Even during the pandemic, ESPN found a way to keep the college spirit alive with its College GameDay Franchise, which has been traveling to college campuses since 1993. ESPN safely maintained GameDay’s weekly travel with a smaller entourage of staff, while the rest of the crew worked remotely from Bristol. With fans unable to attend in person, it created a “virtual pit” of fans cheering and dressed in their team colors and continued its tradition of celebrity guest pickers, with stars like Bill Murray appearing virtually. The stats were clear: 21,000 fans signed up to be part of football telecasts and 3,000 signed up for basketball. In an unprecedented year, more than 300 college football programs and over 150 college basketball programs were represented, and GameDay celebrated its milestone 400th show.
