(Joe Faraoni/ESPN Images)
LOS ANGELES – SportsCenter commentator Jay Harris has been at ESPN 11 years, but he’s attending the ESPYS for the first time. True to form, Harris has been very busy.
Tuesday, Harris co-hosted The 14th Annual ESPY Celebrity Golf Classic. Today at L.A. LIVE, he is serving as emcee for an event involving ESPN and LA2015, the 2015 Special Olympics World Games Organizing Committee, to announce Toyota as the Official Automotive Partner of the World Games. (In the spring, ESPN announced that it will be the official broadcaster of the 2015 Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles.)
Prior to Tuesday’s golf event, Harris spoke to Front Row.
How has your ESPY experience been thus far?
Great, it’s The ESPYS. You’re not going to have a bad time. We’re in Los Angeles doing lots of good things for good people. It’s been great and it will be greater. I’m happy and excited to be here. I’m going to enjoy the show and heckle [ESPYS host] Drake.
How did you get involved with Special Olympics?
I was part of the Special Olympics program in Bristol last year where I played basketball. That was absolutely phenomenal. I’ve had an affinity for Special Olympics for a long time because my youngest brother was involved with Special Olympics when he was young. It’s a great organization. I love what they do, the people are nice and the athletes are great. When they asked me to do it, I said sure, what time do you want me there?
Do you golf? If so, what is your handicap?
Yes, I golf. My game is my handicap [laughs]. Every year I say I’m going to get better and by the end of the summer my game does improve but because of the 10 months of winter in Connecticut, I have a 10-month lay off and I have to get back into the groove.
Editor’s note: The 2014 ESPYS Presented by Capital One will be televised live tonight (9 p.m. ET, ESPN) from the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE.
