{"id":23113,"date":"2021-06-30T17:36:47","date_gmt":"2021-06-30T21:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/?p=23113"},"modified":"2021-06-30T17:36:47","modified_gmt":"2021-06-30T21:36:47","slug":"up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Up Close with Sage Steele&#8221; Debuts Today on ESPN+ [VIDEO]"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zGgldXBjwfc?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>ESPN has brought back the influential interview show <strong><em>Up Close<\/em><\/strong>, once made famous by host Roy Firestone. The program will be hosted by SportsCenter anchor Sage Steele and showcases the life stories and personalities of the athletes fans want to know more about. <em>Up Close<\/em> with Sage Steele is available now on ESPN+ and the premiere episode features Dallas Cowboys&#8217; quarterback Dak Prescott, who opens up about the most tumultuous year of his life.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Since I was a little girl, I have been fascinated with what I call &#8216;the human side&#8217; of athletes. As amazing as they are at their sport, I want to know who they are as people, not just athletes,&#8221; said Steele. &#8220;As we discussed the vision for an interview show I could host, our executive producer Andy Tennant suggested this was an opportunity to reimagine <em>Up Close<\/em>, the popular interview show Roy Firestone originally hosted on ESPN in the 80s and 90s. All I could do was smile. What an honor it is to sit in Roy&#8217;s chair, some 30 years after <em>Up Close<\/em> originally debuted! I&#8217;m very excited to once again bring the biggest athletes in sports to the forefront in a way that only a one-on-one interview can do.&#8221;<\/p><div id=\"morty-4155022015\" class=\"morty-content\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-4937602850188786\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-4937602850188786\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"5227734695\" \ndata-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\ndata-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>Tennant stated: &#8220;Bringing back <em>Up Close<\/em> after all these years is about not only reviving a show that achieved iconic status, but about our commitment to that show&#8217;s legacy of storytelling &#8211; and the interview as an essential component of that. The new iteration takes the interview and puts it at the center of the storytelling experience for our audience and highlights Sage&#8217;s ability to bring out the most in-depth and compelling responses from the most interesting athletes in the world.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In this episode, now available on ESPN+, Prescott opens up about various topics including his season-ending injury, his experience with depression and anxiety, and the impact of the death of his older brother.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ESPN has brought back the influential interview show Up Close, once made famous by host Roy Firestone. The program will be hosted by SportsCenter anchor Sage Steele and showcases the life stories and personalities of the athletes fans want to know more about. Up Close with Sage Steele is available now on ESPN+ and the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23114,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"source_name":"","source_url":"","via_name":"","via_url":"","override_template":"0","override":[{"template":"1","single_blog_custom":"","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"0","show_post_related":"0","show_inline_post_related":"0"}],"override_image_size":"0","image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post":"0","trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post":"0","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","sponsored_post_name":"","sponsored_post_url":"","sponsored_post_logo_enable":"0","sponsored_post_logo":"","sponsored_post_desc":""},"jnews_primary_category":{"id":""},"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[1852,197,1888],"class_list":["post-23113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tv_news","tag-interviews","tag-sports","tag-sports-chat"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>&quot;Up Close with Sage Steele&quot; Debuts Today on ESPN+ [VIDEO] - Morty&#039;s TV<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"&quot;Up Close with Sage Steele&quot; Debuts Today on ESPN+ [VIDEO]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"ESPN has brought back the influential interview show Up Close, once made famous by host Roy Firestone. The program will be hosted by SportsCenter anchor Sage Steele and showcases the life stories and personalities of the athletes fans want to know more about. Up Close with Sage Steele is available now on ESPN+ and the [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Morty&#039;s TV\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mortystv\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mortystv\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-06-30T21:36:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/up-close.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"550\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"309\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"morty\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@http:\/\/twitter.com\/#!\/mortystv\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@mortystv\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"morty\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"morty\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ec63b069cf8528fdbe3b63a882c84e55\"},\"headline\":\"&#8220;Up Close with Sage Steele&#8221; Debuts Today on ESPN+ [VIDEO]\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-30T21:36:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/\"},\"wordCount\":341,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/up-close.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"interviews\",\"sports\",\"sports chat\"],\"articleSection\":[\"TV News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/\",\"name\":\"\\\"Up Close with Sage Steele\\\" Debuts Today on ESPN+ [VIDEO] - Morty&#039;s TV\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/up-close.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-30T21:36:47+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/up-close.