SportsNation is a sports-related television program

Television program

A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...

 that airs on ESPN

ESPN

Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

, ESPN2

ESPN2

ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...

, ESPN America and ESPNews

ESPNEWS

ESPNEWS , launched on November 1, 1996, is a 24-hour-a-day sports news television channel...

. It is hosted by Colin Cowherd

Colin Cowherd

Colin Murray Cowherd is an American sports radio personality. He is currently the host of The Herd with Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio and ESPNews. He is also the co-host of the television show SportsNation on ESPN2.-Career:...

 and Michelle Beadle

Michelle Beadle

Michelle Denise Beadle is a sports reporter and host for ESPN. She is the co-host of SportsNation on ESPN2 with Colin Cowherd, and Winners Bracket on ABC with Marcellus Wiley....

. It is based on SportsNation, the fan forum and poll section of ESPN.com

ESPN.com

ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...

. The show is typically 60% material generated or suggested by fans, including videos from the internet, athlete Tweets

Twitter

Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...

, and online polling.

The A Block

At the start of each show questions posed to the viewers on the SportsNation website are shown. The hosts discuss each topic briefly, and then reveal what the Nation’s response was.

Did You Hear That?

A countdown of the best sound bites of the day referred to as the top 5 things the viewers "have to hear."

Colin's Pictures

Colin draws pictures with a marker on white poster-sized paper to illustrate a concept to encapsulate his opinion about the stories of the day. After he draws the pictures, Michelle critiques his drawings and the audience cheers if they like his drawing and jeers or remains silent if their reaction is negative.

Three Cheers/Jeers/Tears

Interspersed throughout each show are the following segments showcasing good and bad plays of the day:

• Three Cheers – The three happiest or most exciting sports moments, such as a difficult touchdown, a slam dunk or another exceptional play.
• Three Jeers – Three worst moments of the day, such as a team losing a game in a blow out, dropping a wide open pass in football or an easy pop up, shooting an air ball, or simply performing poorly.
• Three Tears – The three saddest or most embarrassing moments, such as a basketball player being fouled in an especially physical manner, a player missing a crucial scoring opportunity, or a fight between hockey players.

Fake Calls From Real Fans

Viewers call in to ask a question of the hosts, while pretending to be a famous sports figure.

Date, Marry, Dump

Presented with the helmets of four NFL teams with a common bond, like having the same win-lose record, or being in the same division, Colin must choose one to: “date”, one to “marry”, and one to “dump”.

Game Time

Every episode one of several games is played, all revolving around predicting how the Nation responded to poll questions. The winner (if there is one) gets to pick a video of his or her choice to be replayed. It is announced with a little voice saying, "What time is it?," with crowd saying "Game Time!" followed by a grunt.

• B.S. Meter - A clip of a sports figure making a statement that could be seen as B.S. (Referred to as "Bologna Statements") is shown, with Colin deciding how “B.S.” the statement is by placing the meter on either Not BS, A Little BS, BS, or Total BS, followed by the Nation’s consensus. If the statement is B.S. or Total B.S., the head of the person is put on the Liar Board.
• Number Crunch – A question asking what percentage of the Nation answered a question a certain way is shown, along with a three digit number representing two possible percentages; for example, “451” would represent both 45% and 51%. The hosts each pick the percentage they believe to be correct.
• Walk the Plank – One of the hosts is asked four or five questions by the other host that is dressed in pirate garb and making horrible jokes (which the crew still laughs at)most often Colin, as they must predict what percent of the Nation answered a certain way. For every percentage they are off, an animated version of the host must take a step towards the end of a pirate ship's plank, with more than 40 steps forcing them to jump off.
• Multi Poll Choice – Michelle is given four questions, each with four possible percentages as correct answers, and must predict how the Nation responded. For this segment, Colin wears a red coat similar to that of Ron Burgundy, while also mimicking his mannerisms which include drinking scotch and making horrible jokes (which the crew still laughs at).
• Pop Culture/Movie Game – The hosts are asked a question with two possible answers, one a sports figure and one a pop culture icon known outside the sports world. The hosts each attempts to match the more popular answer of the Nation. The movie game follows the same format, just with movies instead of the pop culture icon.
• Who Wants to Win a Pizza? - A parody of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
  Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
  Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a television game show which offers large cash prizes for correctly answering a series of multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. The format is owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Television International. The maximum cash prize is one million pounds...
  
