Fox Sports

Background: Fox Sports, also referred to as Fox Sports Media Group and stylized in all caps as FOX Sports, is the sports programming division of the Fox Corporation that is responsible for sports broadcasts carried by the Fox broadcast network, Fox Sports 1 (FS1), Fox Sports 2 (FS2), and the Fox Sports Radio network.

The division was formed in 1994 with Fox's acquisition of broadcast rights to National Football League (NFL) games. In subsequent years, Fox has televised the National Hockey League (NHL) (1994–1999), Major League Baseball (1996–present), NASCAR (2001–present), the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) (2007–2010), Major League Soccer (MLS) (2003–2011, 2015–present), the U.S. Open golf tournament (2015–2019), the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) (2016–present), WWE programming (2019–present), the XFL (2020), and the United States Football League (USFL) (2022-present).

On December 14, 2017, The Walt Disney Company announced plans to acquire then-parent company 21st Century Fox for $52.4 billion, which included key assets such as the regional Fox Sports Networks (which were later sold by Disney to the Sinclair Broadcast Group), FX Networks and Fox Sports International. Under the terms of the proposed acquisition, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, and other assets were spun off into the division's current parent company, which is independently owned by 21st Century Fox's current shareholders.

Main On-Screen Logos

1st Logo (August 12, 1994-1997)

Nicknames: "CGI Searchlights", "Fox Sports Structure"

Logoː On an evening sky background, we see a close-up of the text

FOX

SPORTS

(with "FOX" being in the same font as the standard television logo) split with a rectangle border (like the movie logo) all in gold. We slowly zoom out of it as searchlights go by. One searchlight briefly shines at the screen, revealing a rectangular structure in gold with the text inside of the border, with "SPORTS" in front of a dark gold rectangle. The screen zooms out more until the logo is at the center of the screen. Then it fades out.

FX/SFXː The panning of the structure and the transition to the rectanglular structure, this logo was animated by Studio Productions (now known as "Flip Your Lid Animation").

Music/Soundsː Just the high-pitched 1994 20th Century Fox fanfare with the late Dick Ervasti providing the voiceover.

Availabilityː Extinct.

2nd Logo (1997-1999)

Nickname: "Fox Sports Structure II"

Logoː It starts off at an extreme close-up of a letter in white with lights all over the letter. The lights light up from bottom to top as we zoom out of the letter. Once the light-up is completed, it fades to the standard television logo, but with the text "SPORTS" at the bottom, on top of a structure similar to the movie logo, as the camera gets into different directions.

Variant: Staring in 1998, footage from sporting events (including the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup, the World Series, and the All-Star Game) which all aired on Fox, were added.

FX/SFXː CGI.

Music/Soundsː

(1997-1999) Same as the previous logo.
(1998-1999) The 1997 Fox fanfare accompanied by Dick Ervasti voiceover. The short version of the fanfare is used on the closing variant.

Availabilityː Extinct.

3rd Logo (1999-2000)

Nickname: "Fox Sports Oval"

Logoː On a blue background, we see a cylinder with footage of Super Bowl 33 on the cylinder. Then the camera circulates around the cylinder with the program still seen as a blue light appears as it gets higher. Once the light got to the top, the 1998 Fox Sports logo is shown, as the light gets in the logo. Then we see an billboard turning on another program, as the camera zooms out of the billboard. At one point, the billboard plays another program as it zooms out. Then it quickly zooms out to reveal the previous mentioned 1998 Fox Sports logo as a blimp with the logo flies from the logo's center. Finally, the logo shoots out "waves".

FX/SFXː CGI.

Music/Soundsː The short version of the 1997 TCF fanfare as well as an announcer.

Availabilityː Extinct.

4th Logo (2000-2001)

Nicknames: "Fox Sports Oval II", "Millennium Oval"

Logoː On a black background, we see a set of lights in yellow and white with a silver oval outline. The oval outline zooms in as the company name is briefly shown. Once the oval outline is off screen, multiple ovals showing programs pass by. Once they are gone, the logo from last time is shown, appearing as a flag as it tilts.

