2012 in New York City.

This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Sports will go to the Sports Commentator and Essayist, Jack Whitaker.

“This is an outstanding year for the sports community and for The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences,” said Malachy Wienges, Chairman, NATAS. “The entries received in this year’s Sports Emmys resulted in a record 175 nominees, illustrating the quality of these entries.  We are also honoring Jack Whitaker with our Lifetime Achievement Award.  I had the pleasure of working with Jack for eighteen years at CBS, and Jack is a sports icon and a class act.”

In addition to Jack Whitaker, many of the today’s leading sports broadcasters, personalities and television professionals will be in attendance as presenters at the event.

The networks of ESPN (ESPN, ESPN 2, ABC, ESPN 3D & espn.com) lead the nomination totals with 55, the NBC Sports Group (NBC, Versus, Golf Channel & nbcsports.com) garnered 32, CBS (CBS, Showtime, CBSSports.com) entries received 26 nominations, while Turner Sports (TNT, TBS, NBA TV, NBA.com & truTV) have 22.

A complete list of all nominees is attached below.

33rd Annual Sports Emmy Award Nominations by Network Group

ESPN (ESPN, ESPN 2, ABC, ESPN 3D, espn.com) – 55
NBC Sports Group (NBC, Versus, Golf Channel, nbcsports.com) – 32
CBS (CBS, Showtime, CBSSports.com) – 26
Turner Sports (TNT, TBS, NBA TV, NBA.com, truTV) – 22
HBO Sports – 19
FOX Sports Media Group (FOX, SPEED) – 16
NFL Network – 12
MLB Network – 8
DIRECTV – 2
MLB Advanced Media (MLB.com, MLBAM) – 2
NFL.com – 2
NCAA.com – 1
PGA.com – 1

33rd Annual Sports Emmy Award Nominations by Network

ESPN – 36
NBC – 22
HBO Sports – 19
CBS – 15
FOX – 15
TNT – 15
ESPN2 – 14
NFL NETWORK – 12
SHOWTIME – 10
MLB NETWORK – 8
VERSUS – 7  
TBS – 3
ABC – 2   
DIRECTV – 2
ESPN 3D – 2
GOLF CHANNEL – 2
NBA TV – 2
NFL.COM – 2
CBSSPORTS.COM – 1
ESPN.COM – 1
MLB.COM – 1
MLBAM – 1
NBA.COM – 1
NBCSPORTS.COM – 1
NCAA.COM – 1
PGA.COM – 1
SPEED – 1
truTV – 1

BREAKDOWN OF MULTIPLE PROGRAM/SERIES NOMINATIONS

Program/Nominations/Network

24/7: 8 –  HBO
E: 60: 7 – ESPN2
A Game of Honor: 5 – Showtime/CBSSports.com
MLB on FOX: 5 – FOX
NASCAR on FOX: 5 – FOX
NBA on TNT: 4 – TNT
NBC Sunday Night Football: 4 – NBC
FIFA Women’s World Cup: 3 – ESPN/ESPN2
Outside the Lines: 3 – ESPN
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel: 3 – HBO
SportsCenter: 3 – ESPN
The Army/Navy Game: 3 – CBS
The Franchise: 3 – Showtime
Winter X Games 15: 3 – ESPN/ESPN3D
2011 Open Championship: 2 – ESPN
2011 Stanley Cup Final: 2 – NBC/Versus
ESPN Monday Night Football: 2 – ESPN
Football Night in America: 2 – NBC
Grand Slam Tennis on ESPN: 2 – ESPN2
Inside the NBA on TNT: 2 – TNT
Joplin: City of Hope: 2 – ESPN2
McEnroe/Borg: Fire & Ice: 2 – HBO
MLB Tonight: 2 – MLB Network
NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament: 2 – CBS/TBS/TNT/truTV
NFL Films Presents: 2 – NFL Network
NFL GameDay Morning: 2 – NFL Network
NFL on FOX: 2 – FOX
Sports Science: 2 – ESPN/ESPN.com
Sunday NFL Countdown: 2 – ESPN
Unguarded: 2 – ESPN

And after the page break, all of the nominees for the 33rd Annual Sports Emmy Awards which will be handed out April 30 in New York City.

The 33rd Annual Emmy Awards for Sports

Outstanding LIVE SPORTS SPECIAL

2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final: USA vs Japan – ESPN
2011 Stanley Cup Final – NBC/Versus
The Daytona ‘500’ – FOX
The Masters – CBS
The World Series – FOX

Outstanding LIVE SPORTS SERIES

ESPN Monday Night Football – ESPN
HBO WCB/PPV Boxing – HBO
MLB on FOX – FOX
NBA on TNT – TNT
NBC Sunday Night Football – NBC

Outstanding LIVE EVENT TURNAROUND

2011 Tour de France – CBS/Versus
2011 Track & Field World Championships – NBC
Inside the Headsets: 27th All?Star Race – SPEED/NASCAR Media Group
Inside the PGA Tour: PGA Tour Playoffs – Golf Channel/PGA Tour Entertainment
The USA Pro Cycling Challenge: Rematch in the Rockies – Versus/Blink Productions

