Many folks don’t closely follow the Sports Emmys, but it seems ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky had some significant emotions invested in this year’s ceremony.
In a conversation on “SI Media with Jimmy Traina,” the former NFL quarterback gave a surprisingly open account of his feelings after losing the Outstanding Personality/Studio Analyst award to Charles Barkley, who will soon be a colleague. He conveyed a sense of disappointment:
“Of course I experienced disappointment … I thought to myself, ‘I genuinely think that my performance has been notable recently. I genuinely think that I’ve distinguished myself.’ I take pride in that. And I was aware of the caliber of my competition, individuals of immense talent. And so I thought, ‘I feel quite optimistic about the analyst category.’ I genuinely did.”
“And so when Charles prevailed, I sent him a text. I probably shouldn’t even have Charles Barkley’s contact information, but I do, so I texted him, and I conveyed something like ‘Could you refrain from winning all the time?’ And he replied with a laughing emoji, ‘You know it requires collaboration.’ And so, that outcome did affect me.”
Barkley secured the award for the sixth occasion in his broadcasting tenure, surpassing Orlovsky, Nate Burleson from CBS, Ryan Clark of ESPN, and Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN. Orlovsky stood out as the sole nominee who hadn’t previously received the honor.
Orlovsky, who played in the NFL for 11 years, has been with ESPN since 2018 and has been featured extensively in their football coverage. He was involved in three nominations heading into the event: the analyst award, the George Wensel Technical Achievement Award (for a VR project), and Outstanding Studio Show – Daily (for ESPN’s “NFL Live”).
Orlovsky mentioned that initially, he was hesitant to attend the awards after the nominations were announced, fearing the possibility of going 0-for-3, but his wife and ESPN convinced him otherwise. Following Barkley’s victory, he confessed, “I immediately told my wife, acting a bit childish: ‘I’d like to leave now.'”
His project also didn’t win the technical achievement award, and he apparently felt less hopeful about “NFL Live’s” chances after another ESPN program, “College GameDay,” claimed the award for Outstanding Studio Show — Weekly.
However, the final award brought success for his team:
“I thought, ‘There’s no way ESPN will win two consecutive awards.’ So I just sat there thinking, ‘Well, we’re not going to win. I was here for the whole night, et cetera, et cetera.’ And then we actually won. And I thought, ‘Incredible.’ I was truly astonished when the show won, considering how the evening had progressed.
“But I believed I had a shot at the analyst award. And I behaved like a child.”
Ultimately, it was a relatable night for Orlovsky, who quipped to Traina that it would have been memorable if he had made a dramatic exit from the ceremony with his wife. He also expressed feeling like he hadn’t won an award since a college bowl game and acknowledged that he is an “exceptionally driven and competitive individual,” which explains why he was so invested in this particular award.
We’ll observe if Orlovsky fares better in the coming year. At the very least, he’ll be associated with Barkley, whose “Inside the NBA” program will be broadcast on ESPN after TNT relinquished its NBA rights.
