Real Sports
Mar
22
Some Long Overdue Linkage
Due to crazy personal schedules on Tuesday and Wednesday, I wasn’t able to update the site as much as I would like. I apologize to you as I’ve been trying to keep you apprised of the latest sports media news. A few housekeeping notes, first I did some Sports Media Thoughts earlier this morning and you read them here.
Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing was kind to ask me on his podcast and we recorded it on Wednesday while I was on the road so the phone quality isn’t great (damn you, AT&T 3G). You can listen to what Matt and I discussed at the Awful Announcing site.
And lastly, Keith Thibault and I recorded our latest Sports Media Weekly podcast this week and our guest is Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette and the subject is college hockey coverage.
Now to our links.
Michael Smith & John Ourand from Sports Business Journal look at the possibility of ESPN and Fox Sports teaming up once again, this time to control the media rights to the Big 12 Conference. The two companies combined for the Pac-12 last year in an attempt to keep NBC Sports out of college sports and it appears the two are back at work again on the Big 12 rights.
Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim makes a very good point on the perceived conflict of interests of ESPN’s tennis announcers and the players to which they’re connected, case in point, Mary Jo Fernandez seen sitting with Roger Federer’s wife during the BNP Paribas Open last week on ABC.
Andrew McCalvy at MLB.com writes that Milwaukee Brewers Hall of Fame voice Bob Uecker will be honored with a statue outside Miller Park. Congrats to Uke on a well deserved honor. We all remember his character, Harry Doyle from the “Major League” movies and his great quote, “Juuuuust a bit outside.” Classic.
Interesting study from the Media Behavior Institute which shows a great majority still watch the NCAA Tournament on TV, but online numbers comprise a large chunk.
Ben Grossman at Broadcasting & Cable reports that Major League Baseball is looking at placing postseason games on MLB Network to boost its subscriber numbers.
Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News writes that MLB Network will produce a pregame show for Fox Saturday Baseball.
Tom Comi of Channel Guide Magazine would like a halt to the Tim Tebow media circus.
Mike Miller at NBC’s College Basketball Talk notes that the NCAA Tournament ratings on CBS/Turner are just about even with last year.
Eric Goldschein of SportsGrid has video of ESPN’s Mike Tirico losing it during last night’s Lakers-Mavericks game.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell says Wheaties may be dying a very slow and painful death.
Ronnie Ramos in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says coaches and players are learning the proper use of Twitter.
Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy notes that Rogers Sportsnet picked up on a popular internet meme and used it in an on-screen graphic.
To Fishbowl NY where Jerry Barmash talks with Kenny Albert.
Newsday’s Neil Best writes that NBC Sports Network set a ratings record for hockey in NYC.
Neil notes that ESPN has a new head man-in-charge.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes that CBS/Turner will bring in two coaches as guest analysts for the NCAA Tournament.
Pete says ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball crew will be busy in the first week of the MLB season.
Keith Groller at the Allentown (PA) Morning Call says Lehigh left an impression on CBS during the NCAA Tournament.
Matt Brooks of the Washington Post’s Early Lead has your viewing guide for tonight’s Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has links to some of the best columns from the late Furman Bisher.
Some of Bisher’s friends pay tribute to the man.
The AJC has a gallery of pictures showing Bisher throughout his career.
Mel Bracht of the Oklahoman looks at HBO Real Sports’ update on the 2001 plane crash that hit the Oklahoma State basketball program extremely hard.
Mel says local viewers chose Fox Sports Oklahoma over ESPN for two Oklahoma City Thunder games last week.
David Jablonski of the Dayton (OH) Daily News says a local man leads the millions of entries in ESPN’s Bracketology contest.
John Kiesewetter at the Cincinnati Enquirer is not a fan of NCAA Tournament scheduling.
Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that the radio analyst for Bucks games has been off the air since last month.
Bob says former Brewers voice Matt Vasgersian will host the MLB Network-produced MLB on Fox pregame show.
Tom Ginnetti of the Chicago Sun-Times remembers pioneering sportswriter Lacy J. Banks who died Wednesday.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has video of Bob Costas pontificating on the Saints suspensions.
The Toronto Globe and Mail’s Bruce Dowbiggin writes about the media fighting over staged NHL fights.
The Toronto Sports Media blog explores the local newspapers imploring the Maple Leafs to apologize to their fans for missing the playoffs.
Sports Media Watching notes that ratings on NBA TV are up.
Media Rantz says ESPN got fooled by a fake Adam Schefter Twitter account during Tim Tebow coverage last night.
We have a picture of that fake Adam Schefter tweet. “Adarn Schefter”?
Ben Koo of Awful Announcing explores the Gus Johnson departure from CBS and how it may leave him without his signature event for a long time to come.
The Convoluted Mind of a Single Man site looks at the innovations John Madden brought to NFL broadcasting.
Dave Kohl at the Broadcast Booth says league-owned networks are making big strides in production and programming.
And that will finish our links for today.
Mar
20
33rd Annual Sports Emmy Nominations Announced
We have the nominations, all 170 in 33 different categories, for the 33rd Annual Sports Emmy Awards. They just came out today. There are some surprises like massive hockey charlatan Pierre McGuire nominated in the Sports Reporter category and for some really strange reason, Skippy Bayless of ESPN2′s First Take was nominated for Best Studio Analyst. What analysis does he do besides yelling and having massive manlove for Tim Tebow?
There are some of the usual suspects are nominated, Bob Costas for Best Studio Host, Al Michaels in Play-by-Play, Cris Collinsworth for both Studio and Game Analyst.
Some of the nominations I agree with include Mike Mayock for Best Game Analyst, College GameDay and Football Night in America as Best Studio Shows and all of the movies in the Sports Documentary category. Sports documentaries were strong this year and I have trouble picking one although Catching Hell, the ESPN Films effort on Steve Bartman and the Chicago Cubs might be the weakest of the bunch, but the doc was still very good.
Ok, get ready to scroll, the entire list is below. We do need a page break so the list of nominees will after the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences press releases.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES THE NOMINEES FOR THE 33RD ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS
Winners to be Honored During the April 30th Ceremony At Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center
Jack Whitaker to Receive Lifetime Achievement AwardNew York, NY – March 20, 2012 – The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) today announced the nominees for the 33rd Annual Sports Emmy® Awards.
