2023 was quite the year in a lot of ways, especially in the world of sports media. The industry saw seismic shifts due to ESPN layoffs and the LIV Golf/PGA Tour drama. We saw the rise of Pat McAfee and the demise of the Pac-12. The Kevin Brown suspension shook the baseball broadcaster world while Charissa Thompson’s admission shocked her fellow reporters. The entire RSN system appeared to implode on itself while streaming services cemented themselves as legitimate players in the media rights ecosystem.
And that’s just the tip of the 2023 sports media iceberg.
This week, we’re celebrating the highs, the lows, the best, and the worst of the year with The Awfulies. We introduced our end-of-year awards last year and we’ve expanded the categories even further this time around with the entire Awful Announcing staff voting for who they think should take home the coveted golden microphone. Keep an eye on category and winner reveals all week long. And be sure to let us know who your pick would have been for the winners.
Right now, we kick things off with our awards for The Best Scripted Sports Show of 2023 and The Best Sports Documentary or Docuseries of 2023.
Best Scripted Sports Show of 2023
It wasn’t the strongest year for scripted television about the sports world and it’s looking like 2024 might be even bleaker. Amazon canceled A League of Their Own so abruptly that they had to stop work on a second season that won’t happen. HBO also canceled Winning Time as its second season was wrapping up, just as many felt like that show was just starting to hit its stride. Meanwhile, the critically acclaimed Ted Lasso wrapped its third and final season. There was also Disney+’s The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers (canceled) and Big Shot (canceled). Perhaps the only shining light for 2024 in the scripted sports world is The CW’s All American, which is entering its sixth season. It might win next year’s award by default (Unless you count Cobra Kai?).
As for 2023, however, the AA Staff split its votes across two shows (Winning Time & Ted Lasso) with one of them squeaking out the victory in a penalty shootout straight out of Hollywood.
Winner: Ted Lasso S3
“In a field without much competition, this feels more like a lifetime achievement honor for Ted Lasso than a specific recognition of Season 3. While the series never matched the magic of Season 1, the final season did a nice job of putting a bow on one of the more memorable sports shows of our time. If nothing else, it deserves credit for not overstaying its welcome — at least until the spinoffs come out.” – Ben Axelrod
Best Sports Documentary/Docuseries of 2023
Unlike the scripted space, we live in the golden age of sports documentaries and docuseries, though “documentary” is a term that fits many of them very loosely. Netflix has led the charge with a bevy of docuseries that have spanned various sports and garnered a lot of eyeballs. But the other streamers have kept pace, with Amazon, Max, and Apple all putting some high-profile projects out there. Meanwhile, ESPN, once the dominant force in this space, continues to churn out docs of their own.
The Awful Announcing Staff was fairly split over which documentary or docuseries was the best of the bunch. Votes were cast for Netflix’s Quarterback, Amazon’s Bye Bye Barry, Netflix’s Full Swing, ESPN’s Bullies of Baltimore, Netflix’s Bill Russell: Legend, Netflix’s Beckham, ESPN’s The Luckiest Guy in the World, Netflix’s The Deepest Breath, Amazon’s Kelce, and HBO’s BS High. In the end, one of them received a few more votes than the rest to claim the crown.
Winner: Netflix’s Quarterback
To be completely honest, it’s hard for a new NFL show to really separate itself from what we’ve seen for decades in Hard Knocks and more than 60 years with NFL Films. The access wasn’t really what set Quarterback apart, nor was the fact that we had it for a full season. This was an in-depth look at three players who play the game’s most visible position.
Not only that, but look at the quarterbacks we got. Patrick Mahomes is the NFL’s biggest star and led his team to a Super Bowl while winning the regular season and Super Bowl MVP. Kirk Cousins is a high-profile quarterback on a team that was one of the most interesting (and successful) in the NFL. Marcus Mariota was fighting essentially to prove that he was still a starting-caliber quarterback. That really set it apart from other shows that, while often entertaining, tend to offer little in terms of variety. – Michael Dixon