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/up-close.jpg\",\"width\":550,\"height\":309},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"&#8220;Up Close with Sage Steele&#8221; Debuts Today on ESPN+ [VIDEO]\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Morty's TV\",\"description\":\"TV  News, Big Brother Fan Pages with Daily Updates, and Obits\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Morty's TV\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/seo-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/seo-logo.jpg\",\"width\":1226,\"height\":375,\"caption\":\"Morty's TV\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mortystv\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/mortystv\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mortystv\/\",\"https:\/\/mortystv.bsky.social\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ec63b069cf8528fdbe3b63a882c84e55\",\"name\":\"morty\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f8d193cd52b136c105466b1a6e275471a201e3f2ef36511576a5b559448768be?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f8d193cd52b136c105466b1a6e275471a201e3f2ef36511576a5b559448768be?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"morty\"},\"description\":\"TV historian and Big Brother fan. Former contributor to The Philadelphia Inquirer TV section.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/mortystv.com\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mortystv\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/http:\/\/twitter.com\/#!\/mortystv\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/author\/morty\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\"Up Close with Sage Steele\" Debuts Today on ESPN+ [VIDEO] - Morty&#039;s TV","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\"Up Close with Sage Steele\" Debuts Today on ESPN+ [VIDEO]","og_description":"ESPN has brought back the influential interview show Up Close, once made famous by host Roy Firestone. The program will be hosted by SportsCenter anchor Sage Steele and showcases the life stories and personalities of the athletes fans want to know more about. Up Close with Sage Steele is available now on ESPN+ and the [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/","og_site_name":"Morty&#039;s TV","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mortystv","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mortystv","article_published_time":"2021-06-30T21:36:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":550,"height":309,"url":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/up-close.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"morty","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@http:\/\/twitter.com\/#!\/mortystv","twitter_site":"@mortystv","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"morty","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/"},"author":{"name":"morty","@id":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ec63b069cf8528fdbe3b63a882c84e55"},"headline":"&#8220;Up Close with Sage Steele&#8221; Debuts Today on ESPN+ [VIDEO]","datePublished":"2021-06-30T21:36:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/"},"wordCount":341,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/up-close.jpg","keywords":["interviews","sports","sports chat"],"articleSection":["TV News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/","url":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/","name":"\"Up Close with Sage Steele\" Debuts Today on ESPN+ [VIDEO] - Morty&#039;s TV","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/up-close.jpg","datePublished":"2021-06-30T21:36:47+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/up-close.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/up-close.jpg","width":550,"height":309},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/30\/up-close-with-sage-steele-debuts-today-on-espn-video\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"&#8220;Up Close with Sage Steele&#8221; Debuts Today on ESPN+ [VIDEO]"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/","name":"Morty's TV","description":"TV  News, Big Brother Fan Pages with Daily Updates, and Obits","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Morty's TV","url":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/seo-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/seo-logo.jpg","width":1226,"height":375,"caption":"Morty's TV"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mortystv","https:\/\/x.com\/mortystv","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mortystv\/","https:\/\/mortystv.bsky.social\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ec63b069cf8528fdbe3b63a882c84e55","name":"morty","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f8d193cd52b136c105466b1a6e275471a201e3f2ef36511576a5b559448768be?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f8d193cd52b136c105466b1a6e275471a201e3f2ef36511576a5b559448768be?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"morty"},"description":"TV historian and Big Brother fan. Former contributor to The Philadelphia Inquirer TV section.","sameAs":["http:\/\/mortystv.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mortystv","https:\/\/x.com\/http:\/\/twitter.com\/#!\/mortystv"],"url":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/author\/morty\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/up-close.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":102471,"url":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2025\/06\/24\/shane-gillis-to-host-the-2025-espys-presented-by-capital-one-airing-wednesday-july-16-8pm-et-pt-live-on-abc-and-streaming-live-on-espn\/","url_meta":{"origin":23113,"position":0},"title":"Shane Gillis to Host &#8220;The 2025 ESPYS Presented by Capital One&#8221; Airing Wednesday, July 16, @ 8PM ET\/PT Live on ABC and Streaming Live on ESPN+","author":"morty","date":"June 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\"The 2025 ESPYS Presented by Capital One\" will be hosted by comedian, actor, and writer Shane Gillis who will bring his comedic energy to the stage as he joins a star-studded group to celebrate the most memorable moments in sports. \"The ESPYS\" will air live from The Dolby Theatre in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;TV News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"TV News","link":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/category\/tv_news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-ESPYS.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-ESPYS.