SportsCentury(1999)

SportsCentury is an ESPN biography series that examines the athletes and moments that shaped North American sports across the 20th and 21st centuries. Beginning in 1999, ESPN ranked the Top 50 Athletes of the 20th Century, selected by a panel of sports journalists and voted on by fans. New episodes premiered weekly throughout the year, each profiling a legendary athlete from the countdown. Michael Jordan and Babe Ruth, the top two honorees, received a special combined broadcast on ABC on Christmas Day. Beyond the main fifty, the series expanded to feature athletes ranked 51–100 and produced themed specials on greatest games, coaches, dynasties, and influential figures. Episodes were later rerun across ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN Classic, eventually covering nearly every athlete from the extended rankings alongside other notable sports personalities, particularly recent legends and those with contemporary achievements.