More than 170 nominees were announced in 33 categories including outstanding live sports special, live series, sports documentary, studio show, promotional announcements, play-by-play personality and studio analyst. The Awards will be given out at the prestigious Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center located in the Time Warner Center on April 30th, 2012 in New York City.
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Sports will go to the Sports Commentator and Essayist, Jack Whitaker.
“This is an outstanding year for the sports community and for The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences,” said Malachy Wienges, Chairman, NATAS. “The entries received in this year’s Sports Emmys resulted in a record 175 nominees, illustrating the quality of these entries. We are also honoring Jack Whitaker with our Lifetime Achievement Award. I had the pleasure of working with Jack for eighteen years at CBS, and Jack is a sports icon and a class act.”
In addition to Jack Whitaker, many of the today’s leading sports broadcasters, personalities and television professionals will be in attendance as presenters at the event.
The networks of ESPN (ESPN, ESPN 2, ABC, ESPN 3D & espn.com) lead the nomination totals with 55, the NBC Sports Group (NBC, Versus, Golf Channel & nbcsports.com) garnered 32, CBS (CBS, Showtime, CBSSports.com) entries received 26 nominations, while Turner Sports (TNT, TBS, NBA TV, NBA.com & truTV) have 22.
A complete list of all nominees is attached below.
33rd Annual Sports Emmy Award Nominations by Network Group
ESPN (ESPN, ESPN 2, ABC, ESPN 3D, espn.com) – 55
NBC Sports Group (NBC, Versus, Golf Channel, nbcsports.com) – 32
CBS (CBS, Showtime, CBSSports.com) – 26
Turner Sports (TNT, TBS, NBA TV, NBA.com, truTV) – 22
HBO Sports – 19
FOX Sports Media Group (FOX, SPEED) – 16
NFL Network – 12
MLB Network – 8
DIRECTV – 2
MLB Advanced Media (MLB.com, MLBAM) – 2
NFL.com – 2
NCAA.com – 1
PGA.com – 133rd Annual Sports Emmy Award Nominations by Network
ESPN – 36
NBC – 22
HBO Sports – 19
CBS – 15
FOX – 15
TNT – 15
ESPN2 – 14
NFL NETWORK – 12
SHOWTIME – 10
MLB NETWORK – 8
VERSUS – 7
TBS – 3
ABC – 2
DIRECTV – 2
ESPN 3D – 2
GOLF CHANNEL – 2
NBA TV – 2
NFL.COM – 2
CBSSPORTS.COM – 1
ESPN.COM – 1
MLB.COM – 1
MLBAM – 1
NBA.COM – 1
NBCSPORTS.COM – 1
NCAA.COM – 1
PGA.COM – 1
SPEED – 1
truTV – 1BREAKDOWN OF MULTIPLE PROGRAM/SERIES NOMINATIONS
Program/Nominations/Network
24/7: 8 - HBO
E: 60: 7 – ESPN2
A Game of Honor: 5 – Showtime/CBSSports.com
MLB on FOX: 5 – FOX
NASCAR on FOX: 5 – FOX
NBA on TNT: 4 – TNT
NBC Sunday Night Football: 4 – NBC
FIFA Women’s World Cup: 3 – ESPN/ESPN2
Outside the Lines: 3 – ESPN
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel: 3 – HBO
SportsCenter: 3 – ESPN
The Army/Navy Game: 3 – CBS
The Franchise: 3 – Showtime
Winter X Games 15: 3 – ESPN/ESPN3D
2011 Open Championship: 2 – ESPN
2011 Stanley Cup Final: 2 – NBC/Versus
ESPN Monday Night Football: 2 – ESPN
Football Night in America: 2 – NBC
Grand Slam Tennis on ESPN: 2 – ESPN2
Inside the NBA on TNT: 2 – TNT
Joplin: City of Hope: 2 – ESPN2
McEnroe/Borg: Fire & Ice: 2 – HBO
MLB Tonight: 2 – MLB Network
NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament: 2 – CBS/TBS/TNT/truTV
NFL Films Presents: 2 – NFL Network
NFL GameDay Morning: 2 – NFL Network
NFL on FOX: 2 – FOX
Sports Science: 2 – ESPN/ESPN.com
Sunday NFL Countdown: 2 – ESPN
Unguarded: 2 – ESPN
And after the page break, all of the nominees for the 33rd Annual Sports Emmy Awards which will be handed out April 30 in New York City.
Mar
20
On Tonight’s Real Sports on HBO
Tonight on the Emmy Award-winning Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, there will be three new stories and an update. The main story will be a profile on New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. The other new stories include a look at the Flying Wallendas who are still going strong despite numerous deaths and an inspirational story on a pitcher who finally made his Major League debut at the age of 28.
The updated story is on two Oklahoma State tragedies ten years apart and how they could have been prevented.
We have the preview from the HBO press release which is posted below. Check it out.
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL PROFILES NEW YORK RANGERS GOALIE HENRIK LUNDQVIST; GOES BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE HIGH-WIRE WALLENDA FAMILY; TELLS THE STORY OF THE SEATTLE MARINERS’ STEVE DELABAR; AND PROBES THE 2001 AND 2011 TRAGEDIES AT OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY WHEN THE EMMY®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS MARCH 20, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO
Now in its 18th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 180th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, MARCH 20 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Other HBO playdates: March 20 (2:30 a.m.), 24 (10:30 a.m. ET, 11:30 a.m. PT, 2:15 a.m. PT), 27 (5:15 p.m., 12:10 a.m.) and 29 (12:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m.), and April 1 (9:00 a.m.) and 4 (10:00 a.m., 7:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: March 22 (6:00 p.m.) and 26 (8:30 a.m.), and April 3 (10:00 a.m., 9:00 p.m.), 7 (11:45 a.m.), 9 (2:00 p.m., midnight), 12 (7:00 p.m.) and 15 (3:30 p.m.)
HBO On Demand availability: March 26-April 16
Segments include:
*King Henrik. The New York Rangers are currently battling for the best record in the National Hockey League, led by All-Star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. The 30-year-old Swede leads the league in shutouts and has already topped 30 wins this season, becoming the first NHL goalie to exceed that total in each of his first seven seasons. But there is more than meets the eye with Lundqvist. He frequently appears on “best dressed” lists, plays guitar in a band that also includes tennis legend John McEnroe and participates in a variety of philanthropic efforts in the New York City area. REAL SPORTS host Bryant Gumbel sits down with the charismatic goalie, who captured gold with the Swedish national team at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, as he tries to lead the New York Rangers to their first Stanley Cup championship since 1994.