   even though each time Michelle Beadle reports that any similarities with any show is coincidental. Colin is asked a question with four possible answers and pick the option he believes the Nation chose. His objective is to correctly answer all four questions, winning pizza for the show's whole crew.
• Were They Suspended? - A game made shortly after several violent incidents in the NFL that involves one host wearing suspenders and using a scraggly voice. The other has to answer whether a player was suspended, using footage of various NFL incidents from past seasons.? The game has only been played once, on December 1, 2010.

Lock Em' Up

During the NFL season, Colin reveals his three NFL “locks” for the week. First is the Little Lock, going to the team he is fairly certain will win their game. Second is the Solid Lock, going to the team he is more certain will win. The final lock, the Master Lock, goes to the team Colin is the most sure will win. A variation of this segment is Colin's Lock of Love, staged like a reality dating show.

Winners and Losers

The hosts discuss smaller topics that have not already been discussed in that episode, declaring each subject a "winner" or a "loser."

Pulse of the Nation

A list of the top 5 buzzworthy stories of the day. Now the Pop Culture game is usually played during this time.

Weird Web Stories

Each day three videos from the internet are shown, they are unusual and often not sports related. Often, the last video will be paused in the middle to pose a multiple-choice question to the hosts about what they think will happen next. Although rare, some videos are fake.

Power Rankings

The show will list who they believe are the top five in one of several categories. After revealing the list, they then show Tweets

Twitter

Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...

 by fans listing who they believe the show wrongfully excluded. Common categories include:

• NFL’s Most Valuable Player candidates
• Best teams in the NFL
  National Football League
  The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
  
  , the NBA
  National Basketball Association
  The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
  
  , the MLB
  Major League Baseball
  Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
  
  , or in NCAA
  National Collegiate Athletic Association
  The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
  
   football and basketball
• NCAA players most likely to receive the Heisman Trophy
  Heisman Trophy
  The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
  
  
• Best NBA players
• Best NFL Draft prospects

Afterwards the hosts talk with the show's senior web wall producer, Gabe.

What We Learned

A recap of the results from the polls at the beginning of the show and the Weird Web Stories.

Special episodes

• October 5, 2009: To celebrate Brett Favre
  Brett Favre
  Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
  
  's first NFL
  National Football League
  The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
  
   game against his former team, the Green Bay Packers
  Green Bay Packers
  The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
  
  , the hosts declared it "Brett Favre Day" and attempted to break the world record for most mentions of Brett Favre in an hour. They ended the show with 203 mentions, and the record.
• October 30, 2009: The last episode before Halloween. This set was dressed up as Christmas for Halloween.
• November 30, 2009: Both hosts dressed up as fans of the New England Patriots
  New England Patriots
  The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
  
   and New Orleans Saints
  New Orleans Saints
  The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
  
  , and held a poll throughout the show to determine who would be put into a dunk tank outside at the end of the show. Colin lost and was dunked as a result.
• January 2010: While repeat broadcasts of the 2010 Australian Open
  2010 Australian Open
  The 2010 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 18 to 31 January. It was the 98th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year....
  
   were airing on ESPN2, the show was moved to ESPNU, ESPN's college sports channel. To celebrate, the hosts renamed the show "SportsNation University" and decorated the set to resemble a dorm room
  Dormitory
  A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
  
  . The set even included a pizza that was opened early in the first week and left open in the studio to rot for 10 days.
• April 11, 2010: Coinciding with the final regular season game for the Cleveland Cavaliers
  Cleveland Cavaliers
  The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
  
