ESPN Walks Out Of Annual Sports Business Awards The Big Winner, Taking Three Honors

ESPN on Wednesday night had the best awards haul of any company in the four-year history of the Sports Business Awards, taking the honors for Best in Sports Television, Best in Sports Media and Executive of the Year. It was good news for a company that was feeling a bit of heat this week from the release of a controversial book that pointed out some of the mishaps and misdeeds of some of ESPN’s biggest names. ESPN’s record night was watched by more than 600 of the sports industry’s top execs, who were among the 73 nominees in the running for 15 categories. The event was held at the Marriott Marquis in N.Y. In addition to Bodenheimer, ESPN Exec VP/News, Talent & Content Operations Steve Anderson and ESPN Digital Media Senior VP & GM John Kosner also accepted awards for the network. One of the biggest reasons for ESPN’s success in the last year, and at the Sports Business Awards, was the way it handled last summer’s FIFA World Cup in South Africa. “The whole company got behind it,” said Anderson. “We really anticipated that the United States was ready for the World Cup this time.” Added Bodenheimer, “I learned that if the whole company pulls behind anything, I feel very confident we can make it a success.”

CABLE BREAKTHROUGH: This marked the first time a cable TV channel won a Sports Business Award in the Best in TV category. In fact, three of the five nominees were cable networks, including Turner and HBO Sports. ESPN continued its dominance in the Best in Sports Media category. Boasting TV channels, broadband channels, radio, mobile and a magazine, ESPN has never lost in this category. Turner Sports kept ESPN from sweeping the media categories last night, winning the Best in Digital Sports Media category. Turner was recognized for operating the digital operations for several properties, including the NBA, PGA Tour and NCAA.

RUNNING DOWN A DREAM: Some of the most exciting moments of the night came from underdogs who got the nod from the judges. N.Y. Road Runners Exec VP/Business Development & Strategy Ann Wells Crandall jumped out of her chair and President & CEO Mary Wittenberg screamed when the N.Y. Marathon was announced as the winner of the Best Event award for ‘11. The race beat out the ‘11 NBA All-Star Game, ‘10 NCAA Final Four and ‘11 Winter X Games. Wittenberg invited Wells Crandall and Senior VP/Event Development & Production Peter Ciaccia onto the stage, where she thanked the race partners and N.Y. Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Various execs in the crowd who had run the marathon were singled out. Wittenberg then dedicated the victory to the marathon's participants and to nine-time N.Y. Marathon champion Grete Waitz, who died of cancer in April at the age of 57. After the victory, Wittenberg said she did not expect the win and cited the race's biggest-ever crowd of 45,000 runners and the participation of Chilean miner Edison Peña for bringing the race more attention this year. "Having American Shalane Flanagan in the race until the final moments lifted our TV ratings as well," Wittenberg said. "We had a huge year in so many ways. We've never been about being the biggest, we want to be the best.”

MORE UNDERDOG STORIES: Among the other underdogs were the NHL, which won for League of the Year, and GMR Marketing, which was named Best in Corporate Consulting, Marketing and Client Services. GMR Exec VP/Sports Marketing Mike Boykin was not only one of the most excited winners of the night, but also one of the most underdressed. Accepting the award in jeans and tennis shoes, Boykin told a story of flight delays and lost luggage. But none of that dampened his enthusiasm for the award, which recognized GMR’s significant accomplishments of the last year. "It was a three-legged stool,” said Boykin. “The three we put forward were so significant: P&G in the Olympic space; Visa at the World Cup; and Comcast in the college market." Even with great Stanley Cup ratings, a growing Winter Classic franchise and a big jump in sponsorship revenue, the NHL was not the favorite in a category that included the NFL, NBA, MLS and UFC, but those accomplishments won favor with the category's judges. "Our business is healthier than ever because our game is healthier than ever,” said NHL COO John Collins. “We have a lot of momentum. The game on the ice has never been better and partners like NBC helped take our game and our message to a new generation of fans -- it’s been a real renaissance." NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who could not attend the event because of the NHL Playoffs, released a statement shortly after the league was recognized. He said, "In 2010, more people than ever found more reasons than ever -- and more ways than ever -- to connect with our great game and our outstanding athletes. On behalf of the teams, the League staff and all who contributed to the achievement, the National Hockey League is pleased to accept this acknowledgement of a memorable year."

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT: Tennis legend Billie Jean King was honored with a lifetime achievement award that recognized her career accomplishments and her influence both on and off the court. King, who received a standing ovation from the packed crowd at the event, talked about her historic tennis match against Bobby Riggs, which happened almost four decades ago but is still an iconic moment in the struggle for gender equality. King said she felt immense pressure to win against Riggs, and sometimes still gets nervous reliving the moment. “I still wake up thinking I have not played that match,” she said, adding that she is quickly relieved when she realizes it is long over. King was introduced by her one-time rival and long-time friend Chris Evert, who noted that, even during their days as competitors, King was always concerned with making the future better for women, even as most of the other players focused only on their careers or their next match. “She is very unselfish,” said Evert, “and is the wisest person I know.” Meanwhile, King's award was present midway through the program, at about the time that the Heat were on court with the Bulls in Game Two of their Eastern Conference Finals series, She assured the crowd that she would not be long-winded with her acceptance speech. “Basketball is my favorite sport,” she said. “So calm down” (THE DAILY).

CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK: Target Chip Ganassi Racing Owner Chip Ganassi appeared on ESPN2's "NASCAR Now" to discuss his SBA nominations for Professional Sports Team of the Year and Sports Executive of the Year. ESPN's Michelle Bonner noted Ganassi was the "first race team executive to be nominated for Sports Executive of the Year." Ganassi said of going against the MLB Giants, Magic, Jets and Penguins in the team category, "When you start your business in your parents' two-car garage in 1977, it's just an honor to have my name in the same sentence as those teams. I never thought I would be in business for this long a time, let alone at the top of the sport." He noted being the first race team exec nominated for Exec of the Year is "interesting," because when "you're in the midst of the season we were last year, when you're sort of in the middle of it, going race to race, you don't think about it as much.” Ganassi: “But boy, people sure are talking about it a lot. They're talking about our season. They ask you, 'How do you do it all the time,' ... and so it's nice to be up there with friends of mine” (“NASCAR Now,” ESPN2, 5/18).