The 20 finalist cities were determined by a combination of 2,000 fan-generated nominations, an ESPN production content research team, and a blue-ribbon panel consisting of 19 non-ESPN journalists and 12 SportsCenter anchors. Columbus is in the running due to the Ohio State football program, which has won seven national titles and over 30 Big Ten titles and features more than 100 All-Americans. And Ohio State’s seven Heisman Trophy winners are tied with USC for most by any school.
The Columbus segment will air Monday, July 21, in the 6 p.m. ET edition of SportsCenter. Also on that day, ESPN Classic will highlight Columbus with an airing of the 2003 Fiesta Bowl between Ohio State and Miami at 2 p.m., and an airing of SportsCentury: Jack Nicklaus at 5 p.m.
Upon completion of the daily series featuring all 20 cities, online polling will re-open Thursday, July 24 – Saturday, July 26. The winner will be announced Sunday, July 27.
The 20 “TitleTown USA” finalists: Green Bay, Wis.; Louisville, Ky.; Gainesville, Fla.; Detroit; Williamsport, Pa.; Boston; Los Angeles; Columbus, Ohio; Chapel Hill, N.C.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; San Francisco; Pittsburgh; Knoxville, Tenn.; Valdosta, Ga.; Parkersburg, W. Va.; and Chicago; Lawrence, Kan.; Palo Alto, Calif.; Massillon, Ohio; and New York City.
MEDIA CONTACT: Andy Hall, ESPN Communications (407) 566-2209, andy.hall@espn.com;
Dan Quinn, ESPN Communications (860) 766-2234, dan.quinn@espn.com