  , a LeBron James
  LeBron James
  LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a...
  
   special took place culminating with Miss Cleo
  Miss Cleo
  Youree Dell Harris better known as Miss Cleo, is an American psychic and shaman who achieved fame as a spokeswoman for a psychic pay-per-call service from 1997 - 2003....
  
   predicting that James would be playing for the Washington Wizards
  Washington Wizards
  The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
  
   in the 2010–11 season. This was also known as the Lebron-a-thon
• April 22, 2010: Avatar themed special/Earth Day special on the day Avatar was released to DVD and Blu-ray.
• June 10, 2010: 2010 FIFA World Cup
  2010 FIFA World Cup
  The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
  
   special featuring guest Pele
  Pelé
  However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
  
  .
• August 3, 2010: Brett Favre
  Brett Favre
  Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
  
  's retirement and Tom Brady
  Tom Brady
  Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
  
  's birthday party.
• August 10, 2010: Madden NFL 11
  Madden NFL 11
  Madden NFL 11 is an American football video game based on the National Football League published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 22nd annual installment in the bestselling Madden NFL video game franchise. It was released on August 10, 2010 in North America, and on August 13 in...
  
   Special
• September 20-23, 2010: Big Ten
  Big Ten Conference
  The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
  
   road trip, including shows at Wisconsin, Iowa
  University of Iowa
  The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
  
  , Michigan
  University of Michigan
  The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
  
  , and Penn State
  Pennsylvania State University
  The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
  
   respectively.
• October 29, 2010: For the final show before Halloween, the set was dressed up to look like Pardon the Interruption
  Pardon the Interruption
  Pardon the Interruption is a sports television show that airs weekdays on various ESPN TV channels, TSN, ESPN America, XM, and Sirius satellite radio services, and as a downloadable podcast. It is hosted by Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, who discuss, and frequently argue over, the top stories...
  
  s set, complete with Tony Kornheiser
  Tony Kornheiser
  Anthony Irwin "Tony" Kornheiser is an American sportswriter and former columnist for The Washington Post, as well as a radio and television talk show host...
  
   yelling at Beadle and Cowherd, costumed as Gisele Bündchen
  Gisele Bündchen
  Gisele Caroline Bündchen is a Brazilian fashion model, occasional film actress and goodwill ambassador for the UN Environment Programme.In the late 1990s, Bündchen became one of the first in a wave of Brazilian models to find success...
  
   and Tom Brady
  Tom Brady
  Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
  
   respectively, to "stop stealing [their] stuff!"
• December 23, 2010: 101 Holiday Jeers
• January 31-February 4, 2011: On-location programming from Sundance Square
  Sundance Square
  Sundance Square is the name of an area in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. Named after the Sundance Kid in western folklore, it is a popular place for nightlife and entertainment in Fort Worth and for tourists visiting the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex...
  
   in Fort Worth, Texas
  Fort Worth, Texas
  Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
  
  , about 20 miles west of Arlington
  Arlington, Texas
  Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
  
  , site of Super Bowl XLV
  Super Bowl XLV
  Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in...
  
  
• February 25, 2011: In contrast to the upcoming Academy Awards, the hosts handed out the "FAILy Awards," recognizing people in sports video clips who failed.
• March 8, 2011: To celebrate March Madness, the hosts presented various college basketball-themed countdowns, such as the all-time best buzzer-beaters.
• March 30, 2011: Top four special.
• April 27, 2011: At the end of the show, the hosts announced the cover athlete for the Madden NFL 12
  Madden NFL 12
  Madden NFL 12 is an American football video game based on the National Football League published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It was released on August 30, 2011 in North America and September 2, 2011 in Europe...
  
   video game. The final two in consideration for the cover, Michael Vick
  Michael Vick
  Michael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...
  
   and Peyton Hillis
  Peyton Hillis
  Hillis was selected by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft.-2008 Season:At the start of the 2008 season, Hillis was listed as the Broncos' starting fullback...
  
