Sports media industry innovator John J. “Flip” Filippelli, one of the most influential and most respected executives in sports television and the current President of Production & Programming, and Executive Producer of the YES Network, has been voted into the Sports Video Group's Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. The Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame recognizes individuals for their lasting contributions to the sports broadcasting industry. This year’s complete inductee class can be found here. Induction ceremony details will be announced in the coming weeks.
In a career spanning 46 years, Filippelli has left an indelible mark on both the national and regional sports network (RSN) stages. He has been a game-changer in production, original programming and as an architect, leaving a legacy of sustained excellence at NBC, FOX, ABC/ESPN, The Baseball Network and the YES Network.
He is the only person in sports broadcasting history known to have earned more than 100 national Emmy nominations as well as more than 100 local Emmy nominations and is one of a select few producers who have held senior positions in the truck as well as in management.
Over the years, Filippelli was responsible for a number of “industry firsts.” Among his many innovations: he was the first producer to utilize regular-speed instant replay (with FOX Sports); he was the first to deploy the pitch-by-pitch package in real time during MLB telecasts (FOX Sports); and YES was the first television network to display continuous on-screen pitch counts.
Even before arriving at YES, Filippelli was held in high esteem by his peers, given his award-winning work while holding senior positions at NBC Sports, ABC Sports, FOX Sports and The Baseball Network. He excelled at producing an incredibly diverse slate of the highest-profile events on domestic and global stages: Olympic Games, MLB World Series and All-Star Games, Super Bowls, Monday Night Football, the Indianapolis 500, Wimbledon, NHL, the PGA Tour, British Open golf, the BCS College Football Championship Series, ABC’s Wide World of Sports and more.
He was a lead producer for numerous MLB Game of the Week, League Championship Series, All-Star Game and World Series telecasts at NBC Sports. Of note while at NBC Sports, he produced the telecast of Game 1 of the 1988 World Series featuring Kirk Gibson’s game-winning home run against the A’s. At FOX Sports, he produced the telecast of the 1998 game in which Mark McGwire hit his record-breaking 62nd home run of the season. He was also the coordinating producer for FOX Sports’ first World Series (Yankees-Braves in 1996). At The Baseball Network, he coordinated every aspect of the simultaneous production of 14 MLB game telecasts on any given one night.
Filippelli joined YES as its first employee in September 2001, and the network immediately became the gold standard by which all other RSNs were and are measured. From the start, Filippelli has had the network constantly at the forefront of sports production and technology. Under his direction, YES was the first television network to produce 3D and interactive MLB telecasts and was a leader when it came to HD, as well, having launched its standalone 24/7 HD channel in 2007.
In addition, the network was the first RSN to produce and televise an MLB game outside of North America (Yankees vs. Devil Rays, March 2004, in Japan), and was the first RSN to simulcast a sports radio talk show (WFAN’s Mike and the Mad Dog, March 2002). YES has also produced several Brooklyn Nets games in London. Its “Super Slo Mo” and YES MO” cameras have set the standard for instant replays within sports telecasts. YES has been the most-watched RSN in the country 15 of the past 17 years.
Flip has developed talent in the truck and in the booth and has been instrumental in shaping the careers of Bob Costas, Joe Buck, Ian Eagle, Steve Young, Michael Kay and David Cone. He has been a champion for workplace equality, hiring the first woman game producer (Carol Langley -- The Baseball Network), the first woman baseball analyst (Suzyn Waldman -- The Baseball Network) and the first woman full-time RSN basketball game analyst (Sarah Kustok -- YES), and mentoring countless others.
“Flip is an extraordinary production executive with an unbridled passion for sports television,” said Jon Litner, CEO, YES Network. “He is the rare production executive who is a true visionary and industry change agent. Through his 40-plus year career, Flip has produced or executive produced the biggest events with the largest audiences, infusing his shows with his unique flair and creativity around the key storylines he understood the audience craved. Flip continued on as trailblazer when he answered the call from George Steinbrenner and the New York Yankees and successfully launched the YES Network, the most-watched regional sports network in America. He has won numerous Emmys for his work but perhaps his greatest achievement is the powerful impact he has had on those, including me, whom he has mentored and befriended over his remarkable career. On behalf of all of us at YES, I am so happy for Flip and the entire Filippelli family for this well-deserved recognition from his peers as he is a true Hall of Famer in every sense of the word.”
“I am truly humbled by this honor,” said Filippelli. “I wish to thank so many of those on the ballot with me. They helped shape my career through their guidance and friendship. I am so appreciative to my peers and to the Sports Video Group Hall of Fame committee for their support. It is a subjective process, but this recognition does not happen without all of the terrific professionals I have been honored to work with all these years. I also want to congratulate the other honorees in the Class of 2020 who have contributed so mightily to the growth of our industry. Lastly, this does not happen without the wholehearted support of my wife Gina and my sons John Edward and Pierce.”
Throughout his nearly 50-year career in sports television, Filippelli has been recognized for his achievements in and outside the industry. In 2017, he was inducted into the Silver Circle by the Board of Governors of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, New York Chapter, in recognition of his long and meritorious service in the television industry. In 2014, Filippelli received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from St. Thomas Aquinas College in New York and, in 2013, he was named Executive of the Year by New York University’s Sports Business Society. He was a board member of the Connecticut Chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation for seven years and is currently an honorary board member.
A Brooklyn native whose father owned a bar across the street from Ebbets Field, Filippelli’s first actual job in sports was as a vendor at Yankee Stadium at age 16. He and his wife Gina have two sons and one granddaughter.
