Five esports events receive Sports Emmy nomination
The Sports Emmys have announced the five nominated esports events for the category of "Outstanding Esports Championship Coverage." Two Counter-Strike, one League of Legends, one Call of Duty, and one VALORANT tournament made the final round, and the winner will be announced in May this year.
The nominees
The Sports Emmys are once again honouring the best esports events of the year. First becoming a category in 2020, the award recognises excellence within the esports event production space for the fourth time. Five events have been nominated for the award, with the 2023 winners of Riot Games for their Worlds production again finding themselves in the running.
The Call of Duty League received a nomination for its Championship Weekend, specifically the final between the New York Subliners and the Toronto Ultra. At Las Vegas' Thomas & Mack Center, the Subliners trounced the Ultra 5-0 in front of a passionate crowd that remained hyped for all five hours of the final.
BLAST.tv also received much-deserved attention for its Counter-Strike Major in Paris, putting on a multi-week production of the prestigious Valve-sponsored spectacle that saw the Frenchmen of Team Vitality hoist the trophy at the Accor Arena.
Counter-Strike also has another horse in the race with the IEM Cologne Grand Final that took place at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany – a venue the community has dubbed the so-called "Cathedral of Counter-Strike."
In the final between ENCE and G2, the CS version Global Offensive was honoured and sent to retirement, making room for the iteration, Counter-Strike 2. Riot Games was again nominated for both of the pinnacle events of its two esports, with both League of Legends World 2023 Final and VALORANT Champions 2023 Grand Final being considered for the price.
Is Riot taking it once more?
With the esports world ramping up to full speed on offline event hosting after the pandemic-enforced break of prior years, 2023 showed an incredible line-up of top-tier events, with the production often being rewarded with incredible storylines across the board.
From underdog stories such as Evil Geniuses winning VALORANT champions to esports legends in Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok winning another Worlds title in League of Legends, especially Riot's events delivered outstanding narratives that captured fans across the globe and elevated esports to new heights.
Given the extent to which Riot went in both titles to celebrate its esports, they look to be strong contenders for the award. League of Legends World in Seoul, South Korea, arguably has the edge given its outstanding production, which underlined a historic esports moment with Faker winning his fourth title.