Producer: Lisa Bennett.
*The Flying Wallendas. While there are many famous families in the circus business, probably none are more notable than the Flying Wallendas. Since the early 1900s, this large extended family has been well-known for performing high-wire acts without a safety net, resulting in numerous deaths and debilitating injuries over the course of seven generations. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, REAL SPORTS correspondent Frank Deford sits down with members of the Wallenda family to find out what drives them to risk their lives and what keeps the family tradition going strong.
Producer: Tim Walker.
*Wonder Arm. While only eight to ten percent of Minor League Baseball players ultimately make a Major League roster, Steve Delabar, currently in camp with the Seattle Mariners in Arizona, defied the odds after a lengthy stint as a career minor leaguer. For six seasons, the six-foot, five-inch right-handed relief pitcher never went beyond Single-A advanced ball. Then, after suffering a seemingly career-ending elbow injury in 2009, Delabar left the game and headed back to the classroom to work as a substitute teacher and finish his undergraduate degree. But his passion for the game never left him, and after participating in the Velocity Program, designed by former Major League pitcher Tom House, he began throwing harder than ever before. In 2011, Delabar signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners, and by September had achieved his dream of playing in the Major Leagues. REAL SPORTS correspondent Mary Carillo sits down with the 28-year-old to hear his inspiring story.
Producer: Nick Dolin.
*Oklahoma State Tragedies. In Jan. 2001, the Oklahoma State men’s basketball team and staff boarded two small jets and a turbo-prop plane that were to take them home following a loss to Colorado. But over Colorado, the turbo-prop plummeted 23,000 feet, crashing into a field and killing all on board, including two players, six staff members and both pilots. Ten years later, in Nov. 2011, tragedy struck Oklahoma State again when women’s basketball head coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna, along with an 82-year-old pilot and his wife, were killed when their single-engine plane crashed during an Arkansas recruiting trip. REAL SPORTS’ Armen Keteyian returns to the Oklahoma State campus to see how the community is moving on from the latest tragedy and pose the same question he asked in his investigation of the first crash ten years ago: Could this disaster have been prevented?
Producers: Jake Rosenwasser, Zehra Mamdani and Brian Hyland.
REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 14 times and has received 22 Sports Emmy® Awards overall. It is the only sports program ever honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism, having first been recognized in 2005. On Jan. 19, REAL SPORTS received its second duPont Award, for a series of investigative reports on concussions, highlighted by the Aug. 2010 story revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.
That is all.
Feb
21
Bryant Gumbel’s Closing Comment on Real Sports Focuses on Jeremy Lin
We have the transcript from tonight’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on HBO. As expected, Bryant speaks about the New York Knicks’ Jeremy Lin, but he also thinks the coverage is more of a media creation and come Spring Training, no one will care about him. Agree?
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL
EPISODE #179
AIRS TONIGHT (2/21) @ 10:00 PM ET/PT
“Finally tonight, I’m hoping you didn’t think we’d make it through the whole program this evening without mentioning Jeremy Lin. If so, I’m sorry to disappoint you, because like everyone else we’ve been enthralled by Lin’s meteoric rise and unforeseen efforts. His is the kind of story everyone can cheer.
But now that he’s met the challenges posed by such powerhouses as the Lakers and the Mavericks, I’m curious to see how Lin fares against the Yankees. That’s right, the Yankees. See amid the Jeremy Lin hoopla, it’s been easy to overlook the fact that Spring Training got underway this past weekend, as pitchers and catchers reported for duty, and here in New York over the next few weeks, that is going to pose a new and very different kind of challenge to the Lin Mystique.
As Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban suggested last week, Lin is getting a ton of attention not just because his is a great story, but also because he plays in the media capital of the world, and in this capital, Lin has had the town to himself since his run began. Which is why it’s going to be interesting to see if his exploits continue to be headlined after New Yorkers start hearing news about Joba Chamberlain’s surgically repaired right arm, A-Rod’s troubled knees and Derek Jeter’s battle with age.
Baseball may be ho-hum in some places, but this is still very much a pinstriped city. Yes, fans here love an underdog and a winner, but history suggests that nothing in sports surpasses Manhattan’s obsession with the Yankees. The Knicks, thanks to Lin, are the hot team. The New York Rangers are among the Stanley Cup favorites and the New York Giants just won the Super Bowl. But make no mistake, the Yankees are the big bully here in Manhattan and opening day is just six weeks away. The way Lin has captured the headlines; it may yet be a fair fight.”
That will do it.
Feb
17
HBO’s Real Sports Returns February 21
HBO’s Emmy Award-winning sports magazine, Real Sports, returns Tuesday with three new stories. It includes an investigation into the tragic plane crash that took the lives of everyone on board from Lokomotiv, one of the best teams in Russia’s KHL.
Real Sports also profiles a professional BASE jumper. And the rounds out its new features with a story on the man on whom the character Jerry McGuire is based, former super agent Leigh Steinberg.
The program premieres this Tuesday night at 10 ET/PT.
We have the full press release from HBO below.
Now in its 18th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 179th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, FEB. 21 (10:00 p.m. ET/PT & 9:00 p.m. CT), exclusively on HBO.
HBO On Demand availability: Feb. 27-March 19
Segments include:
*Russian Plane Crash. On Sept. 7, 2011, Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, one of Russia’s premier hockey teams, boarded a Soviet-era Yak-42 jet at a Yaroslavl airport to travel to a game in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. A few moments after lift-off, the chartered aircraft crashed about 500 yards from the runway, instantly killing 43 of the 45 passengers, including several NHL veterans. The model of the aircraft carrying the team had a long history of problems, while the airline currently has one of the worst air safety records in the world. However, Russian air safety officials confirmed that the crash was caused by basic human error during takeoff. REAL SPORTS correspondent Bernard Goldberg travels to Yaroslavl to delve further into what happened that tragic September afternoon.
