SportsCentury is huge undertaking
ESPN.com
SportsCentury, a review of the greatest sporting events, athletes, coaches and developments of the past 100 years, represents ESPN's most extensive commitment to a project in the company's 19-year history.

Starting on Sept. 7 with Classic Moments, daily vignettes reviewing the greatest sports memories of the 20th century, SportsCentury will run for 18 months with televised features on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. The project will consist of a wide variety of programming totaling approximately 60 original hours.

Besides Classic Moments, which will run on SportsCenter and other ESPN and ESPN2 studio news programs, SportsCentury will feature:

  • Top 50 Athletes of the Century: The 49 weekly programs will review the top 50 North American athletes of the 1900s, as selected by an industry-wide media panel. This series will debut in January 1999 and continue weekly on ESPN and ESPN2 through the end of the century.

  • SportsCenters of the Decade: Six two-hour programs will review 1900-49, the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Each will be presented as SportsCenter would have covered the events at the time and will include non-sports related topics such as culture, politics and music. These shows will also debut in January 1999.

  • Themed Shows: Four 90-minute programs set to debut in April 1999 will focus on the century's greatest coaches, greatest games, greatest dynasties and most influential individuals in sports.