ESPN used fake names to win Emmys for ‘College GameDay’ hosts: report
NEW YORK — ESPN used fake names to skirt Emmy Award rules and secure statuettes for on-air talent on “College GameDay,” according to a report published Thursday.
“GameDay” won Sports Emmys for best studio show in 2010, 2011 and every year from 2014 to 2018. But on-air talent was not eligible to receive that specific Emmy Award until 2023, according to the rules of the Emmy-awarding National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
However, ESPN dodged that rule by adding fake associate producers to the “GameDay” credit list, then altering the engravings and passing the statuettes on to famous names, The Athletic reported.
Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Chris Fowler, Desmond Howard and Samantha Ponder were among the on-air “GameDay” stars who received Emmys through the scheme, according to The Athletic. There is no evidence that they knew about the plot or the NATAS rules.
ESPN returned at least 37 Emmys at NATAS’ request, The Athletic reported.
The academy blamed ESPN content executive Craig Lazarus and longtime “GameDay” honcho Lee Fitting for the scheme and banned them from winning any future Emmys, according to The Athletic.
“Some members of our team were clearly wrong in submitting certain names that may go back to 1997 in Emmy categories where they were not eligible for recognition or statuettes,” ESPN told The Athletic in a statement. “This was a misguided attempt to recognize on-air individuals who were important members of our production team.”
The fake associate producer names were easily identifiable changes to prominent names, The Athletic reported. Kirk Herbstreit became “Kirk Henry,” Lee Corso was listed as “Lee Clark,” Desmond Howard was “Dirk Howard,” Chris Fowler became “Chris Fulton” and Samantha Ponder was “Steven Ponder,” among others.
“NATAS identified a number of fictitious credits submitted by ESPN to multiple Sports Emmys competitions,” NATAS told The Athletic. “When brought to the attention of ESPN senior management, the network took steps to take responsibility for the actions of its personnel.”
The NATAS rules were designed to prevent hosts from racking up multiple awards for the same work. On-air personalities were already eligible for individual awards such as outstanding host and outstanding studio analyst, and they could also win awards for specific features. The rules were changed in 2023 to allow hosts to receive Emmys for overall wins by a show.
Many people at ESPN thought the rule was stupid and worked to circumvent it, sources told The Athletic.
NATAS caught onto ESPN while double-checking its credit work in 2022, and ESPN cooperated with the investigation, The Athletic reported. Fitting, who was widely credited with helping turn “GameDay” into a cultural powerhouse, was let go by ESPN in August 2023. It is unclear whether the investigation factored into his dismissal.
