First look: New set design at David H. Koch Theater builds upon ‘The ESPYS’ legacy
Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, The ESPYS return to New York City in full bloom; learn what's going into the Lincoln Center staging
On Wednesday, The ESPYS (8 p.m. ET, ABC) take center stage at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center — the first ESPYS in New York since 1999 (excluding a scaled-back show during the pandemic in 2021), and the first-ever at this storied theater. It’s a big moment in the 34-year history of the ESPN awards show and the artful set design will match the occasion.
Julio Himede, the internationally recognized production/scenic designer and creative director known for developing stages and visual environments for some of the world’s largest live television broadcasts, concerts, and awards shows, conceived the design for The ESPYS this year. Himede shares a special first-look of his design with Front Row and discusses the inspiration behind it.
A trophy brought to life
At the center of Himede’s design is a circular video floor, with inspiration drawn directly from The ESPYS actual trophy.
“Our design is basically influenced by the trophy itself,” Himede says. “The trophy has a big sphere at the top, which is representative of a ball — a world, a sphere. It can be a soccer ball, a tennis ball, whatever it might be — but it’s a world of sports. And so that circular shape, that sphere, really influenced our design of the set.”
The circular floor is not just a visual statement. Whether someone is seated in the front row, up in the Koch Theater’s balconies, or watching from home, the floor creates a shared experience with energy and design elements visible from every angle.
Supporting the emotion of the night
Himede describes The ESPYS as the Grammy Award equivalent for athletes and he approached the design with that weight in mind.
“How do we make them feel special? How do we make the environment feel beautiful and elegant and sophisticated, but also celebratory?” he says. “It’s always nice to see the reaction of people when they come up and get their award, and they get overwhelmed — and I love seeing how our set design supports that emotion.”
The ESPYS will also stream on ESPN+ through the ESPN App in conjunction with ABC airings across time zones, and will be available to stream the next day on Hulu, Disney+, the ESPN App and ABC Video on Demand. For more information, visit ESPN Press Room.