Producer: Joe Perskie.*Jeb Corliss. The top competitor in an activity fraught with danger, 35-year-old Jeb Corliss is a professional BASE jumper, skydiver and wingsuiter. At age 18, he found comfort in what most would deem uncomfortable – jumping out of airplanes – and has since jumped off some of the world’s highest structures, including Paris’ Eiffel Tower, Seattle’s Space Needle and the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In 2006, he was arrested for attempting to BASE jump from New York’s Empire State Building. REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel goes behind the scenes with Corliss as he attempts a jump in Cape Town, South Africa and captures his nearly fatal crash on film.
Producer: Tim Walker.*Leigh Steinberg. Once the most powerful sports agent in the world, Leigh Steinberg built an empire by making NFL players and himself extremely wealthy. The 62-year-old lawyer was the agent for a host of stars, including Troy Aikman, Steve Young and Drew Bledsoe, and even branched out into boxing, representing Oscar de la Hoya and Lennox Lewis. Now Steinberg is living with a roommate in an apartment in Southern California, fighting an addiction that he says cost him everything. REAL SPORTS correspondent Armen Keteyian presents a no-holds-barred look at the former NFL super agent and his fall from glory.
Producer: Chapman Downes.REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 14 times and has received 22 Sports Emmy® Awards overall. It is the only sports program ever honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism, having first been recognized in 2005. On Jan. 19, REAL SPORTS received its second duPont Award, for its series of investigative reports on concussions, highlighted by the Aug. 2010 story revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.
That’s going to do it.
Jan
24
Real Sports’ New Season Premieres Tonight
The first new edition of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel premieres tonight on HBO. The critically acclaimed sports newsmagazine will have three new stories and an update from 2009. As usual, Real Sports has a very interesting lineup and we have it for you below.
EXAMINES THE USE OF TORADOL IN THE NFL; PROFILES BASKETBALL’S VAN GUNDY BROTHERS; VISITS A REMARKABLE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM THAT NEVER PUNTS; AND RECONNECTS WITH SUPER BOWL NO-SHOW BARRET ROBBINS WHEN THE EMMY®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS JAN. 24, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBOEntering its 18th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 178th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, JAN. 24 (10:00 p.m. ET/PT & 9:00 p.m. CT), exclusively on HBO.
HBO On Demand availability: Jan. 30-Feb. 20
Segments include:
*Toradol in the NFL. Real Sports investigative team looks at the largely unknown practice of NFL players being administered the controversial pain drug Toradol. For years, NFL players in every locker room across the league have lined up to get a shot of Toradol before kickoff because it is the most effective remedy to mask pain throughout the entire body unlike local numbing agents such as Novocaine. Toradol is not a narcotic, is perfectly legal and provided by team doctors. Also, it is not physically addictive and does not affect your mental state, but the long-term effects are something that have recently become a hot topic of debate. When abused, Toradol has shown to cause permanent damage to internal organs, including stomach bleeding, liver disease and kidney failure. REAL SPORTS correspondent Andrea Kremer speaks with current and former players, doctors and the NFL about the issue of the use of Toradol.
Producer: Chapman Downes.
*Brothers. Over the last 15 years, the Van Gundy brothers, Stan and Jeff, have made quite a name for themselves in the NBA. Having found limited success as players, they followed their father, who coached college basketball teams, into the family business of patrolling the sidelines. Stan, 52, is currently head coach of the Orlando Magic and previously served as head coach of the Miami Heat. Jeff, who turned 50 on Jan. 19, led the New York Knicks and then the Houston Rockets for years before becoming one of the game’s top broadcasters. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Bernie Goldberg sits down with the brothers to discuss their remarkable ascent to the top of the game.
Producer: Lisa Bennett.
*Between the Numbers. Kevin Kelley, head football coach at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Ark., uses his own research to back up the mantra that his team should never punt, should always kick onside kicks after a score and should never return punts. If this sounds too unorthodox to be effective, Kelley’s theories have resulted in a 104-19 record since he became head coach at the high school, and statisticians have supported his theory on the relative value of punting. REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel visits the 42-year-old Kelley in Little Rock as his team prepares to seek its third state title under his leadership.
Producer: Nick Dolin.
*Barret Robbins. On Jan. 26, 2003, one of the strangest Super Bowl controversies ever unfolded when Barret Robbins, Pro Bowl center for the Oakland Raiders, went AWOL, leaving no trace of his whereabouts two days before the biggest game of his career. For the Raiders, Robbins’ disappearance was a major distraction, but for Robbins, the episode was the beginning of a dark and tragic story that would include a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, substance abuse, numerous stints in rehab and multiple run-ins with the law. In 2009, six years after the Raiders lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII, the Houston native sat down with HBO’s Andrea Kremer to reflect on his troubles. Now, Kremer leads REAL SPORTS cameras into the Florida State Prison where the 38-year-old former NFL star has been incarcerated on drug charges after another encounter with the law.
Producers: Zehra Mamdani, Chapman Downes.
REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 14 times and has received a total of 22 Sports Emmy Awards. It is the only sports program ever honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism, having first been recognized in 2005. On Jan. 19, Real Sports will receive its second duPont Award when Columbia University recognizes the show for its series of investigative reports on concussions, highlighted by the Aug. 2010 story revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.
The new season of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel premieres at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HBO. That is it for this post.
Dec
21
HBO’s Real Sports Receives Prestigious duPont-Columbia Journalism Award
One of my life’s aspirations when I was reporting news for various radio stations was to receive a duPont-Columbia University Journalism Award. It’s one of the most prestigious awards for journalists and I was always riveted when the ceremony was shown on PBS back in the 1980′s. ABC’s Nightline or 60 Minutes always seemed to win an award. PBS’ old MacNeil-Lehrer Report also seemed to win its share.
Well, the 2012 winners of the Albert I. duPont-Columbia University Awards have been announced. It’s rare for sports to win, but this time, HBO’s Real Sports has been honored for Bernard Goldberg’s piece on concussions in sports. It marks the second time Real Sports has been given a duPont-Columbia Award.
Also winning awards are CBS’ 60 Minutes, NBC News, the New York Times and PBS’ NOVA series.
We have the press release from Columbia University.
2012 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award Winners Announced
Seven International Reports Honored CBS & NBC Win Awards; HBO Wins Two Awards;
The New York Times Wins for Multimedia Report on the War in AfghanistanNew York, NY, December 21, 2011—Fourteen winners of the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards were announced today by Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Seven of this year’s recipients featured international reporting including stories from Al Jazeera English, CBS News, and NBC News. Four local television stations will be honored, including Detroit Public TV. HBO will be honored with two awards.
