A Short Summary - Research Project

In researching the history of SportsCenter, I really learned much more than I expected. Along with the fact that SportsCenter was brought to life by ESPN executives Chet Simmons and Scotty Connal in 1979, I was surprised to learn that the building where it was originally taped wasn’t even finished being built. There wasn't any running water., and the set itself was being held up by loose two‐by‐fours. Also, I probably never would've known that the first phrase to ever be said on a SportsCenter broadcast was “If you’re a fan, what you’ll see in the next minutes, hours, and days to follow may convince you you’ve gone to sports heaven,” spoken by original and longtime host Lee Leonard. I wouldn't have known that on February 6th, 1981, Rhonda Glenn joined ESPN and became the first full-time female sportscaster for a national TV network. I would've never known that almost everyone at SportsCenter hated Keith Olbermann and didn't want him there. As a millennial, it was surprising that SportsCenter didn't begin broadcasting in high definition until 2004 and that the "rundown graphic" wasn't always on the screen. Learning all that has only led to me respecting ESPN, and SportsCenter specifically, so much more. However, there was one thing I always knew even before going into this project: I fucking love sports.