FX/SFXː CGI.

Music/Soundsː The drumroll part of the 1997 TCF fanfare with an announcer.

Availabilityː Extinct.

5th Logo (2001-2003)

Nickname: "Fox Sports Oval III"

Logoː Similar to the last logo, but modified for SD, text are shown to the programs, and the last 2 programs are different.

FX/SFXː CGI.

Music/Soundsː Once again, the drumroll part of the 1997 TCF fanfare with an announcer.

Availabilityː Extinct.

6th Logo (2001-2003)

Logoː Against the USA flag, we see a few shots of the army and the navy doing different things. Then we see a cleaner version of the 1999 Fox Sports logo appear at the center of the screen.

FX/SFXː Live-Action, with a bit of CGI.

Music/Soundsː A new-generation theme, as well as an announcer.

Availabilityː Extinct.

7th Logo (2003-2004)

Logoː Against a black curtain, we see the Fox Sports logo during the time doing the same animation as the 4th logo with searchlights all around. Then light shows in the logo, revealing the letter "X" behind the text "YEARS", as the logo does the same animation. Then it transitions to a number of programs. While the programs are shown, we see the text "FOX WIDESCREEN" in silver on top of a rectangle in the same color. Then it transitions back to the black curtain as the Fox Sports logo in front of the letter "X" with the text "YEARS" at the bottom flip to the center of the screen as searchlights move.

FX/SFXː CGI.

Music/Soundsː A trumpet theme, as well as an announcer.

Availabilityː Extinct.

8th Logo (2004-2009)

Logoː Same as the fourth logo, but updated.

Variantː A shortened version exists.

FX/SFXː CGI.

Music/Soundsː Like the last logo, a trumpet theme with an announcer.

Availabilityː Extinct.

9th Logo (2008-2010)

Logoː On a black background, we see parts of an oval into 4 pieces with the text

FOX

SPORTS

inside of the oval all in white.Then it breaks up into pieces and passes the screen as programs with text in white show on the pieces. Then the pieces gets back together showing the logo for a second. Then the background changes to white as the text "WE ARE" appears at the center. Then the text "FOX SPORTS" appears also at the center. Then the Fox Sports logo in black appears in the same way.

FX/SFXː Great CGI.

Music/Soundsː Once again, a trumpet theme with an announcer. When the text "WE ARE" and "FOX SPORTS" shows up, a group of people saying the infamous quote "We are Fox Sportsǃ" is heard as well.

Availabilityː Extinct.

Editor's Noteː One of the first ways to show the company's quote "We are Fox Sports".

NFL Broadcast Logos

1st Logo (1998-1999)

Logo: There is an oval screen with the 1997-2003 NFL on FOX logo (a teal rectangle with "NFL" inside, a light gray rectangle with "FOX" in it, and a red stripe with "ON" between them), but altered to fit the screen's shape. Supporting the oval screen is two pillars with football helmets on top, and below it, there's a sloped floor with the FOX logo (it's a little hard to see though). In the background is a golden sunset sky with clouds. The camera pans quickly downward towards, with the lights around the oval shining towards the viewer. The lights turn to the oval and turns off, and the NFL on FOX logo triangle transitions to the NFL shield.

Trivia: The graphics are the same as the graphics the NFL on Fox used during the 1998 and 1999 seasons. Also, the logo takes place in a stadium.

FX/SFX: The lights, and the NFL on FOX logo transitioning to the NFL shield, done in CGI.

Music/Sounds: The NFL fanfare, with some machine sounds, with Dick Ervasti saying "FOX Sports welcomes you to the following presentation of the National Football League".