For the first time, two awards will be given for digital reporting: one to The New York Times and one to MediaStorm. In another first, a theatrically released documentary that has not been broadcast was selected for a duPont Award, “Hell and Back Again.” A finalist award will also be given to WNYC’s Radio Rookies.
“This truly dynamic group of news organizations and journalists represent the best in broadcast and digital news reporting,” said Bill Wheatley, duPont Jury chair, former executive vice president of NBC News and adjunct faculty member at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism. “Journalists are using technology in new ways to effectively tell these important stories covering the news, issues and events that are critical to our society.”
Al Jazeera English will receive its first duPont silver baton for an uncompromising documentary about shortcomings in the recovery efforts in Haiti. CBS News “60 Minutes” will be honored for Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Lara Logan’s harrowing report from the frontlines of the war in Afghanistan, and NBC News will be honored with Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel for their outstanding breaking news coverage of the Arab Spring uprisings. NOVA’s gripping documentary about the science and the human stories behind Japan’s devastating earthquake will receive an award. A documentary about the human cost of the war in Afghanistan by Danfung Dennis will also receive a duPont Award.
The New York Times will be honored with an award shared by two digital stories, an engaging multimedia report that chronicled a deployment of soldiers to Afghanistan, and a story that followed two badly wounded Haitian children through treatment and recovery. The second award for digital reporting will go to MediaStorm and photojournalist Walter Astrada for a haunting multimedia story about India’s lethal social customs that devalue the lives of women and girls.
Excellent local reporting will be honored from an ambitious series about energy from Detroit Public TV, to a WFAA-TV, Dallas series of investigative reports about corrupt practices at local trade schools, WSB-TV, Atlanta’s dogged investigative series about sovereign citizens and housing fraud, and WTVF-TV, Nashville’s relentless look at state agencies’ abuse of the law for profit.
HBO will receive two duPont Awards; HBO Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel for breaking new ground on the issue of concussions and sports, and HBO Documentary for a riveting historical documentary about the 1911 Triangle Fire. Other awards include WNYC Radio for an investigative series about the NYPD’s “stop and frisk” policy, and WNYC’s Radio Rookies will be a finalist for an unflinching series of self-portraits by young people.
Scott Pelley, CBS News anchor and managing editor, and Michele Norris from NPR will host the duPont Awards ceremony on Thursday, January 19, 2012, at Columbia University’s Low Memorial Library. Pelley made a video announcement about the winners that can be seen here.
The 14 winning programs and finalist program appeared on air, online or in theaters between June 30, 2010 and July 1, 2011. The duPont Awards annual screening process is rigorous. Two groups of screeners made up of past winners, media professionals and educators, a total of over 100 people, screened the entries before the winners were selected by the duPont Jury in late October.
The duPont Jury looks for accurate and fair reporting about important issues that are powerfully told. Breaking news coverage, reporting with innovative storytelling and content, and stories that have made an impact in the public interest are also paramount. Learn more about the Jury and the selection process here.
The Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards will celebrate their 70th Anniversary in 2012. The awards honor excellence in broadcast and digital journalism and were established in 1942 by Jessie Ball duPont in memory of her husband, Alfred I. duPont. The awards are generously supported by the Jessie Ball duPont Fund.
Learn more about the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards for excellence in broadcast and digital journalism at www.journalism.columbia.edu/dupont.
Congratulations to all of the winners. HBO’s first duPont-Columbia Award came in 2004 for a report on young boys being forced to work as camel jockeys in the United Arab Emirates.
Nov
22
On The Next HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
The next Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel airs on Tuesday, November 22 and will be the last new edition before next month’s Year in Review program.
Here’s the press release.
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 176th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, NOV. 22 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Other HBO playdates: Nov. 22 (2:40 a.m.), 23 (11:00 a.m., 6:00 p.m., 2:55 a.m.), 26 (11:00 a.m.) and 29 (1:00 p.m., 12:30 a.m.), and Dec. 4 (8:00 a.m.), 7 (7:00 p.m.) and 9 (8:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Nov. 24 (4:50 a.m.), 27 (6:10 a.m.) and 30 (6:05 a.m., 7:00 p.m.), and Dec. 3 (6:30 p.m.), 7 (8:00 a.m., midnight) and 13 (2:00 p.m., 10:30 p.m.)
HBO On Demand availability: Nov.28-Dec. 19
Segments include:
*Bob Hewitt. Every day the care and instruction of children are entrusted to athletic coaches, but sometimes that trust is painfully compromised. Earlier this year, the Boston Globe conducted a six-month investigation that disclosed allegations of sexual abuse by several adult women against Tennis Hall of Famer Bob Hewitt, who won all four Grand Slam titles in both doubles and mixed doubles in the ‘60s and ‘70s. The allegations against him, which reach back to the ‘70s, contend that Hewitt harassed and sexually abused girls as young as ten years old. Although no formal charges were brought against the 71-year-old Australian, the International Tennis Hall of Fame, into which he was inducted in 1992, has formed a committee to review the allegations. REAL SPORTS correspondent Mary Carillo, who competed in the 1977 U.S. Open at Forest Hills when Hewitt captured the doubles title, travels to Hewitt’s home in South Africa and investigates the truth behind his controversial past.
Producer: Joe Perskie.
*Brad Stevens. In 2007, Brad Stevens became the head coach of men’s basketball at Butler University, located just 30 minutes north of his hometown of Zionsville, marking a changing of the guard in Indiana basketball. Now entering his fifth season, the fresh-faced Stevens has raised more than a few eyebrows by leading Butler to four consecutive NCAA tournaments and back-to-back national championship games. After losing the title game in 2010 and 2011, the 35-year-old coach is confident that his mid-major Horizon League team remains a force to be reckoned with. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Jon Frankel travels to Indianapolis to meet the charismatic Stevens as he prepares for another run at the NCAA championship with his underdog Bulldogs.
Producer: Nick Dolin.
*Marcus Dixon. In fall 2003, Marcus Dixon expected to split his time at Vanderbilt University between football games and the classroom. Instead, the first time REAL SPORTS host Bryant Gumbel visited the 6’4” defensive lineman, he was in a Georgia penitentiary. Dixon was a senior in high school when he was accused by a sophomore classmate of rape. The case went to trial, and despite the fact that the jury determined that the sex had been consensual, Dixon was convicted of statutory rape and aggravated child molestation – the first time Georgia’s Child Protection Act had been applied in this way – and was sentenced to ten years in prison.