Outstanding PLAYOFF COVERAGE

2011 Big East Tournament – ESPN
MLB on FOX: ALCS – FOX
NBA Playoffs on TNT – TNT
NBC NFL Wildcard Saturday – NBC
SEC Football Championship Game: Georgia vs LSU – CBS
The 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup – ESPN

Outstanding EDITED SPORTS SPECIAL

24/7: Mayweather/Ortiz – HBO
Derek Jeter 3K – HBO/MLB Productions
E: 60: ‘Risk’ Special – ESPN2
Joplin: City of Hope – ESPN2
Sharpe Focus: Journey to Canton – NFL Network

Outstanding SPORTS DOCUMENTARY

A Game of Honor – Showtime/CBS Sports
Catching Hell – ESPN
McEnroe/Borg: Fire & Ice – HBO
Runnin’ Rebels of UNLV – HBO
The Marinovich Project – ESPN
Unguarded – ESPN

Outstanding EDITED SPORTS SERIES/Anthology

A Football Life – NFL Network/NFL Films
E: 60 – ESPN2
NFL Turning Point – Versus/NFL Films
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel – HBO
The Franchise: A Season with the San Francisco Giants – Showtime/MLB Productions
World of Adventure Sports – NBC

Outstanding STUDIO SHOW — WEEKLY

College GameDay – ESPN
Football Night in America – NBC
Inside the NBA on TNT – TNT
Inside the NFL – Showtime/CBS Sports
Sunday NFL Countdown – ESPN

Outstanding STUDIO SHOW — DAILY

Inside the NBA on TNT: Playoffs – TNT
MLB Tonight – MLB Network
NASCAR Now – ESPN
Pardon the Interruption – ESPN/Rydholm Projects
SportsCenter – ESPN
SportsNation – ESPN2

Outstanding SPORTS JOURNALISM

E: 60: Nightmare – ESPN2
E: 60: Stranger than Fiction – ESPN2
E: 60: The Athletes of Bahrain – ESPN2
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel: Tennis Coach/Child Molester – HBO
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel: The College Bowl Game Money Trail – HBO

Outstanding SHORT FEATURE

E: 60: Together – ESPN2
Football Night in America: The Greatest Gift – NBC
Human Highlight Reel: Manny Ohonme: The Great Samaritan – CBS/Turner Sports
SportsCenter: Time Out Of Mind – ESPN
SportsCenter: White Gold – ESPN
Winter X Games 15: Kevin Michael Connolly – ESPN

Outstanding LONG FEATURE

E: 60: Dead Solid Perfect –   ESPN2
NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament: Amongst Friends: A Story of Loss and Healing – CBS
Outside the Lines: Never Forgotten – ESPN
Outside the Lines: The Man Behind the Red Bandanna – ESPN
Outside the Lines: The Promise – ESPN

Outstanding OPEN/TEASE

2011 NBA Playoffs on TNT: Dominoes – TNT
2011 Open Championship: Round 3 ? Saturday Open – ESPN
24/7: Flyers?Rangers: Road to the NHL Winter Classic – HBO
NBA on TNT: NBA Forever – TNT
The Army?Navy Game – CBS
The Indianapolis ‘500’ – ABC/ESPN

Outstanding NEW APPROACHES SPORTS EVENT COVERAGE

March Madness on Demand – NCAA.com/CBS Sports/Turner Sports
MLB.com At Bat 11 – MLB Advanced Media
NBA League Pass – NBA.com/NBA Digital
NFL Sunday Ticket Experience –DIRECTV
PGA Championship LIVE on PGA.com – PGA.com

Outstanding NEW APPROACHES SPORTS PROGRAMMING

A Game of Honor – CBSSports.com
Football Freakonomics – NFL Network/NFL.com
Sport Science – ESPN.com
Sunday Night Football Extra – NBCSports.com
The NFL Season: A Biography – NFL Network/NFL.com

Outstanding Sports Personality — STUDIO HOST

Bob Costas – NBC/MLB Network
Bryant Gumbel – HBO
Dan Patrick – NBC/DIRECTV
Ernie Johnson – TNT/NBA TV
James Brown – CBS/Showtime

Outstanding Sports Personality — PLAY-BY-PLAY

Al Michaels – NBC
Jim Nantz – CBS
Joe Buck – FOX
Marv Albert – CBS/TBS/TNT
Mike Emrick – NBC/Versus

Outstanding Sports Personality — STUDIO ANALYST

Al Leiter – MLB Network
Charles Barkley – CBS/NBA TV/TNT
Cris Collinsworth – Showtime
Harold Reynolds – MLB Network
Kirk Herbstreit – ESPN
Skip Bayless – ESPN2
Trent Dilfer – ESPN

Outstanding Sports Personality — SPORTS EVENT ANALYST

Cris Collinsworth – NBC
Gary Danielson – CBS
Jim Kaat – MLB Network
Jon Gruden – ESPN
Mike Mayock – NFL Network

Outstanding Sports Personality — SPORTS REPORTER

Craig Sager – TBS/TNT
Ken Rosenthal – FOX
Michele Tafoya – NBC
Pierre McGuire – NBC/Versus
Tracy Wolfson – CBS

Outstanding TECHNICAL TEAM REMOTE

MLB on FOX – FOX
NASCAR on FOX – FOX
US Open Championship – Golf Channel/NBC
Winter X Games 15 – ESPN3D

Outstanding TECHNICAL TEAM STUDIO

MLB Tonight – MLB Network
NASCAR on ESPN – ABC/ESPN/ESPN2
NASCAR on FOX – FOX
NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament: Road to the Final Four – CBS/TBS/TNT/truTV/ CBS Sports/Turner Sports

Outstanding CAMERA WORK

24/7: Cotto vs Margarito – HBO
24/7: Flyers?Rangers: Road to the NHL Winter Classic – HBO
A Game of Honor – Showtime/CBS Sports
Grand Slam Tennis on ESPN – ESPN2
NFL Films Presents: Shots of the Season – NFL Network/NFL Films
The 2011 Ford Ironman World Championship – NBC/Ironman Productions
The Promise – ESPN

Outstanding EDITING

24/7: Flyers-Rangers: Road to the NHL Winter Classic – HBO
24/7: Pacquiao-Marquez – HBO
A Game of Honor – Showtime/CBS Sports
Grand Slam Tennis on ESPN – ESPN2
Joplin: City of Hope – ESPN
Unguarded – ESPN

The Dick Schaap WRITING AWARD

2011 Open Championship: Round 3 Open – ESPN
24/7: Flyers-Rangers: Road to the NHL Winter Classic – HBO
NBC Sunday Night Football Bob Costas Essays – NBC
NFL GameDay Morning: Lombardi Returns – NFL Network
The Kentucky Derby – NBC

Outstanding MUSIC COMPOSITION/DIRECTION/LYRICS

2011 NBA Moments on TNT: NBA All-Star Game on TNT & NBA Playoffs on TNT – TNT
McEnroe/Borg: Fire & Ice – HBO
Men of Mettle — Ed Sabol’s Last Football Movie – NFL Network/NFL Films
Monday Night Football – ESPN
The Army-Navy Game: Opening Tease – CBS
The Curious Case of Curt Flood – HBO
The Franchise: A Season with the San Francisco Giants – Showtime/MLB Productions

Outstanding Live Event AUDIO / SOUND

MLB on FOX – FOX
NASCAR on FOX – FOX
NFL on FOX – FOX
Winter X Games 15 – ESPN

Outstanding Post Produced AUDIO/SOUND

24/7: Flyers-Rangers: Road to the NHL Winter Classic – HBO
NBA on TNT – TNT/Turner Studios
NFL Films Presents: Super Bowl XLV – NFL Network/NFL Films
Sound FX: All Access – NFL Network/NFL Films
The Army-Navy Game: Opening Tease – CBS
The Franchise: A Season with the San Francisco Giants – Showtime/MLB Productions

Outstanding GRAPHIC DESIGN

2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup – ESPN/ESPN2
ESPN Monday Night Football – ESPN
NBA All-Star Weekend – TNT
NBC Sunday Night Football – NBC
Sport Science – ESPN/Base Productions

Outstanding PRODUCTION DESIGN/ART DIRECTION

2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup – ESPN
2011 NBA Draft – ESPN
NASCAR on FOX – FOX
NBC Sunday Night Football – NBC
Sunday NFL Countdown – ESPN

The George Wensel TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

America’s Cup Highlight Show: Live Line – Versus
NASCAR on FOX/MLB on FOX: Hot Trax/Hot Spot – FOX
The DIAMOND Platform – MLB Network/MLB.com/MLB Productions
The Masters: 3D Coverage – ESPN3D

Outstanding SPORTS PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT — INSTITUTIONAL

All in One Place: All in One Place; Time Line – MLB Network
It’s Not Crazy, It’s Sports: Fanwiches, Proposal, Towel Around the World – ESPN/O Positive/Moxie Pictures/WhiteHouse Post
NBA on TNT: Shaq ‘Get Ready’ – TNT
NFL GameDay Morning: Carpool – NFL Network/Grey
NFL on FOX: Better on FOX – FOX/MJZ

Outstanding SPORTS PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT — EPISODIC

2011 Stanley Cup Final: No Words – NBC/Cosmo Street
24/7 Flyers-Rangers: Road to the NHL Winter Classic: The Ultimate Rivalry – HBO
A Game of Honor – Showtime/CBS Sports
Bill Belichick: A Football Life: Meet Bill Belichick – NFL Network/NFL Films
NFL Kickoff – NBC

And that is it.

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013. He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television. Fang celebrates the three Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

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