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-ESPYS.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10381,"url":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2020\/05\/27\/sue-bird-megan-rapinoe-and-russell-wilson-to-host-the-2020-espys-presented-by-capital-one-airing-june-21-on-espn\/","url_meta":{"origin":23113,"position":1},"title":"Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe and Russell Wilson to Host The 2020 ESPYS Presented by Capital One Airing June 21 on ESPN","author":"morty","date":"May 27, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The 2020 ESPYS Presented by Capital One will have a different look this year, and is shifting its focus from outstanding athletic achievement to further highlight narratives of service, perseverance, and courage within the world of sports. This year, the show will be hosted by several of the world's top\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;TV News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"TV News","link":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/category\/tv_news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/espys-500x333-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":102839,"url":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2025\/07\/02\/trailer-released-for-espns-fanatics-fest-all-access-special-video\/","url_meta":{"origin":23113,"position":2},"title":"Trailer Released for ESPN&#8217;s &#8220;Fanatics Fest: All Access&#8221; Special [VIDEO]","author":"morty","date":"July 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, ESPN, Fanatics, and OBB Pictures released the highly anticipated trailer for Fanatics Fest: All Access, an hour-long special airing on July 7 on ESPN and ESPN+, which goes behind-the-scenes of this summer's most talked about sports, entertainment, and culture event. From June 20-22, Fanatics Fest drove more than 125,000\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;TV News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"TV News","link":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/category\/tv_news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fanatics-Fest.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fanatics-Fest.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Fanatics-Fest.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":108167,"url":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/19\/disney-espn-and-the-nba-team-up-to-present-second-dunk-the-halls-the-real-time-animated-nba-game-cleveland-cavaliers-vs-new-york-knicks-on-christmas-day-live-from-main-street-u-s-a\/","url_meta":{"origin":23113,"position":3},"title":"Disney, ESPN and the NBA Team Up to Present Second &#8220;Dunk the Halls&#8221; &#8211; The Real-Time, Animated NBA Game: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks on Christmas Day &#8211; Live from Main Street, U.S.A.","author":"morty","date":"November 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Animated game live at noon ET on ESPN2, Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney XD, and the ESPN App; traditional presentation on ABC, ESPN, Disney+, and the ESPN App Stitch joins the fun for the first time, bringing his signature chaos and charm to Main Street, U.S.A. Festive Christmas Parade competition down\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;TV News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"TV News","link":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/category\/tv_news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Dunk-The-Halls.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Dunk-The-Halls.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Dunk-The-Halls.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Dunk-The-Halls.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":103887,"url":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2025\/07\/31\/espn-unveils-big-dreams-little-league-world-series-2024-premiere-date-trailer-video\/","url_meta":{"origin":23113,"position":4},"title":"ESPN Unveils &#8220;Big Dreams: Little League World Series 2024&#8221; Premiere Date &#038; Trailer [VIDEO]","author":"morty","date":"July 31, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"ESPN has released the official trailer for \"Big Dreams: Little League World Series 2024.\" The ESPN film debuts August 12 @ 9:30PM ET on ESPN. Following its linear premiere, it will be available to stream on ESPN+. Directed by Rudy Valdez (director of \"The Sentence,\" \"Breakaway,\") and produced by Brian\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;TV News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"TV News","link":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/category\/tv_news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Big-Dreams-Little-League.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Big-Dreams-Little-League.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Big-Dreams-Little-League.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Big-Dreams-Little-League.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":73672,"url":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/2024\/07\/24\/espn-films-rhythm-masters-a-mickey-hart-experience-to-premiere-august-14-9pm-et-on-espn-and-espn-video\/","url_meta":{"origin":23113,"position":5},"title":"ESPN Films&#8217; &#8220;Rhythm Masters: A Mickey Hart Experience&#8221; to Premiere August 14 @ 9PM ET on ESPN and ESPN+ [VIDEO]","author":"morty","date":"July 24, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"ESPN Films today announces \"Rhythm Masters: A Mickey Hart Experience\" will premiere on August 14 @ 9PM ET on ESPN and ESPN+. Grammy award-winning artist and Kennedy Center honoree Mickey Hart, drummer of the Grateful Dead and Dead & Company, takes the viewer on a sonic journey as he creates\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;TV News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"TV News","link":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/category\/tv_news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Rhythm-Masters.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Rhythm-Masters.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Rhythm-Masters.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23113"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23113\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mortystv.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}