Memorable Images From An Unforgettable Year

Feature

December 30, 2020

| Kelly Backus

The ESPN Images team enjoys collaborating on our version of the top select photos from the year. Collectively, we thought it was too unique of a time to only use 13 images, as we have previously. Between the global pandemic, social injustice protests, and virtual sports coverage in general, we felt there was a bigger story to tell.

We hope this video, voiced by ESPN Radio host Jason Fitz, highlights the rollercoaster that was 2020 and sets the stage for a brighter year to come.

Browse through the ESPN Images library for additional photos from 2020.
Kimberly Jarvis contributed to this post.
Shelby L. Lacy produced the video.

ESPN’S “THE LAST DANCE,” “BE WATER,” COMMENTATORS CITED AMONG 2020’S BESTS

“THE LAST DANCE”

Like everyone else, we were stuck inside a lot this year, and with streaming further blurring the lines between theatrical movies and television features, I’ve expanded the list to include visual storytelling that I’ve enjoyed this year, regardless of format. pic.twitter.com/a8BS8jDkSs

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 18, 2020

Wired: “ESPN’s 10-part Bulls docuseries ‘The Last Dance’ was saga-like, a Grecian drama with everything diehard hoop fans and Bull fanatics have dreams about. It was a masterpiece of the Shakespeareian kind—loaded with spectacle, thrill, and emotion.”

The Guardian: “This Michael Jordan-produced docuseries about basketball has been one of the most addictive – and revealing – viewing experiences of the year.”

NPR: ” . . . this miniseries offers a never-before-seen look at a once in a generation team.”

Poynter: ” . . . ESPN delivered a fascinating inside look at one of the greatest and most popular athletes to ever live.”

Glamour: “Like any good documentary, both the heady highs and seamy lows are caught on tape. I finished the show with a slight obsession with not only Jordan, the best athlete of all time, but — yes — the game of basketball.”

Elle: “Featuring in-depth interviews, previously unearthed footage and one hell of a 1990s hip-hop soundtrack, the series was riveting, fascinating and gave us all a good healthy dose of nostalgia which was what we really wanted around April time.”

“BE WATER”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-R7SZ1wgNY

Esquire: “In his portrait of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, Bao Nguyen has done more than made an all-time best 30 for 30. By removing the talking heads, and making the photography just as beautiful as the life Lee lived, he’s made one of the definitive tellings of the star’s legacy.”

Women’s Health: “ESPN’s 30 For 30 began as a series of 30 documentaries to note the company’s 30th anniversary in 2009, but the series has since taken on a life of its own. ‘Be Water,’ from this year’s season, is one of its best.”

Thrillist: “‘Be Water’ isn’t as much about his legend as it is about the hard road Lee traveled in order to break down the many walls of intolerance. It’s been 47 years since he passed, and yet, the themes in the movie—of racism, of cultural appropriation, of legacy, and of identity—feel as timely and relevant as ever.”

“BLACKFEET BOXING: NOT INVISIBLE”

TV Guide: “A gut-punch statistic puts that in more tangible perspective: Native American women make up 3 percent of Montana’s population but account for 30 percent of all missing women cases in the state. The flicker of hope in this darkness is the Blackfeet Nation Boxing Club, founded by Frank Kipp in 2003 . . . The fascinating stories that stem from life inside the boxing club’s ring are made all the more powerful due to the urgency of their plights. This is exactly the kind of documentary that people should be talking about.”

ESPN COMMENTATORS

https://vimeo.com/437155361

The Big Lead cites several ESPN commentators and content among 2020’s best including:

Game Analyst of the Year: Doris Burke

Newcomer of the Year: Malika Andrews

Columnist of the Year: Jeff Passan

Sports Television Series of the Year: “The Last Dance”

Lifetime Achievement Award: Mike Golic

Isabelle Lopez, Jay Jay Nesheim, Amanda Brooks, Mike Soltys and Katie Hughes contributed to this sidebar.