Veteran journalist Bryant Gumbel will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for the 44th Annual Sports Emmy Awards this year. On May 22, Gumbel will be recognized for his over 50 years of reporting service at the Lincoln Center in New York City, according to an ABC News report.
This will mark the first time a Black journalist will be awarded the Sports Emmy award. In a statement, Gumbel said, “It’s very humbling. I’ve been a fortunate, lucky guy,” he said in a statement. “It makes you stop and take stock. You take a look at the guys who I admire a great deal which received this award, people like Vin Scully, Jim McKay and Howard Cosell. You never want to put yourself in their company, but it’s heady stuff.”
The head of the Sports Emmy, Justine Gubar, said that Gumbel is an exemplary picture of what it means to be a sports journalist. He explained, “The selection of Bryant [Gumbel for the lifetime achievement honor is a wholehearted endorsement of sports journalism. Bryant is a consummate journalist, interviewer and storyteller, and the sports media landscape is indebted to the high standard Bryant continues to set to this day.”
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences President said, “Bryant has a storied career, from his start as a sportscaster in Los Angeles to five decades of celebrated work — every bit cementing him as an icon and trailblazer in sports and entertainment.” He continued, “ He’s brought dramatic and human news and sports stories to life for audiences. He’s a clear front-runner for this distinct honor.”
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Gumbel currently has the record for the longest-running host of NBC’s Today show, but he’s most acclaimed for Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. He began hosting it in 1995 for HBO; it airs monthly, and the show has earned 36 total Sports Emmys with over 300 episodes.
Gumbel told the outlet, “I’ve always been a sports fan, but I’ve always been less interested in the scores than I was the story elements of sports. Real Sports. I’m overly selfish about it, but I’m enormously proud of it.”