Availability: Extinct for both versions. You can see it on YouTube videos of some NFL on FOX games from the era though.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (2000-2007)

Note: The music in the logo on the above videos are higher pitched than usual. The video in the left is the 2000-2002 variant and the one on the right is the 2003-2007 variant.

Logo: On a dark blue/purple background, we see a purple metal bar behind an oval with a ceiling. A white streak flies past the oval, making the oval flash, revealing the Fox Sports logo. Then the metal bar rotates downward, and the ceiling "scans" the FOX Sports logo, slowly turning it to the pre-2008 NFL shield (it had more stars, the football and the NFL font is different too compared to the 8 stars the current NFL shield has) logo, then the shield rotates slightly upward. The light on the metal bar turns on, and the NFL shield glows. Behind the NFL shield is a futuristic interface looking screen showing random letters, numbers and circles in light blue. The camera pans slowly rightward in the end. The closing variant has "www.nfl.com" in white, appearing below the NFL shield.

Trivia: The graphics are the same as the graphics the NFL on FOX had during the 2000 and 2001 seasons.

FX/SFX: The streaking line forming the FOX Sports logo, the metal bar rotating, the scanning, the NFL shield shining, and the interface, all done in CGI.

Music/Sounds: Same as the previous logo.

Music/Sounds Variantː In its early days, it had a different NFL fanfare which was used from the 1998-2002 NFL seasons.

Availability: Extinct for both versions. You can see it on YouTube videos of some NFL on FOX games from the era though.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Logo (2008-January 2012)

Nickname: "Metallic Glowing Gridiron"

Logo: On a navy blue background, we see the Fox Sports logo lighting up. Outlines of its surrounding oval shape appear as well, and they all "shift" to show a glowing (but slowly dimming) football field with the revised NFL logo floating above it. There is a closing variant, and it has "NFL.com" in black, in a big slab-serif face (which the NFL also uses for other things) appearing below the NFL shield.

FX/SFX: Excellent CGI. Even better in HD.

Music/Sounds: Same as the 1st logo.

Music/Sounds Variant: Occasionally, the announcer says "FOX Sports thanks you for watching this presentation of the National Football League. The NFL is online at www.NFL.com" on the closing variant.

Availability: Extinct for both versions. You can see it on YouTube videos of some NFL on FOX games from the era though.

Editor's Note: None.

4th Logo (January 2012-2014)

Logo: On a blue background, the FOX Sports logo used since 2012 appears in front of a blue line with arrows. The camera tilts and zooms through the FOX Sports logo which causes the oval part of the logo to fall off, revealing Cleatus the FOX Robot (who serves as their mascot since 2005) run towards us. Finally, the NFL logo forms. As usual, the closing variant has "www.nfl.com" appearing.

Trivia: The graphical elements are the same as what FOX Sports have used in the early 2010s, especially the arrows/chevrons.

FX/SFX: Same as the third logo.

Music/Sounds: The 2003-2014 NFL fanfare and the presentation speech. In other words, same as the previous two logos (and 3 for the presentation speech).

Music/Sounds Variant: Same as the 1st logo.

Availability: Extinct for both versions. You can see it on YouTube videos of some NFL on FOX games from the era though.

Editor's Note: None.

5th Logo (2014-2016)

Logo: A light (probably stadium lights) shines from the top right on a metal blue surface with a TRON-like grid pattern. The light quickly retreats as the camera pans to the right, revealing the NFL shield logo with an azure glowing outline. The camera then pans upward, revealing an opaque Fox Sports logo with the surface now glowing orange/yellow with a teal light on top. The surface turned out to be a redesigned Cleatus as the camera pans from his back to his front as Cleatus looks at the viewer. The logo ends with the camera zooming in on a red, white and blue (2014-15)/gold and black (2015-2016) NFL logo.

Trivia: With the exception of the end of this logo, it is the same as the 2014-2015 intro to now branded "FOX NFL" broadcasts, with Cleatus holding the 2014-present logo with its right hand towards us in a stadium background in said intro.

FX/SFX: Once again, Great CGI.

Music/Sounds: A brand new, majestic copyright theme the NFL started using during the 2013-14 NFL playoffs (used until Super Bowl LIII for the intro and outro presentations and used on the NFL's 3rd quarter copyright screen that appears in all NFL broadcasts up to the 2019 preseason and returned in 2020 that has a different 3 note ending), with a different 8 note ending.

Music/Sounds Variant: Same as what has been used since 1998.

Availability: Extinct for both versions. You can see it on YouTube videos of some NFL on FOX games from the era though.

Editor's Note: None.

6th Logo (2016-)

Logo: The Fox Sports logo flickers and lights up as we zoom out to reveal Cleatus standing behind another gigantic Fox Sports logo against a dodger blue honeycomb background. Cleatus then holds up a metallic football to his left arm as the rest of his body (and the football) lights up. We then do a quick 180-degree turn to the right to reveal a 3D NFL logo hovering above a yellow cauldron as we zoom out slowly. The closing variant has "WWW.NFL.COM" hovering close to the cauldron.

Variants:

Super Bowl LI Variant: The honeycomb background is bright white and the cauldron is missing.
2019-2020 Variant: The animation stays the same, but there is a lot of flickering on the logo, starting with the cartoonish head of Cleatus then flickering to the Fox Sports logo as the background changes from dodger blue to yellow. On the first second of the logo, there are lines to represent the yardlines in (American) football on the top and bottom of the screen. As the zooming out revealing Cleatus is in process, we see the Fox Sports logo flicker to the cartoonish Cleatus head (with the background changing to dodger blue again) and then back to the Fox Sports logo with the outlines of the FOX logo, the cartoonish Cleatus head and "We" with random squares divided into rectangles, x's and o's","We Are", "Fox Sports" and "Sports" flickering and zooming in on us for a split second. As we do a 180 turn around Cleatus as is the 2016 variant, it reveals the "NFL 100" logo in 3D taking the place of the NFL shield. The cauldron disappears and the honeycomb background is replaced by a navy blue background with an outline of the NFL 100 logo. The words "National Football League", "National", "Football" and "League" appear and zoom in a split second word by word, and then the screen flickers black with an outline of the NFL 100 logo for a split second and back to navy blue. The closing variant with the www.nfl.com is the same.
Super Bowl LIV Variant: The background is aqua blue and the "100" portion of the NFL 100 logo is aqua blue, gold, and silver.
2020-present: Same as the 2019-2020 variant, but the NFL 100 logo is replaced with the NFL shield itself again.

FX/SFX: CGI.

Music/Sounds: Same as the 5th logo, with robotic sounds and flickering as Cleatus moves his arm.

Music/Sounds Variant: In 2019 until Super Bowl LIV, there was a new majestic copyright fanfare celebrating the NFL's 100th season with a dramatic 4 note ending.

Availability: Common. Also seen before Fox-aired Thursday Night Football broadcasts. For the 2016-2019 and 2019-2020 variants, same as the first 5 logos.

Editor's Note: None.

FOX Sports HD

(2006-?)

Logo: In a black background, we see a rectangle, containing some NFL, MLB, NASCAR, and College Football highlights. To the animation, we see the rectangle revealing rectangles of other highlights, while this happens, the rectangles "separate" creating a ribbon like effect, and seconds after, they reveal the FOX Sports oval logo, with HD in a fat font next to it. They are both in metallic. Then the logo turns around to reveal DirecTV's logo, because DirecTV sponsors FOX Sports in HD at the time.

FX/SFX: The entire logo.

Music/Sounds: Hard to describe, but it had some banging of the drums, then a male announcer says "You're watching FOX Sports, in HD. Presented by DirecTV".

Availability: Before and after FOX Sports programming.

Editor's Note: None.

Logo History

Here's a logo/promo history of Fox Sports by DellFan Productions.