This is SportsCenter was a series of comical television commercials that debuted in 1995 and was run by ESPN to promote their SportsCenter sports news show, based on the show's opening tagline. The ads were presented in a deadpan, mockumentary style, lampooning various aspects of sports, and sports broadcasting.
The New York office of advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy, of Portland, Oregon, wrote and produced the commercials until 2017, with ESPN taking production in-house since 2018. In 2022, ESPN's new creative partner, Arts & Letters, announced that it would revive the campaign in the beginning of 2023. On December 2, 2024, ESPN announced that it would be discontinuing the "This is SportsCenter" campaign after 30 years. The new campaign, entitled "My Life, My Team" will debut on ESPN's family of networks on December 30, 2024.
A few of the ads are available for free on iTunes while many ads are available for viewing through the official ESPN YouTube channel.
Guest appearances by sports figures A notable feature of the commercials is the seeming ubiquity of famous athletes on the ESPN campus. Some are even depicted doing menial, everyday tasks, usually while wearing their game uniforms. Athletes often have their idiosyncrasies parodied—for example, gymnast Kerri Strug being carried around ESPN headquarters because of her famous ankle injury.
List of This is SportsCenter spots
1994 In one of the earliest "This is SportsCenter" commercials, Roger Clemens and Cam Neely drive around asking people, to no avail, where they can locate SportsCenter. After a very long search they finally arrive only to find out it has been closed for Chris Berman's birthday.
1995 In a 1995 commercial Dan Patrick interviews Keith Olbermann, who is performing surgery on Colts quarterback Jim Harbaugh, even though he is still awake; Harbaugh pointedly asks, "Aren't I supposed to be asleep?" just before the surgery appears to go south. Bob Ley suggests this incident may have violated journalistic ethics. In a 1995 commercial, WWF wrestlers King Kong Bundy, Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, and The Undertaker invade the studio, demanding reasons as to why professional wrestling highlights are not being shown on ESPN.
1996 In a 1996 commercial, an ESPN producer discusses a fictional trade between SportsCenter and the soap opera Melrose Place, wherein Andrew Shue and Charley Steiner switch jobs; the ad features Shue at the SportsCenter desk discussing a working interview with NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, then cuts to the Melrose Place set where Steiner is cleaning the pool and enthusiastically asks one of the female characters, Sydney Andrews played by actress Laura Leighton, if she wants to rub suntan lotion on his back. In a 1996 commercial, Detroit Red Wings legend Gordie Howe is reminiscing with Keith Olbermann and demonstrating stick and body checks while Olbermann is trying to work. Olympic gymnast Kerri Strug was featured in two commercials. In the first, she is carried around the ESPN offices, being handed off from person to person, finally being carried off by Michigan State mascot Sparty. In the second, Strug is talking incessantly while still being carried around, and no one is interested in holding her anymore. Former U.S. Senator and basketball player with the Princeton Tigers, New York Knicks, and the U.S. Olympic Team Bill Bradley is interviewed for a job by Keith Olbermann and Bob Ley, who skeptically question his qualifications to work at SportsCenter.
1997 In a 1997 commercial Kenny Mayne and Stuart Scott run a training camp for rookies to teach them about having (what turns out to be) an arrogant attitude, yelling at a young Kobe Bryant and Keyshawn Johnson to yell out "I'm the man." Both turn in poor efforts.
1998 In a 1998 commercial, Lou Duva and a crew of assistants come to Rich Eisen's aid during a commercial break as Eisen appears punch-drunk and fatigued; Duva hydrates Eisen with tea and gives him an aggressive pep talk. As the break ends, Eisen resumes the telecast as normal.
1999 In a 1999 commercial aired in the midst of the Y2K fears, when the studio's electricity goes out (due to Y2K tests), amidst the ensuing mayhemwhich includes Mark McGwire smashing a computer with his batCharley Steiner walks away, wearing face paint and a necktie as a headband, holding a lantern and screaming, “Follow me! Follow me to freedom!” In the SportsCenter studios, Rich Eisen is chatting with Bobby Labonte about his hair, when Labonte notices someone doing donuts in his #18 Interstate Batteries Pontiac in the parking lot. Labonte runs down to the lot to find the Georgetown Hoyas mascot, Jack the Bulldog, driving the car and screams at him. Eisen then pays off the mascot for the prank.
2000 At the ESPN offices, Stuart Scott bumps into Tiger Woods, who asks if they're still on for lunch; Scott tells Tiger to meet him in the lobby at 12:30. Tiger walks away then followed by the huge crowd which usually follows him at any golf tournament he plays at. A shorter version of this ad sees Woods decline an invitation to sponsor Scott in a race, minus the crowd. The power goes out late at night at the ESPN studios; Dan Patrick goes backstage to find the cause of the power outage: apparently Lance Armstrong has taken a break from riding his bicycle connected to a generator.
2002 A 2002 ad shows Dan Patrick and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the break room late at night, with Austin studying and being unable to stay awake. Patrick helps to wake Austin up with a chair shot to the back. Austin asks for one more, which Patrick obliges to do, and Austin thanks him and resumes his studying.
2005 A 2005 ad included Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger saving people from the ESPN building while the fire alarm is ringing. Stuart Scott is talking outside the building with Scott Van Pelt asking "Does he know this is a drill?"
