In the history of ad campaigns, there are none that can hold a candle to ESPN‘s “This Is SportsCenter” commercials. The brainchild of Wieden+Kennedy has produced almost 400 spots in 17 years, and has no plans to stop any time soon. Perhaps the most amazing fact about the ongoing series is that the ads air only on ESPN’s properties.

“It’s not hard to get almost any athlete we want, because the writing is so good, the campaign is so beloved,” Seth Ader, ESPN’s senior director of marketing told Adweek. “We struck on a nice formula, and just kept it going.”

The ads are shot in Bristol during the workday, with minimal set dressing. Most of the extras are just ESPN employees doing their job. The cubes are made to look lived in, with athletes’ family photos and a few flourishes. (Brian Wilson had beard dye on his desk.) The athletes are always in uniform, which helps identify them but also adds to the comic pathos – i.e., they’re dressed for the wrong job. The agency films seven or eight spots on two-day shoots several times a year.

Adweek asked the current creative directors on ESPN at Wieden+Kennedy New York to name their 10 favorite “This is SportsCenter” commercials through the years. To view their picks, go HERE.

I think this one has to be my favorite: