Jimmy Pitaro said he was inspired by how the sports industry has responded recentlyESPN IMAGES
ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro, CBS Sports and Bleacher Report walked away with three of the biggest honors from last night's Sports Business Awards. Pitaro was honored as the executive of the year, CBS Sports won Media Company of the Year and Bleacher Report won for digital media. Speaking from the bubble in Orlando where the Lakers and Heat were preparing to tip off Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Pitaro spoke about sports' ability to unite the country, referencing a theme Lifetime Achievement Award winner Larry Tanenbaum introduced earlier in the evening. Pitaro thanked Tanenbaum “for eloquently expressing the opportunity we all have in this industry to help unite during a time of pandemic and social injustice.” Pitaro ended his talk by saying, “I want to call out how inspiring it’s been to see our industry rally the last six months, and really with unprecedented collaboration to forge innovative ways to serve the sports fan.”
BEST IN SPORTS MEDIA: CBS was honored in the Sports Media category on the back of surprising rights deals with entities like the UEFA Champions League and its strong move to keep its top NFL analyst Tony Romo through a $17M per season contract. In accepting the award, CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus said, “We do everything at CBS Sports as a team,” referencing execs like David Berson, Harold Bryant, Patty Power and Jen Sabatelle, among others. He ended his acceptance thanking his bosses Bob Bakish and George Cheeks, “who give us all of the firepower and support that we need to keep CBS Sports at the top of its game.”
BEST IN DIGITAL SPORTS MEDIA: Bleacher Report won in digital media thanks, in part, to the 1 billion engagements its app amassed in 2019 and the 11 billion views generated by its social video content. "It truly takes a village to keep this digital thing running every single day,” said Julian Patterson, Bleacher Report’s senior director of social strategy. “Everyone who comes together and comes to work every day ready to ball out. ... I couldn’t be more proud of this group and the program that we’re building. Teamwork over everything.”