2006 In 2006, a commercial aired which showed Danica Patrick's race car being towed from a parking spot, presumably outside SportsCenter studios, which was reserved for "D. Patrick". Danica runs outside after her car, only to run into Dan Patrick, one of SportsCenters anchors. Some humorous debate over whose parking spot it really was follows. A 2006 ad features the Manning family taking a tour of the SportsCenter studio. John Anderson conducts the tour while brothers Eli and Peyton Manning engage in horseplay behind their parents and older brother's back. When their father, Archie, turns to look, the brothers stop and proceed to silently blame each other for the antics. Another 2006 ad features Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillén trying to call to the bullpen during a game, but instead reaches Neil Everett at ESPN. Chad Johnson of the Cincinnati Bengals has a meeting with Stuart Scott, Steve Levy, and John Anderson to get ideas for his next touchdown celebration. While Scott's "old school" is rejected (Johnson responds to his trademark Boo-yah with "Boo-no"), as well as Levy's "sizzling bacon action" idea (Johnson: "If I did that in public I'd fine myself"), Anderson's idea of making the football disappear like a magician is met with approval. Johnson wraps the ad by asking, "Can I get a puff of smoke with that?," with Anderson agreeing. The hot-dog eating champion Takeru Kobayashi was featured in an ad where he finishes his lunch in the ESPN cafeteria in the 30-second span of the commercial.
2007 A 2007 ad featuring Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer and Scott Van Pelt having a conversation about Minnesota in the cafeteria. A 2007 ad featuring Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz is introduced to members of anchor John Buccigross's family. He greets each one by spitting into each of his batting gloves, slapping them together, and shaking the family member's hand, similar to his typical batting ritual. Another 2007 ad featuring David Ortiz shows Ortiz, anchor Stan Verrett, and Jorge Posada of the New York Yankees sitting at a conference table. The three are talking about hats, and how as a catcher Posada never wears his. Ortiz asks to see the Yankee's hat to bend the brim and break it in. As Ortiz puts it on his own head, Red Sox mascot Wally the Green Monster walks by, sees Ortiz in the Yankees hat, drops the video tapes he's carrying and is mortified, refusing to have anything to do with Ortiz, even though Ortiz pleads, "it's not what you think!" A 2007 ad features Cleveland Cavaliers player LeBron James arriving at ESPN offices and sitting in his cubicle in a standard office chair. He realizes something is wrong so he goes to Scott Van Pelt's neighboring cubicle and Van Pelt is sitting in a throne, (which he took from "King James" cubicle). Getting Lebron to ask, "Scott, did you possibly switch chairs with me?" Scott in the commercial said no, but after James' performance in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Van Pelt during the SportsCenter he was on said, "LeBron, I really did take your chair." Another ad featuring James shows him struggling to fix an apparent paper jam in a copier. Stuart Scott walks by the room, sees James having trouble with such a menial task and says in a sarcastic tone "The chosen one, huh?" A 2007 ad features Yankees catcher Jorge Posada acknowledging cheers of "Hip, Hip, Jorge!" as he walks down the hall. A 2007 ad features Shaquille O'Neal dressed as a cop as he rescues Mike the Tiger from a tree (Shaq attended LSU). At the end Shaq asks Mike if he's all right and is handed a Vitaminwater for his efforts. A 2007 ad features Indianapolis Colts placekicker Adam Vinatieri passing through a metal detector multiple times, each time forgetting to remove one of his four Super Bowl rings from his person. Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly is seen in line behind Vinatieri, clearly frustrated with the delay. (Kelly never won a Super Bowl with the Bills, losing four straight in the early 1990s) A 2007 ad has Scott Van Pelt walking down the hallway only to discover Tony Romo having a party complete with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Another ad features Romo answering phones at ESPN. He gives anchor Stan Verrett his messages, reading them off his armband, similar to how NFL quarterbacks have their playbook written on their arms during games. A 2007 ad features the Boston Celtics' new Big Three of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce asking anchor Scott Van Pelt for advice on selecting nicknames. (The name Van Pelt coined, the "Boston Three-Party", has actually been used in ESPN broadcasts.) A follow-up spot has Steve Levy heckle the trio as they walk through the SportsCenter offices in their Celtic uniforms. Levy shouts, "Hey fellas, did you call each other last night and talk about what you're gonna wear today?" A 2007 ad has LaDainian Tomlinson sorting mail in the mailroom in his jersey and his helmet. Steve Levy then comes to get his mail, and proceeds to tell LT that the mail is not his (LT wears a black visor, which in this case is supposed to be detrimental to his vision). A follow-up ad has LT playing a hand-held video game with Chris McKendry. A 2007 ad has Richard Simmons hired as SportsCenter's "conditioning coach". A 2007 ad sees Chris McKendry and Stan Verrett stuck in bumper to bumper traffic trying to enter the Bristol campus because a Mardi Gras float driven by Drew Brees cannot fit through the narrow entrance gate.
2008 Two WWE wrestlers have appeared in the show's commercials. In 2008, WWE wrestlers John Cena and anchor Jay Harris have a conversation on why SportsCenter never airs pro wrestling highlights. Towards the end of the commercial, Harris believes that pro wrestling is not a real sport but Cena disagrees. A 2008 ad has Chris Chelios and anchor John Buccigross having a conversation about forty-something athletes in the studio hallway. A 2008 ad has ESPN employees being locked out of the studio as Dirk Nowitzki cannot seem to get the door open.