Super Bowl, 'Toy Story Funday Football' make big wins at Sports Emmys
The 45th annual Sports Emmys saw a surprising winner alongside the biggest sporting event of the year. Super Bowl LVIII's broadcast on CBS and the Disney+ and ESPN+ ‘Toy Story Funday Football’ altcast both led the pack with three wins apiece.
‘Monday Night Football with Peyton & Eli’ continued its dominance, winning Outstanding Live Series, while Mike Breen cemented his reign with a third consecutive Play-by-Play Emmy. Newcomer Tracy Wolfson of CBS broke through with her first Outstanding Reporter award.
The night also saw Greg Olsen of Fox Sports win top Event Analyst for the third consecutive year for NFL commentary, keeping the trend alive. Veteran sportscaster James Brown received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Honor.
This year's Sports Emmys saw a variety of programs and personalities take home awards across numerous categories. Here's a breakdown of some of the biggest winners, according to Variety.
Live Events: Super Bowl LVIII on CBS and the innovative "Toy Story Funday Football" altcast (Disney+ & ESPN+) both dominated, winning three awards each. Super Bowl LVIII took home trophies for Outstanding Live Special, Technical Team Event, and Camera Work - Short Form. "Toy Story Funday Football" impressed with its design, winning Outstanding Studio or Production Design/Art Direction, Graphic Design - Event/Show, and the George Wensel Technical Achievement Award.
Series and Shows: ESPN's "Monday Night Football with Peyton & Eli" continued its reign, winning Outstanding Live Series. "College GameDay" (ESPN) and "MLB Tonight" (MLB Network) were recognized for their weekly and daily studio show excellence, respectively.
Documentaries: "The Deepest Breath" (Netflix) won Outstanding Long Documentary, while "Super League: The War for Football" (Apple TV+) took home awards for Outstanding Documentary Series and Graphic Design - Specialty.
Personalities: Broadcast veterans Mike Breen (ABC - Play-by-Play), Charles Barkley (TNT - Studio Analyst), Ernie Johnson (TNT/TBS - Studio Host), and Tracy Wolfson (CBS/TNT - Sideline Reporter) were all recognized for their outstanding work. Noah Eagle (NBC/Peacock) emerged as a rising star, winning Outstanding Personality/Emerging On-Air.
Other Notable Wins: Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel won awards for both Outstanding Hosted Edited Series and Journalism. "Unredeemable" (Golf Channel) impressed with wins for Outstanding Long Feature and Editing - Long Form.