The first athlete ever to guest host ESPN’s flagship news and information program "SportsCenter" also brought some added viewers to the show.
Six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson was guest
host on the 6 p.m. ET SportsCenter on Tuesday, Nov. 19, and the special
edition of the program earned a 0.7 U.S. household rating - 17 percent higher
than the 0.6 average rating for the Tuesday program so far this
fall.
Viewership was up 22 percent with an average of 931,021 tuned
in during the one-hour program. The average so far this fall for the 6 p.m.
program on Tuesdays has been 760,448.
Johnson joined regular anchors John Anderson and Lindsay Czarniak and performed
all of the duties of a SportsCenter host, including presenting news and
highlights and conducting interviews. During the show, Johnson interviewed
Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops and Boston Red Sox catcher Jarrod
Saltalamacchia, and asked questions of ESPN NFL analyst Tedy Bruschi. He also
narrated a NASCAR-themed “Not Top 10” list.
Johnson was only the third celebrity to guest host in the program’s 34-year history, joining actors Billy
Crystal and Ken Jeong.
