ESPN will unveil a Best Tunnel Fit award at the July 15 ESPYS in New York, the network's first fashion-specific category in the show's 32-year run. The category is fan-voted. Nominees are expected in late June.
The move codifies what tunnel photographers and brand partnerships teams already know: athlete pre-game arrivals generate material commerce. StockX reported 340% year-over-year growth in searches for items worn by NBA players during the 2023-24 regular season. Tunnel footage drives same-day sell-through for sneakers, vintage jerseys, and accessories players wear in the 90 seconds between the loading dock and the locker room. A Prada coat P.J. Tucker wore in March 2023 sold out its $4,800 wholesale allocation within 72 hours. The secondary market filled in at $7,200 average resale within a week.
ESPN's timing follows luxury's thickening athlete roster. Louis Vuitton signed LeBron James in 2023. Prada extended its relationship with the America's Cup and hired NBA stylist consultants for its fall menswear line. Dior dressed Victor Wembanyama for the 2023 draft in a custom double-breasted suit that generated 14 million social impressions in 48 hours, per Launchmetrics data. The fashion houses want red carpets, but athletes deliver more impressions on game day. A tunnel walk reaches fans who would not click on Met Gala coverage.
The category also solves a format problem for ESPN. ESPYS viewership has declined 18% since 2019, averaging 3.1 million viewers in 2024. The show competes with summer League Championship Series games and NBA free agency news. A fashion bracket introduces a fan-engagement loop that starts weeks before broadcast. Voting windows extend tune-in windows. The network can package tunnel highlights as vertical video for Reels and TikTok, formats that perform better than traditional trophy presentations among the 18-34 demo ESPN needs to stabilize.
Teams are watching. Six NBA franchises now employ in-house content creators dedicated to tunnel arrival footage, up from zero in 2019. The Philadelphia 76ers credential two tunnel photographers per home game. The footage feeds the team's apparel collaborations and sponsor activations. Mitchell & Ness, a 76ers jersey partner, uses tunnel stills in its seasonal lookbooks. The Memphis Grizzlies have a standing partnership with a local vintage shop that sources pieces for Ja Morant's arrivals, then sells replica looks online within hours of tip-off.
The award also creates optionality for athlete representation. Agents increasingly negotiate image clauses that allow players to retain ownership of non-game fashion content. A Best Tunnel Fit nomination becomes a data point in sponsor pitches. Klutch Sports used Russell Westbrook's 2023 tunnel archive to secure a $3 million multi-year deal with a watch brand, arguing his arrival looks generate engagement comparable to All-Star weekend red carpets.
ESPN has not announced ballot specifics, but expect 10-12 nominees and a two-week voting window in late June. The network is in conversations with fashion media partners to promote the category. One person familiar with the planning said ESPN is exploring a pre-show tunnel walk segment filmed live outside the venue, modeled on Oscars red carpet coverage but timed to athletes' arrivals 45 minutes before broadcast. That would create a second inventory window for fashion sponsors who typically buy only in-show placements.
Watch for nominee leaks in early June and whether ESPN partners with a fashion publication for ballot curation. Also watch whether the category includes women's sports athletes. WNBA tunnel content has grown faster than NBA equivalents on TikTok this spring, but the league's shorter playoff window means fewer high-profile looks to pull from. If ESPN includes WNBA players, it signals the network sees year-round tunnel content as a growth vertical, not a one-season stunt.
The ESPYS broadcast at 8pm ET on ABC. Voting opens approximately June 20.
The takeaway
ESPN's tunnel award formalizes fashion as measurable athlete IP, giving agents a new lever in brand deals and teams a content format that monetizes faster than highlight reels.
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