Following the initial REAL SPORTS report, the Supreme Court of Georgia overturned Dixon’s conviction on appeal, and he was released from prison the same day. He subsequently excelled at Hampton University, signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2008, and in 2010, signed with the New York Jets, where he is currently in the rotation on the defensive line. Bryant Gumbel reconnects with the 27-year-old Dixon, who has thrived since his release from prison.
Producers: Jake Rosenwasser, Joe Perskie.
REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 14 times, in addition to being the first sports program honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism. In May, the program received the 2010 Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism for Aug. 2010’s report revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS. Overall, REAL SPORTS has collected 22 Sports Emmys® in 16 years.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.
That’s it.
Oct
20
Putting Together A Few Thursday Links
I’ll give you some linkage. Won’t be able to give you a whole set, but I’ll give you what I can as I have to do the Friday features, Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks, College Football Viewing Picks, NFL Viewing Picks and Weekend Viewing Picks tonight. I won’t be able to blog extensively on Friday as I’ll be away from my computer, but I will have my iPad to post any important press releases and breaking news as necessary.
But for now, this is what we have.
Sports Business Daily notes the lower ratings for Fox for World Series Game 1 on Wednesday, but more importantly, it won the night for the network.
SBD also looks at the media fallout from Bryant Gumbel’s comments on HBO’s Real Sports earlier this week in regards to NBA Commissioner David Stern.
Michael Hiestand of USA Today wonders if the 2011 World Series is on track to become the lowest rated World Series ever.
The Big Lead notes that Fox’s Tim McCarver knew how to spell S-T-R-I-K-E, but didn’t know how many letters there were.
Lindsay Rubino of Broadcasting & Cable notes that Fox won the night in the 18-49 demographic thanks to the World Series.
Phil Swann of TV Predictions says Fox’s HD picture of World Series Game 1 was much improved from the American League Championship Series.
Etan Vlessing of the Hollywood Reporter writes that the NHL has signed a rights deal to have all of its games streamed in Scandinavia. This is after ESPN America lost the rights to air NHL games across Europe.
Anthony Crupi of Adweek writes that the NFL is the king of the TV ratings heap.
Dan Shanoff writes a guest column for CNBC’s Darren Rovell about the NFL’s new Venture Capital fund.
The U.S. Open and the United States Tennis Association are looking to add another day to the tournament and ending it on a Monday. CBS is considering the change.
Brandon Costa from Sports Video Group notes that NBC is putting the infrastructure in place to ensure a smooth brand transition from Versus to NBC Sports Network.
Keith Groller at the Allentown (PA) Morning Call can’t believe Two and a Half Men actually beat the NFL in the ratings thus far.
Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says Fox is concerned about winning the night, not low ratings projections for the World Series.
The Orlando Sentinel has a primer on how fans can watch tonight’s Central Florida-UAB game.
From the Dallas Morning News, Barry Horn writes that local ratings for the World Series were not as good as St. Louis’.
John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that E:60 did a piece on a local woman whose husband had to work on her after a bicycle accident.
George Hesselberg at the Wisconsin State Journal notes that outgoing MLB Commissioner Bud Selig got a sweetheart deal from the University of Wisconsin to use an office to write his memoirs and so he can also watch MLB Network which is usually not available on campus.
Dan Caesar from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Game 1 of the World Series ended too quickly for Fox’s liking.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News looks at the US TV bidding for the 2018/’22 World Cups.
Tom has your football schedule for the weekend complete with pictures of his new sweetheart, ESPN’s Jenn Brown.
Sports Media Watch has the final ratings of this year’s League Championship Series.
Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says Versus got low viewership for Colorado-Toronto on Monday.
Steve has some ideas for NHL Overtime on Versus.
Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing has video of Joe Buck apologizing to America before last night’s World Series Game 1. Joe Buck is such as a jerk.
I have to end it there. I keep getting interrupted and I can’t anything done. Back later.
Oct
19
It’s Been Way Too Long Without Linkage
I appreciate you still visiting Fang’s Bites as I’ve been trying to keep the site updated for you. Linkage has been scarce since Sunday. Been busy helping my sister with her son and then I was out for most of the morning.
Time to provide you with some linkage.
Michael Hiestand of USA Today says Fox Sports will be using infra-red technology during the World Series.
The Nielsen Wire blog notes the MLB teams that topped their local markets in the TV ratings.
Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk looks at Bryant Gumbel’s controversial commentary about NBA Commissioner David Stern.
Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing says while Gumbel’s “plantation overseer” comment is what’s driving controversy, it’s Stern himself who’s stirring the pot.
Robert Littal at Black Sports Online is uncomfortable with Gumbel’s commentary.
Lauren Schutte of the Hollywood Reporter has a look at Stephen Colbert’s mock ad on the NBA lockout.
George Winslow from Broadcasting & Cable says the Big 12 Conference has chosen a company to help develop mobile apps for the iPhone and Android platforms.
Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News writes that ESPN scored a key demographic win for Monday Night Football.
Anthony Crupi of Adweek says low ratings for the MLB League Championship Series isn’t providing much hope for the World Series.
Anthony also looks at the breakdown of talks between the NFL and Time Warner Cable for the NFL Network.
Glenn Davis of SportsGrid says while people are talking about Bryant Gumbel’s comments about NBA Commissioner David Stern, there’s another unflattering analogy about him floating around the internet today.
Joe Gisondi of the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center has some suggestions on how to write a proper lead and how to avoid writing clichés.
Brandon Costa from Sports Video Group says Fox Sports Midwest is trying to set itself apart among the outlets covering this year’s World Series.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell looks at the two Lone Star State businessmen behind the Texas Rangers.
To Pro Hockey Talk and Mike Halford who says the Winnipeg Jets are blown away by the local media coverage particularly today in Toronto as compared to when they were the Atlanta Thrashers.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says the byes in NFL Week 7 are leaving Fox with scraps.
Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call writes that Fox’s Joe Buck doesn’t care if you think he’s biased for one team or another.
From the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg notes that former DC NFL Team quarterback Joe Theismann isn’t in favor of John Beck starting this week over train wreck Rex Grossman. This is why Joe was such a bad analyst.
Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says ESPN on ABC correctly covered Dan Wheldon’s death and subsequent tribute on Sunday.
To the Houston Chronicle where Anna-Megan Raley shows us how Texans tight end Joel Dreessen took down an NFL Network analyst.
Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman says the Fox Sports crew is looking forward to airing its 14th World Series.
Mel notes that college football topped the local ratings.
John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer says the local CBS affiliate won’t carry Carson Palmer’s Oakland Raiders debut on Sunday.
Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business has some sports TV notes including the World Series ratings expectations.
Ed also compares the fates and fortunes of the Cubs and Cardinals as the World Series begins tonight.
Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that both Joe Buck and Tim McCarver are almost back at full strength after separate physical ailments.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News writes that Fox won’t be displaying a live strike zone graphic as TBS did during its MLB Postseason coverage.
Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail says like it or not, Don Cherry’s influence on Canadian hockey cannot be measured.
Sports Media Watch notes that CBS finally broke out of its NFL ratings losing streak in Week 5.
SMW says in NFL Week 5, Fox saw a ratings downtick.
Steve Lepore at Puck The Media notes that Versus/NBC Sports Network will begin airing Notre Dame hockey games this season.
And that will do it for links today.
Oct
18
Bryant Gumbel’s Incendiary Closing Comments on The NBA Lockout on Real Sports
Bryant Gumbel has used his closing comments on Real Sports to go after the late NFL Players Association head Gene Upshaw, Roger Clemens, and so many others. Tonight, he went after NBA Commissioner David Stern and his handling of the lockout. He started by calling Stern, “The NBA’s infamously egocentric Commissioner” and Gumbel practically called him a slave owner. Well, not practically, he for all intents and purposes did.
Here is the transcript of Gumbel’s comments from tonight’s program. Thanks to HBO Sports for sending this to me.
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL
EPISODE #175
AIRED 10/18 @ 10:00 PM ET/PT
“Finally tonight, if the NBA lockout is going to be resolved any time soon, it seems likely to be done in spite of David Stern, not because of him. I say that because the NBA’s infamously egocentric commissioner seems more hell-bent lately on demeaning the players than resolving his game’s labor impasse.
How else to explain Stern’s rants in recent days? To any and everyone who’d listen, he has alternately knocked union leader Billy Hunter, said the players were getting inaccurate information, and started sounding chicken-little claims about what games might be lost if the players didn’t soon see things his way.
Stern’s version of what’s been going on behind closed doors has, of course, been disputed. But his efforts were typical of a commissioner, who has always seemed eager to be viewed as some kind of modern plantation overseer treating NBA men as if they were his boys. It’s part of Stern’s M.O. Like his past self-serving edicts on dress code or the questioning of officials, his moves are intended to do little more than show how he’s the one keeping the hired hands in their place.
Some will, of course, cringe at that characterization, but Stern’s disdain for the players is as palpable and pathetic as his motives are transparent. Yes, the NBA’s business model is broken, but to fix it, maybe the league’s commissioner should concern himself most with a solution, and stop being part of the problem.”
Well, HBO is not a rightsholder, but Time Warner corporate cousin TNT is, so we’ll see if there are any ramifications on this. However, I give Gumbel credit for going out on a limb on Stern. Not too many people are willing to go this route.
UPDATE, 10:45 a.m.: We now have the video of Gumbel’s comments from last night.
That will do it.
Oct
18
HBO’s Real Sports Returns Tonight With An All-New Edition
The Emmy Award-winning HBO Sports magazine Real Sports returns tonight with two new stories and one updated feature. The main story will focus on Jerry West and his very candid autobiography. Bryant Gumbel will interview the man simply known as “The Logo” as he’s the man who adorns the NBA logo.
Then Andrea Kremer updates her story on a town opposed to sports, part of a Fundamentalist sect, and how a school is expanding its sports program. I saw this story originally and not only was the subject matter uncomfortable, but it was also very fascinating to watch.
The rundown of tonight’s show is below.
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 175th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, OCT. 18 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Other HBO playdates: Oct. 18 (2:00 a.m.), 21 (10:00 a.m., 5:00 p.m.), 23 (7:00 a.m.), 27 (1:00 p.m., 1:00 a.m.), 29 (11:00 a.m.) and 31 (3:00 p.m.), and Nov. 9 (8:30 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Oct. 20 (11:30 a.m., 3:35 a.m.), 22 (8:00 a.m.), 26 (8:30 a.m.) and 28 (4:30 p.m.), and Nov. 1 (1:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m.), 3 (7:00 a.m., 10:00 p.m.) and 6 (7:30 a.m., 4:55 a.m.)
HBO On Demand availability: Oct. 24-Nov. 14
Segments include:
*The Logo. NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West is widely regarded as one of the most influential players ever to play the game, and his mark can literally be seen everywhere, since his silhouette serves as the NBA’s official logo. But there is much more to his story. For all his achievements on the court, West, 73, has waged a lifelong battle with depression off the court. His depression was triggered after suffering the childhood traumas of an abusive father who left him feeling tormented and worthless. Determined to prove himself, West became obsessed with perfection. As a result, he ascended to greatness as a player and as an executive, helping build two separate dynasties with the Los Angeles Lakers, and is currently attempting to do the same with the Golden State Warriors. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, host Bryant Gumbel travels to West’s home in West Virginia for the first TV interview in advance of his revealing autobiography.
Producer: Lisa Bennett.
*Obsessive Runners. REAL SPORTS explores the sometimes-bizarre world of obsessive runners, who don’t just enjoy running, but are consumed by it. In Miami, a man called The Raven has run eight miles every day since 1975, all without leaving South Beach. Former addict Catra Corbett keeps her drug addiction at bay by traveling the world in search of the next 100-mile ultramarathon. Then there’s Marshall Ulrich, the godfather of long-distance running. Among other accomplishments, he ran straight across the United States – from San Francisco to New York – in 52 days, averaging 60 miles per day. REAL SPORTS correspondent Mary Carillo meets some of these fanatical runners and looks into what keeps them going and how it affects their everyday lives.
Producer: Chapman Downes.
