‘SportsCenter For You’ needs some tweaks, but is still great for fans
‘SportsCenter For You’ needs some tweaks, but is still great for fans
The personalized catch-up show from ESPN was my favorite stream of the week.
The ESPN Unlimited streaming service has been a long time coming. Disney has been hard at work on a direct-to-consumer version of The Worldwide Leader in Sports for years, and has packed the streamer with not only live sports content, but a ton of features intended to bring fans closer to the teams they love.
It was way back in 2024 that ESPN revealed it would add an AI-generated version of “SportsCenter” which would be customized for each individual user. I tried it for the first time this week, and while I will admit the feature needs some minor adjustments, it was still my favorite stream of the past seven days.
ESPN’s website bills its “SportsCenter For You” feature as “a daily, personalized, premium video package of highlights and must-see news available in the ESPN Mobile App, ESPN.com, and the ESPN App on supported living room devices. SportsCenter For You will be AI-generated and tailored to each individual fan—everything you want, just for you!”
Let’s start with the good, here. “SportsCenter For You” does exactly what it says it does, assembling relevant highlights from the sports teams I follow with my ESPN account. My Friday “SportsCenter For You” episode started with a breakdown of the previous night’s Colorado Rockies game, with highlights of key plays narrated by an AI version of “SportsCenter” anchor Hannah Storm.
Next, the show took me to highlights of the Montreal Canadiens vs. Carolina Hurricanes. I don’t follow either of those teams, but as an avid Colorado Avalanche follower who still aspires to see the team make it to the Stanley Cup Finals, I thought it was intuitive of “SportsCenter For You” to include coverage of that game.
“SportsCenter For You” is a great way to follow your favorite teams if you don’t have the time to sit down and watch every game, or don’t have access to the channels or services they play on. I watched it every day of the week, and it’s going to be a staple of my daily viewing from now on.
Now, I will admit that the AI-generated nature of “SportsCenter For You” is pretty apparent when you’re watching it — especially from an audio standpoint. The AI voices of the ESPN on-air talents used for each “SportsCenter For You” episode provide all the correct information, but the narration is often clunky, inelegant, and, well, artificial.
No doubt that performance will improve over time. I didn’t have many complaints about the highlights chosen by ESPN’s AI agent for “SportsCenter For You” reels; all the videos seemed relevant to the outcome of the game, and I didn’t get to the end of any episodes feeling as if I missed a key play that should have been included.
I’m still not sure what effect AI will have on the world; that’s a question that’s far too large to be tackled in this article. But I will say that ESPN has found a use for AI that’s not only fairly benign — as long as ESPN personalities get fair compensation for the use of their voices — it’s highly useful as well. Try “SportsCenter For You” on the ESPN app or website if you’ve got access to the channels as part of a channel package or ESPN Unlimited subscription.
ESPN Unlimited
ESPN launched its highly anticipated direct-to-consumer streaming service on August 21, 2025. For the first time, this service gives sports fans access to its full lineup of linear channels without a traditional cable or satellite subscription.