ESPN25
Encyclopedia
ESPN25 is a special event conducted to mark the 25th anniversary of ESPN
.
During the run-up to the anniversary date of January 1, 2004, the network counted down the top sports moments of the last 25 years (the "ESPN era"). The list featured concentrated almost exclusively on moments involving Americans
. Each Tuesday, a new 25-to-1 list was unveiled, as was the next headline in that 25-to-1 countdown. In addition, each day during SportsCenter
, the next moment in the list of the top 100 moments of the ESPN era was shown. The celebration concluded by declaring the Miracle on Ice
hockey game between the United States and the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games the #1 moment, game, and headline of the last 25 years.
, counting down the top 25 stories since 1979, "stories that at some point jumped off the sports page, and onto the front page."
hosted Who's #1?
, which counts down the top 25 of the last 25 years in some category. Who's #1 has since expanded into a weekly series on ESPN Classic
, with additional categories and a new host, Trey Wingo
. In this version, only 20 items are revealed, and, in a post-show segment, the "Second Guessers" debate the choices.
games. During the Headlines show about 9/11
, ESPN aired the entrance of Dallas Cowboys
defensive back George Teague
entering Texas Stadium
with the American flag when the NFL resumed play after the attacks; otherwise, it had to air still photographs whenever the league was mentioned. Neither the league nor ESPN explained why the footage was absent, but the network had just shown Playmakers
, a weekly drama
show about a fictitious professional football
team called the Cougars. The show's blunt treatment of off-the-field problems drew criticism from NFL officials, and reports surfaced that the NFL threatened not to renew ESPN's television contract with the league if Playmakers was renewed for a second season. The show was not renewed.
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
During the run-up to the anniversary date of January 1, 2004, the network counted down the top sports moments of the last 25 years (the "ESPN era"). The list featured concentrated almost exclusively on moments involving Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Each Tuesday, a new 25-to-1 list was unveiled, as was the next headline in that 25-to-1 countdown. In addition, each day during SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
, the next moment in the list of the top 100 moments of the ESPN era was shown. The celebration concluded by declaring the Miracle on Ice
Miracle on Ice
The "Miracle on Ice" is the name in American popular culture for a medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, on Friday, February 22...
hockey game between the United States and the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games the #1 moment, game, and headline of the last 25 years.
The Headlines
ESPN also had a weekly series, The Headlines, hosted by Bob LeyBob Ley
Bob Ley is a sportscaster for ESPN. He, along with Chris Berman, is one of only two original SportsCenter anchors still with the network.-Biography:...
, counting down the top 25 stories since 1979, "stories that at some point jumped off the sports page, and onto the front page."
Old School Week
Several former ESPN anchors were invited back to co-anchor the nighttime Sportscenter broadcast with ESPN anchors of the time, during an "old school week".- Craig KilbornCraig KilbornCraig Kilborn is an American actor and talk show host. He was the original host of The Daily Show, a former anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter, and Tom Snyder's successor on CBS' The Late Late Show. On June 28, 2010, he launched The Kilborn File after a six-year absence from television...
, alongside Dan PatrickDan PatrickDaniel Patrick Pugh , professionally known as Dan Patrick, is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and actor from Mason, Ohio...
, broadcast Sunday, September 8, 2004; - Charley SteinerCharley SteinerCharles Harris "Charley" Steiner is an American sportscaster and broadcast journalist. He is currently the main play-by-play voice for the Los Angeles Dodgers Radio Network, paired with Rick Monday.-Early career:...
, alongside Bob LeyBob LeyBob Ley is a sportscaster for ESPN. He, along with Chris Berman, is one of only two original SportsCenter anchors still with the network.-Biography:...
, broadcast Monday, September 9, 2004; - Gayle GardnerGayle GardnerGayle Gardner is an American sportscaster who has worked for ESPN and NBC Sports beginning in 1987 until 1993.-Biography:Gardner got her first job as a sportscaster because she hired herself. She got her second job as a sportscaster because a guy died...
, alongside Stuart ScottStuart ScottStuart Scott is a sportscaster and anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter.-Early life and career:Scott attended Richard J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and went to college at the University of North Carolina. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity...
, broadcast Tuesday, September 10, 2004; - Greg GumbelGreg GumbelGreg Gumbel is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments on the CBS network...
, alongside Chris Berman, broadcast Wednesday, September 11, 2004; - George GrandeGeorge GrandeGeorge Grande is an American sportscaster who hosted the very first broadcast of SportsCenter on ESPN in 1979.-Early life and career:He graduated from the University of Southern California in 1969, where he won the 1968 College World Series...
, alongside Chris Berman, broadcast Thursday, September 12, 2004.
Who's #1?
Immediately following The Headlines (before The Headlines in the early portion of the summer), Stuart ScottStuart Scott
Stuart Scott is a sportscaster and anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter.-Early life and career:Scott attended Richard J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and went to college at the University of North Carolina. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity...
hosted Who's #1?
Who's No. 1?
Who’s No. 1? is a sports series that debuted on ESPN25 in 2004 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of ESPN. Hosted by Stuart Scott, the show counted down a “Top 25 over the last 25 Years” list, counting down to #1, in such categories as Best Teams, Worst Teams, Biggest Flops, Greatest Records, Most...
, which counts down the top 25 of the last 25 years in some category. Who's #1 has since expanded into a weekly series on ESPN Classic
ESPN Classic
ESPN Classic is a sports channel that features reruns of famous sporting events, sports documentaries, and sports themed movies. Such programs includes biographies of famous sports figures or a rerun of a famous World Series or Super Bowl, often with added commentary on the event...
, with additional categories and a new host, Trey Wingo
Trey Wingo
Hal Chapman Wingo III or Trey Wingo is the co-host of ESPN's SportsCenter from time to time but is best known as host of NFL Live alongside football analysts Mark Schlereth, Merrill Hoge, Mike Golic, and Tom Jackson, among others...
. In this version, only 20 items are revealed, and, in a post-show segment, the "Second Guessers" debate the choices.
Missing footage
Conspicuously absent from the entire ESPN25 series was all but a few seconds of footage from National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
games. During the Headlines show about 9/11
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, ESPN aired the entrance of Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
defensive back George Teague
George Teague
George Theo Teague is a former American football player who played free safety in the National Football League with the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, and Miami Dolphins.-College:...
entering Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium was a football stadium in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The stadium opened on September 17, 1971.Built to replace the aging Cotton Bowl, it was the home field of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and had a seating capacity of 65,675...
with the American flag when the NFL resumed play after the attacks; otherwise, it had to air still photographs whenever the league was mentioned. Neither the league nor ESPN explained why the footage was absent, but the network had just shown Playmakers
Playmakers
Playmakers is an American television series that aired on ESPN from August 26, 2003 to November 11, 2003. It depicted the lives of the Cougars, a fictional professional football team in an unidentified city. The show starred Omar Gooding, Marcello Thedford, Christopher Wiehl, Jason Matthew Smith,...
, a weekly drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
show about a fictitious professional football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team called the Cougars. The show's blunt treatment of off-the-field problems drew criticism from NFL officials, and reports surfaced that the NFL threatened not to renew ESPN's television contract with the league if Playmakers was renewed for a second season. The show was not renewed.