Yesterday ESPN dropped the John Clayton This is SportsCenter ad on the internet and everyone went crazy. Everything about the ad was pitch perfect, including the nod to the “John Clayton has a ponytail” rumor. It was perfect. TBL called it the best ESPN promo ever. That’s quite a claim when you consider the fact that ESPN has been pumping out these amusing ads since 1994 and some of them are legitimate classics. Picking the “best” comes down to personal preference. What anchor or athlete do you like the most? More importantly, what kind of humor really gets you? There’s something for everyone.

Lil Penny and Gheorghe Muresan

Ringers with Juwan Howard, Cherokee Parks, Pooh Richardson

Competitive with Evander Holyfield

Y2K featuring Charlie Steiner’s “Follow me to freedom” line.

Big Buddy Program

Manning family tour

Every show is live

Rich Eisen “cut me”

Charley Steiner gets traded to Melrose Place

Scott Van Pelt Division
As far as I’m concerned, SVP (followed by Steiner) is the best.

Scott Van Pelt’s performance enhancers. “Unhand me you rapscallion”

Contract negotiations with Scott Boras

Finally, “Bedwetter.”

And those are just a bunch I could think of or find out of the hundreds(?) that have been made. The only real, fair, scientific way to determine which ad is the best is to put them into a bracket and drag it out over the next few weeks and call it This is SportsCentertology… I’ve said too much.

Not that I need to invite you, but feel free to tell me in the comments which ads I was an idiot to forget to include.