Latest news with #SportsEmmys
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
John Brenkus, host of ESPN's 'Sport Science', dies at 54 after 'battling depression'
John Brenkus, the creator and host of the Emmy-winning TV show Sport Science, died Saturday at 54. An announcement posted by his production company, Brinx TV, and his X account said that Brenkus "had been battling depression." "John lost his fight with this terrible illness on May 31st, 2025," the statement continued. "His heartbroken family and friends request privacy at this time, and encourage anyone who is struggling with depression to seek help." Sport Science premiered on Fox Sports Network in 2007 and moved to ESPN into the 2010s. The series won six Sports Emmys, following Brenkus as he uncovered "sports' biggest myths and mysteries by using cutting-edge technology to measure momentum, friction and the laws of gravity," according to an ESPN synopsis. The show's segments demonstrated sports through scientific principles and concepts, and science through sports, such as showing how golfers were able to drive balls such great distances and explaining the physics of Wiffle balls. ESPN's Randy Scott paid tribute to Brenkus on SportsCenter Monday, saying, "John was uniquely talented and singularly brilliant at not only analyzing sports, but then translating sports and science to fans in memorable ways, because John was memorable." He added, "This world was a better place with John Brenkus in it." Brenkus opened up about his mental health struggles during a 2023 episode of Marcellus Wiley's Never Shut Up show. He revealed that while living in Park City, Utah, after selling Sport Science to ESPN, he felt isolated and spiraled into a "very deep depression." "I was flat-out suicidal," Brenkus told Wiley, a former NFL player and colleague at ESPN and Brinx. Brenkus recalled that his dog, Zeppelin, came to his "rescue" by tugging on his pants and snapping him out of his "suicidal funk." "I literally picked up my phone, called my mom and said, 'There's something wrong with me. I am mentally lost,'" Brenkus said. "I then went through a battle, I'm telling you, a battle to get out of it. I went to six different psychologists and psychiatrists. Finally found my answer. Finally found the way." Brenkus credited a doctor in Virginia for helping him find the "right path," saying he considered it his "greatest blessing and greatest victory" to have gone through "the valley of darkness" to get to where he was at that also said that the stigmas surrounding mental health made him hesitant to share his struggles. "If you say, 'I suffer from mental health issues,' people look at you like, 'Oh my God, what's wrong with you?' And therefore something like depression, which is just a thought loop you can't get out of your head, you don't share it with anybody," he told Wiley. "You feel embarrassed about it… Listen, there is hope. There are hotlines, there are friends, there is family. There are other people. Talk about it." If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 24/7. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
‘Inside the NBA' will live on, but the potential for meddling is a good excuse to celebrate it again
This crossed my mind recently for a few reasons. The show added the latest two Sports Emmys to its collection ('Inside the NBA' was nominated for outstanding weekly studio show, but lost to ESPN's 'College GameDay.' No shame in that.) Advertisement This year's awards occurred a few days before one of the funniest moments I've ever witnessed while watching 'Inside the NBA.' Analyst Kenny Smith was telling a long story about how his mother wouldn't allow him to have a car while he was a student at the University of North Carolina unless he got all Bs or better for grades. Barkley and fellow analyst Shaquille O'Neal needled him, as they do, and Barkley fired off a line that made everyone in my living room laugh out loud as the show headed for a commercial break. 'And to this day,' said Barkley, 'Kenny has never driven a car.' "The show is still here baby... WE DEM BOYZ!" Shaq has us ready to run through a brick wall 😤 — NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) Yes, as a matter of fact, I am sitting here guffawing like an idiot as I type those words. Advertisement That one-liner was quintessential Barkley, who has the Must-Watch factor in a way only John Madden and a very short list of other sports broadcasters have achieved. The joke was so perfectly befitting a show in which the talent interacts not as colleagues, but in the no-one-is-safe-from-being-a-punchline way that real, genuine, unfiltered friends do. The collective chemistry of 'Inside the NBA,' in which ego is consistently punctured for the sake of comedy, is extremely hard to find in sports television, as evidenced by pretty much every awkward and uninspiring version of an NBA studio show that ESPN has ever produced. That, of course, is the other reason the show has been on my mind, and the minds of most other NBA fans. TNT's superb run as NBA broadcast rights partner will end with the conclusion of the Pacers-Knicks Eastern Conference finals. 'Inside the NBA' will continue, but under different circumstances that should bring at least some skepticism about whether a show that needs not a single change will remain quite the same. After months of drama and uncertainty about its future, parent company Warner Brothers Discovery The full cast — Johnson, Barkley, Smith, and O'Neal, who have been together since 2011 — will remain intact. TNT will continue to produce the show. Make no mistake: Compared with where this originally appeared headed, the 'Inside'-to-ESPN outcome is awfully close to a best-case scenario. I just wish I could be convinced, as some of my other sports-media columnist brethren apparently are, that ESPN won't screw this up. Advertisement ESPN has spent years, even decades, trying and failing to come up with NBA studio programming that can be mentioned in the same book as 'Inside The NBA,' let alone on the same page or sentence. It has failed and failed again, and its worst version yet is probably its current one, with Stephen A. Smith chronically caterwauling about the Knicks and Kendrick Perkins inevitably contradicting something he said a few minutes earlier. Maybe its weird to be nostalgic for something that isn't truly ending, but the I'm-gonna-miss-this sentiments come in part out of fear for what ESPN might do to what TNT built. Related : Since TNT will produce the show, perhaps that will prevent some ESPN interference. But you're telling me Mike Greenberg, or Perkins, or Screamin' A., won't be shoehorned on the set from time to time, or perhaps more than time to time? ESPN's if-you-can't-beat-'em, license-'em approach is wise, and it saved a wonderful show, but I've seen too many TV executives screw up too many good things to believe ESPN bosses will be able to resist some wholly unnecessary tinkering. The thoughtful Smith — c'mon, he definitely has driven a car, Chuck — expressed some skepticism regarding whether the show will remain the same in 'We have the same crew of people doing the show,' he said. 'But the timing: are we a half hour now? Are we forty-five minutes? Fifteen minutes? Those are the things that you can control when you own your [intellectual property]. But we don't.' Advertisement We won't know how this is going to go until we see it a few times. So allow me, then, to be nostalgic for something that will still exist. I've thought often of Watching TNT's NBA coverage wind down the last few weeks has felt a little like watching Sam Malone close Cheers for the last time. Had he and the gang matriculated to a new bar, we still would have known their names. It would not have felt the same. Chad Finn can be reached at
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Al Roker, Filmmaker John Else to Receive Lifetime Achievement Honors at 46th News & Documentary Emmys
Longtime NBC 'Today' weather and feature anchor Al Roker has been tapped to receive a lifetime achievement honor at the 46th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards next month. Also set to be given the lifetime achievement is documentary filmmaker, cinematographer, producer, and director Jon Else. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which administers the News & Documentary Emmys, announced the news on Thursday. More from Variety Sports Emmys Winners: NBC/Peacock's Olympics Coverage Dominates, While Steven Spielberg Earns Two Awards (FULL LIST) 'Percy Jackson,' Meryl Streep, Christian Slater Among 3rd Annual Children's & Family Emmys Winners (FULL LIST) Fox Sports Founder David Hill to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at Sports Emmys The News & Documentary Emmys are split into two ceremonies, with the first focused on news programming on Wednesday, June 25, and the second centered on documentary fare on Thursday, June 26. Roker will receive his award during the news ceremony, while Else will be honored at the documentary ceremony. 'These Lifetime Achievement honors recognize Al Roker and Jon Else for their enduring contributions to the television industry,' said NATAS prexy Adam Sharp in a statement. 'We honor not only their remarkable work in front of and behind the camera, but also the lasting impact they have made on audiences, the industry and generations of storytellers. NATAS proudly celebrates their commitment to excellence and pivotal roles in shaping the television landscape.' Roker first joined 'Today' in January 1996; he also now serves as co-host of the 3rd hour of 'Today.' His credits also include Sirius XM's 'Off the Rails' with Dylan Dreyer and Sheinelle Jones, Weather Channel's 'Wake Up with Al' and as a weather forecaster on WNBC-TV. Roker has won three Daytime Emmys — when 'Today' won for best morning newscast in 2007, 2009 and 2010. Roker also co-hosts Sirius XM's 'Off the Rails' with Dylan Dreyer and Sheinelle Jones. Roker called the award an 'incredible honor. I'm just another indication of either an end-of-career or end-of-life award. Either way, I am so thankful to be the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Emmy and thank everyone that I've worked with who held me up and helped me achieve this great honor.' Else is known for 'The Day After Trinity: J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Atomic Bomb,' and 'Cadillac Desert,' as well as series producer and cinematographer for Henry Hampton's 'Eyes On The Prize: America's Civil Rights Years.' His other credits include 'Sing Faster: The Stagehands' 'Ring Cycle,'' 'Wonders Are Many: The Making of 'Doctor Atomic,' 'Yosemite: The Fate of Heaven,' 'Palace of Delights: the Exploratorium' and 'Open Outcry.' Said Else: 'It took me by surprise—What?!?!