  , were in studio for the whole show.

Video tournaments

During certain episodes, the hosts hold a tournament between 16 sports-related videos. Each match is voted on by the show's viewers. Since the beginning of the show, three such tournaments have been held:

• On December 23, 2009, the All-Valley Video Tournament was contested between the SportsNation crew's 16 favorite web videos of the year. Pool Domination won the event.
• On February 11, 2010, the Posterized competition pitted 16 "posterization" slam dunk
  Slam dunk
  A slam dunk is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air and manually powers the ball downward through the basket with one or both hands over the rim. This is considered a normal field goal attempt; if successful it is worth two points. The term "slam dunk" was...
  
  s against each other to determine the "second-greatest" posterization in basketball history (the greatest being one performed by Vince Carter during the 2000 Summer Olympics). Scottie Pippen won with a dunk on Patrick Ewing on May 20, 1994
• On March 15, 2010, the 16 best "buzzer-beaters" in NCAA men's basketball tournament history competed against each other; the winner was by NC State
  1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team
  The 1982–83 North Carolina State Wolfpack men's basketball team represented North Carolina State University. The Wolfpack were a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.-NCAA basketball tournament:*Mideast**North Carolina State 69, Pepperdine 67...
  
  's Lorenzo Charles
  Lorenzo Charles
  Lorenzo Emile "Lo" Charles was an American college and professional basketball player.Charles was a graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School...
  
  , whose shot defeated the University of Houston
  1982–83 Houston Cougars men's basketball team
  The 1982–83 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represented the University of Houston. The Head Coach was Guy Lewis. The team played its home games in the Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston, Texas, and was then a member of the Southwest Conference.- Roster :...
  
   in the 1983 championship
  1983 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
  The 1983 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 52 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 2, 1983, and ended with the championship game on April 4 at The Pit, then officially known...
  
  .

Winners Bracket

In April 2010, the SportsNation crew created an ABC spinoff show called Winners Bracket

Winners Bracket

Winners Bracket is a sports-related television program that airs on ABC. Hosted by Michelle Beadle and Marcellus Wiley, it premiered at 5 p.m. ET April 3, 2010 on the American Broadcasting Company...

, broadcast on Saturday and hosted by Michelle Beadle and Marcellus Wiley. The main focus of the show is a tournament pitting 16 highlights of the week against each other via fan vote. In addition to the tournament, the show also features a countdown of 20 "lowlights" of the week as well as web videos, many of which have been featured on SportsNation in the past.

College football edition

In September 2010, SportsNation started airing on Saturdays at 10 AM following College GameDay, with Michelle Beadle and Jon Ritchie

Jon Ritchie

Jon David Ritchie is a former professional American football fullback in the National Football League with the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders.-Early years:Ritchie attended Cumberland Valley High School from 1989 to 1993...

 as hosts.

Audience

The average audience of SportsNation is very young (13-25 years) and mostly male compared to other ESPN programming. ESPN noted that the show's target audience is college students, men in their 20s, and teenage boys, demographics ESPN has been struggling to capture in years past.

See also

• The Herd with Colin Cowherd
  The Herd with Colin Cowherd
  The Herd with Colin Cowherd is a sports talk radio show hosted by Colin Cowherd and broadcast on ESPN Radio from Bristol, Connecticut. The show is heard Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. ET until 1 p.m. ET on most ESPN Radio stations and is simulcasted on ESPNews...
  
  
• SportsNation on ESPN Radio
• Nación ESPN
  Nación ESPN
  Nación ESPN is a sports-related talk show, modeled after ESPN's Sportsnation TV series. It is hosted by two sports journalists in the Latino market, David Faitelson and Adriana Monsalve, who will feature strong opinions, heated debates, celebrity interviews and heavy interaction with fans from all...
  
  - Spanish version