ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt is coming home. The Maryland native and University of Maryland alum is bringing his nightly midnight edition of “SportsCenter” from ESPN’s headquarters in Britsol, CT to Washington, DC.
According to John Ourand of Sports Business Daily, Van Pelt came up with the idea in May while attending the Sports Emmys award ceremony in New York. ESPN’s daily debate show “PTI” won an award, and Van Pelt thought it would be great to do the show from the same studio.
He reached out to the show’s producer and then got the ball rolling with his agent on finalizing the move.
“I’m proud of where I’m from,” Van Pelt told the site. “Long after I’m not the guy from ESPN, I will always be the guy from Maryland. That’s who I am.”
Van Pelt has been a constant when he is available at Xfinity Center, the home of the Maryland Terrapins basketball teams. He was in attendance Tuesday when the Terrapins defeated Ohio State in a huge Big Ten clash.
Van Pelt says he has not been in the DC area in 25 years. In 1990 he joined the Golf Channel where he was a studio host for some of the network’s programs from 1995-2000. He joined ESPN in 2001, and has been with the network every since.
The move to the nation’s capital won’t change the show’s essence.
“Let’s say Steph Curry and Steve Kerr are in town to play the Wizards,” Van Pelt told Ourand. “They’re not in Bristol a lot. But they come to DC. Maybe we can carve out 15 minutes with players of that ilk. The chance to be face-to-face with those athletes might happen more.”
The DC “SportsCenter” will be the third location for the show. ESPN produces shows in Bristol and Los Angeles as well.
