John Brenkus, Emmy-winning ‘Sport Science’ host, dies at 54 after battle with depression

John Brenkus, the Emmy Award-winning host and co-creator of ESPN’s Sport Science, passed away on May 31 at the age of 54. The news was shared Monday evening in a statement on his official X account. The post informed Brenkus’ followers of his ongoing battle with depression and requested that the public respect the privacy of his grieving family and friends.

Brenkus was certainly known for making specialized sports science digestible for audiences through a combination of entertaining and educational mediums. The death of Brenkus is a significant loss to the sports media community, where he won awards and created a multitude of fans through years of service.

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Mental health struggles and public advocacy

In a statement posted on social media, Brenkus “lost his fight with this horrible disease,” referencing depression. During a January 2023 interview with fellow ESPN personality Marcellus Wiley, Brenkus talked deeply and honestly about an earlier suicide attempt, when he was in a rough patch after having sold his corporation and Sport Science. He talked about being in Park City, Utah, and having feeling lonely and isolated, and shared that his dog Zeppelin interrupted the suicide attempt, playing a role in saving Brenkus's life.

After that experience, Brenkus got help, and he said that he found his long-term recovery with a doctor in Virginia. "Since that moment, I’ve never been depressed, a day in my life," he said,

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Legacy in sports media

Brenkus co-created Sport Science which was a television series that utilized the highest level of technology to examine the many elements of sports science related to performance such as speed and momentum variables, friction variables, biomechanical variables, and injury analysis. The show was launched on FOX Sports in 2007 and shortly thereafter moved to ESPN which allowed Brenkus' work to be seen by a wider audience. Brenkus created a massive base of following and built the show into an incredible success based on many awards including six Emmy Awards.

Further to his television work Brenkus founded Brinx.TV, and also co-founded Base Productions which made electronic Content and creator Labs -- influencing the convergence of sports and technology and continued to design solutions as an innovator in many forms. Brenkus was honored by ESPN in a retrospective where he was called "an innovator, an entertainer and an educator." Brenkus' work has made a tremendous impact on this generation of sports broadcasters and left Houston to create evidence and shaping a generation of watcher's love of sport and science behind the excellence in sport.