ESPN Rolls Out New SportsCenter Ads

ESPN has been rolling out a new batch of “This Is SportsCenter” commercials throughout the week.

The six new spots, created by ad agency Wieden + Kennedy New York, were shot in October on the network’s campus in Bristol, Conn.

The new commercials feature popular Star Wars characters -- including R2-D2, C-3PO, Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper -- as well as tennis star Andy Roddick, heavyweight-boxing icon Lennox Lewis, U.S. Soccer Team gold medalist Heather Mitts and spelling-bee champion David Tidmarsh.

Also included in the new spots are ESPN Deportes talent Fernando Palomo, Michele LaFountain and Ciro Procuna, along with SportsCenter anchors John Anderson, Linda Cohn, Mike Greenberg, Dana Jacobson, Stuart Scott and Scott Van Pelt.

"In the typical spirit of ‘This Is SportsCenter’ fun, we’re delighted that these heroic characters from Star Wars came to the rescue to help us run our new ESPN HD studio,” ESPN executive vice president of marketing Lee Ann Daly said in a prepared statement.

“We are also always delighted to have world-class athletes join in all the fun we have every time we go up to Bristol to shoot this campaign," she added.