Throughout his career as a broadcast journalist, Will Selva has had opportunities to work with a wide variety of sports programs, including College Football Live, NBA Tonight, and SportsCenter. Far and away the most popular sports news show in the United States, SportsCenter is a daily show that serves as the flagship program of ESPN.
SportsCenter traces its roots to the late 1970s, when Executive Editor John A. Walsh developed an idea for an all-inclusive daily sports news program. SportsCenter made its official debut on ESPN in 1979, anchored by George Grande and established New York broadcaster Lee Leonard. Grande served as the anchor of SportsCenter for more than a decade before retiring from the show in 1989. Another notable figure during the early years of the show was Chris Berman, who quickly rose to popularity during the 1980s and continues to contribute to SportsCenter today.
First Sportscenter Broadcast (1979) posted by originalmuthapukkca2
In the late 1980s, the show changed its format from a “sport-by-sport” structure to a news-style broadcast, which reported on the most important stories of the day regardless of the sport. The show also began to garner attention for its unique presentation, which included a fast-paced electronic audio track and animated sports balls flying toward the screen. By the mid-1990s, the show had begun to adopt its trademark three-count musical theme. The 1990s also saw the rise of anchor pair Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann, who hosted the show until Olbermann’s departure in 1997, at which point Rich Eisen and Stuart Scott took over the top anchor spots.
The show continued to build on its successes throughout the end of the 1990s and, in 2004, made the switch to high-definition broadcasts. That year also coincided with the 25th anniversary of ESPN, which SportsCenter honored by replaying the top 100 sports moments of the past 25 years. Over the past 7 years, SportsCenter has significantly expanded its programming, launching segments such as 50 States in 50 Days and Baseball Tonight Extra, which contains highlights from Major League Baseball games currently in progress.
ESPN Baseball Tonight theme posted by ESPN
Will Selva 