Disney’s ESPN plans first full-scale New York ESPYS production since 1999, moves ceremony to Lincoln Center

More than three decades after The ESPYS debuted in New York, ESPN is bringing its flagship sports awards show back for a first full-scale New York production since 1999. On July 15 at 8 p.m. ET, the 2026 ESPYS Presented by Capital One will be hosted by Marcello Hernandez and will take place at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, with the broadcast on ABC and streaming via the ESPN App.

The move back to New York is not being framed as a simple change of scenery. ESPN executives and creative staff describe it as a homecoming that also reflects how the awards have expanded from a regional ceremony into a global, multi-platform event alongside the sports calendar and media ecosystem.

ESPN Vice President Craig Lazarus, Executive Producer of Original Content and Business Operations, said ESPN sees the timing as especially favorable because New York is saturated with major sporting events. “There’s so much going on in New York,” Lazarus said, pointing to the World Cup finals during ESPYS week, the Dodgers playing the Yankees, and the presence of a National Women’s Soccer League game, along with Fanatics Fest. Lazarus added that the network wanted to be “around the New York energy,” with comments that he expected Travis Kelce to get married and the Knicks to win.

Hernandez, described by Disney as a comedian, actor, writer and producer, will lead the show as it attempts to connect past and present. ESPN’s account traces the event’s original New York roots: The ESPYS began in 1993 at Madison Square Garden, returned there in 1994, then moved to Radio City Music Hall from 1995 through 1999 before traveling elsewhere in later years, including runs in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

This year’s program also adds structural changes that ESPN says are intended to match modern sports storytelling. Among the new categories is Best Single Game Performance, designed to spotlight a defining moment from both professional and collegiate competition, reflecting how highlights can dominate a season’s narrative. ESPN’s write-up cites examples of athletes it believes delivered “unbelievable one-night performance” worthy of head-to-head comparison, including Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat, Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame.

ESPN is also bringing honors for college athletes into the main broadcast for the first time, an expansion that the company describes as a way to broaden recognition across all levels of competition. In addition to those category changes, Disney said this year’s nominees span global stars and emerging talent, mentioning Lionel Messi, Jalen Brunson, Mikaela Shiffrin, Lauren Betts, Macklin Celebrini and Fernando Mendoza among the names highlighted for the broadcast.

The Lincoln Center staging is part of the planned reinvention. Disney said set designer Julio Himede built the show’s look with the “intersection” of performing-arts prestige and the high-energy dynamics of a live sports awards ceremony in mind. Himede characterized it as an opportunity to merge two longstanding traditions, noting that audiences at Lincoln Center typically see ballet, making an awards show in the space “unexpected” in a way that still respects the venue’s legacy.

Philanthropy remains a core element of ESPN’s presentation. Since the show began, The ESPYS has served not only as recognition but also as fundraising support for the V Foundation for Cancer Research, which was founded alongside the awards show by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano. Disney said the event has raised more than $292 million over more than three decades to advance cancer research.

What is still unclear from Disney’s announcement is how the new categories will be selected and weighted in practice, including whether voting and committee review will mirror prior years’ mechanisms. The company also did not provide a detailed breakdown of finalists, timing for announcements, or how its multi-platform distribution will segment content across ABC and streaming beyond the live broadcast time and platform details. For viewers tracking the show, the full list of nominees and the specific criteria for the “single game” category will likely be the deciding information to watch next.

For now, ESPN appears to be positioning the 2026 ESPYS as a cultural anchor for a New York sports week that includes global and local events in rapid succession. With a new host, an expanded role for college athletes, and a venue change to one of the city’s most prominent performance halls, the show is set up to test whether the formula that made The ESPYS a broadcast tradition can translate into a renewed, venue-driven spectacle. The biggest question for the next milestone is whether ESPN’s category and format changes will translate into broader audience engagement across both professional and collegiate sports communities.