NATIONAL NEWS
On August 11, 2020 – The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) announced the winners of the 41st Sports Emmy® Awards. The livestreamed ceremony honored nominees in more than thirty-five categories and was hosted by Lindsay Czarniak (Host, FOX Sports) and Craig Melvin (News Anchor: NBC News, MSNBC Live).
“The global pandemic has created unparalleled challenges in bringing a ‘live’ awards show program to the sports community,” said Adam Sharp, President & CEO, NATAS. “With two hosts, seven presenters, and more than one hundred and thirty-five acceptors coming from either a studio or their homes across the country, the sheer size and demand for new and exciting ways to recognize the great talents creating sports television has been an enormous enterprise that the National Academy has happily embraced.”
The 41st Sports Emmy® Awards ceremony was streamed live on NATAS’ dedicated viewing platform powered by Vimeo, available on the web at watch.theemmys.tv and via The Emmys® apps for iOS, tvOS, Android, FireTV, and Roku (full list at apps.theemmys.tv). The show and many other Emmy® Award events can be watched anytime, anywhere on this new platform.
In addition to Lindsay Czarniak & Craig Melvin, other sports luminaries that appeared this evening were Kay Adams (Host, Good Morning Football, NFL Network), Fran Charles (Host, MLB Network), Charles Davis (Analyst, NFL on CBS), Elle Duncan (Host, SportsCenter, ESPN), Ahmed Fahreed (Host & Reporter, NBC Sports Group), Mauro Ranallo (Play-by-Play Sportscaster, Showtime Championship Boxing), Jenny Taft (Host, FOX Sports) and this year’s Lifetime Achievement honoree, Lesley Visser (CBS Sports). The ceremony featured the presentation of the Jim McKay Memorial Scholarship to Jonathan Burkhart, Saint Clairsville High School, St. Clairsville, OH. The Jim McKay Scholarship honoring sportscaster Jim McKay (1921-2008) was established in 2009 by ABC, CBS, FOX, HBO and NBC Networks.
Honorees were announced in more than thirty-five categories including Outstanding Live Sports Special, Live Sports Series and Playoff Coverage, three Documentary categories, Outstanding Play-by-Play Announcer and Studio Host, among others. This year’s competition marks the debut of a new category for Outstanding Esports Coverage. Accounting services for the competition were provided by the firm of Lutz and Carr, LLP. The full list of honorees follows and is also available on our website: TheEmmys.tv.