—completely humbling, and I'm honored. Emmys were the last thing I expected when filming little documentaries 50 years ago. I have to say that whatever I've done in all these years of making television would never have been remotely possible without the incredible support from the devoted men and women of public broadcasting, and to them, I am forever grateful. And the secret of it all was to always work with crazy smart and crazy skilled collaborators.' The 46th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards will will hand out trophies in 66 categories across news and documentary programming. This year, Disney's National Geographic dominated with 46 nominations, helped by 'Trafficked: Underworlds with Mariana van Zeller,' which earned a whopping 29 nominations in various categories (including Outstanding Recorded News Program and Outstanding Investigative News Coverage – Long Form.) The News & Documentary Emmy ceremonies will take place at the Palladium Times Square in New York City and stream live on NATAS' dedicated viewing platform (available at and via The Emmys apps on iOS, tvOS, Android, FireTV and Roku. Best of Variety 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz
USA Today
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Dana White reaches goal as Noche UFC wins two Sports Emmy awards
Dana White reaches goal as Noche UFC wins two Sports Emmy awards Probably much to the delight of Dana White, Noche UFC was recognized at the Sports Emmys. During the 46th annual awards show, Noche UFC, also known as UFC 306, won two Sports Emmys for Outstanding Graphic Design – Specialty, as well as Outstanding Studio or Production Design/Art Direction. Senior creative director Craig Borsari accepted the awards on behalf of the UFC. Noche UFC took place last September at Sphere in Las Vegas. It was themed around celebrating Mexican Independence Day. The main event featured Merab Dvalishvili dethroning Sean O'Malley to become bantamweight champion. In the co-headliner, Valentina Shevchenko regained her UFC flyweight title by defeating Alexa Grasso in their trilogy bout. White revealed that the event cost more than $20 million. He had big goals of winning numerous awards, and part of his vision has already come true. "So my goal in this thing is to be nominated for an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Grammy," White said the week of Noche UFC. "So, yes, there will be a documentary." The Sphere used next-gen technology to display the film, "For Mexico, For All Time," which was told in six, 90-second chapters throughout the pay-per-view portion of the event.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lady Gaga Is Now Just 1 Award Away From EGOT Status After Her Latest Surprise Win
As of last year, Lady Gaga had four Emmy nominations to her name for her various musical specials and live TV performances. But few could have predicted that when she did finally get her hands on one of the coveted television awards, it would be at the ceremony's sports-specific spin-off. Yes, on Tuesday night, Lady Gaga was revealed as one of the winners at the Sports Emmys, a night honouring the biggest achievements in the world of sports coverage over the last year. However, it makes sense that Gaga's win was in the Outstanding Music Direction category, following her opening performance at this year's Super Bowl. While it was Grammy-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar who dominated this year's Super Bowl Halftime Show performance, and singer-songwriter Jon Batiste who opened the event with the US national anthem, the Abracadabra star also made an appearance during the broadcast, paying tribute to those affected by a number of recent tragedies across the US. With an Oscar win and 14 Grammys already to her name, Gaga is now just one Tony win away from reaching EGOT status – a title bestowed to the select few performers to earn an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony over the course of their career. Last year, during a 'Little Monsters' press conference to promote her album Mayhem, Gaga was asked by one fan if she had a 'dream' Broadway role in mind, while specifically mentioning the possibility of her winning a Tony. 'I think that I would really love to write a musical,' Gaga responded. 'I feel like that would bring me so much joy – to work with some amazing writers. 'But I think the first thing that needs to happen is I need to figure out what the important story is that I want to tell – with whoever I want to tell it with.' She continued: 'While I appreciate the desire for me to win a Tony, I just feel like I would want to put years of work into that [musical]. And eight shows a week – [those actors] are rock stars. That is rock star shit.' Lady Gaga Says She Was 'Not Deeply In Touch With Reality' During Period Of Psychosis Lady Gaga Makes Surprising Admission About Filming Her Iconic Bad Romance Video 7 Stand-Out Moments From Lady Gaga's Jam-Packed Saturday Night Live Episode