*New School. While it may seem strange that participating in sports could be taboo in America, that was long the case in Colorado City, Ariz. For years, Colorado City has been infamous for the practice of polygamy and for being the home of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) and its imprisoned prophet, Warren Jeffs. When HBO last visited the town, the El Capitan High School basketball program was established over the objections of some in the community. Now, following the success of its expanded curriculum, El Capitan has introduced volleyball and football. and plans to add a baseball team. REAL SPORTS correspondent Andrea Kremer revisits Colorado City to discover that the town remains divided about athletics.
Producers: Zehra Mamdani, Ezra Edelman.
REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 14 times, in addition to being the first sports program honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism. In May, the program received the 2010 Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism for Aug. 2010’s report revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS. Overall, REAL SPORTS has collected 22 Sports Emmys® in 16 years.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.
Perhaps one or two more press releases before I give you some linkage.
Sep
17
Bringing Out Some Saturday Linkage
A beautiful fall-like Saturday in Southern New England. Already been out today and it’s so nice outside. I hope you enjoy your weekend if you don’t have to work.
Some linkage for you.
John Eggerton from Broadcasting & Cable writes that the NFL Films documentary on Bill Belichick scored very well for NFL Network.
Timothy Burke at his Mocksession site has a great screengrab of a “Fire Craig James”that made the air on ESPN’s College GameDay this morning. Needless to say, that sign was taken away by ESPN’s Sign Gestapo.
The St. Petersburg Times’ Eric Deggans writes at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center that coverage of the alleged tryst between Sarah Palin and Michigan’s Glen Rice back in the 1980′s has led to newsroom debates.
Brandon Costa of the Sports Video Group the placement of permanent goal line cameras on SEC on CBS games could impact official reviews.
Karen Hogan of Sports Video Group discusses ESPN going with non-stop coverage of NASCAR starting Sunday.
All Access says the fans of the band Switchfoot will hear the debut of five songs from its new album tonight during the ESPN on ABC presentation of Oklahoma-Florida State.
Newsday’s Neil Best discusses actor Brad Pitt taking the role of Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane in the upcoming “Moneyball” movie.
Neil notes that Fox’s Jay Glazer will be profiled on HBO’s Real Sports this month.
The Albany Times Union’s Pete Dougherty writes that the local Fox affiliate gets the Tampa Bay-Red Sox game today over the Mets game that would normally be assigned to the station.
Ken McMillan from the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record speaks with one of the men who will be in the broadcast booth calling today’s Northwestern-Army game.
CBS Philadelphia notes that long-time KYW-AM sports reporter Jack O’Rourke who worked for the NBC Radio Network in the 1970′s passed away this morning while covering a game.
Jim Williams loves that Fox is offering an NFL/English Premier League doubleheader on Sunday.
Jim says baseball fans get to see the Rays and Red Sox battle it out for a Wild Card spot both today and tomorrow.
Jim looks at CBS debuting both SEC football and a new web series following the game.
Ira Schoffel of the Tallahassee (FL) Democrat was on site during today’s College GameDay remote at Florida State.
David Knox of the Birmingham (AL) News says fans can interact online with CBS’ Gary Danielson after today’s Tennessee-Florida game.
Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News talks with Fox’s Brian Billick about calling tomorrow’s Cowboys-49ers game.
Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman has ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit previewing tonight’s Oklahoma-Florida State game.
Baxter Holmes of the Los Angeles Times has USC’s basketball TV schedule.
Ben Bolch of the Times has UCLA’s basketball TV schedule.
Larry Stone of the Seattle Times has pictures and a story on a statue of the late Mariners announcer Dave Niehaus being unveiled Friday at Safeco Field.
And that’s it.
Aug
19
The Friday Night Megalinks
I’ve been to Newton, MA and back, South Kingstown, RI and back and all over my hometown of North Kingstown, RI and all of this today. It’s time to do the megalinks and get them all done in one sitting.
There’s the Weekend Viewing Picks for your sports and entertainment programming.
National
Sports Business Daily goes over the UFC/Fox agreement that will put four live MMA events on network TV and plenty of ancillary programming on Fox’s cable networks.
USA Today’s Michael Hiestand writes that Fox Sports Media Group El Presidente Por Vida David Hill has done an about face on airing Mixed Martial Arts.
Sergio Non of USA Today writes that UFC will revamp its shows when they move from Spike and Versus to Fox’s networks.
Sergio has those who will take part in the first UFC on Fox card in November.
Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times writes in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center that the success of the UFC on Fox all depends on whether the sport can have a breakout star.
Dave Meltzer at Yahoo! says UFC President Dana White couldn’t be happier in making this deal with Fox.
Also from Yahoo!, Kevin Iole says it will be the fighters who will benefit the most from the new UFC on Fox contract.
Cam Martin of SportsNewser has Spike announcing that the new season of UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter will be the last on its airwaves, naturally.
Anthony Crupi of Adweek looks into the particulars of the UFC on Fox deal.
Bill Cromwell of Media Life Magazine writes that the Fox contract gives UFC some instant mainstream credibility.
There will be more UFC on Fox stories sprinkled throughout the megalinks. Let’s move on to other stories now.
The Hollywood Reporter’s Tim Goodman wonders if Showtime’s “The Franchise” is bringing down the San Francisco Giants this season.
Georg Szalai of the Reporter reports that Comcast has withdrawn a lawsuit against DirecTV over an ad campaign for NFL Sunday Ticket.
David Goetzl of MediaPost notes that DirecTV plans to expand its fantasy offerings for NFL Sunday Ticket.
Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News looks at Versus/NBC Sports Network’s new exclusive NHL night in the first year of its new 10 year contract with the league.
Andrew McMains of Adweek looks at a new inspiring web video produced for the US Olympic Committee.
All Access says the ESPN Radio affiliate in Minnesota’s Twin Cities has chosen the hosts for its midday show.
Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy explores which teams won and lost in the new NHL TV schedules.
Cam Martin of SportsNewser writes that former voice of the North Carolina Tar Heels, Woody Durham, will be honored for his contributions to college football.
The Big Lead wonders if Jay Bilas is the most respected voice at ESPN.
Timothy Burke of SportsGrid investigates how former 2 Live Crew leader Luther Campbell managed to appear to appear on the Dan Patrick Show and the Colin Cowherd Show at the same time.
And Tim presents the Atlanta Braves’ Shake Cam and how it can make fans a bit too excited.
Sports Media Watch says the U-20 World Cup is scoring for Galavision.
Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing has a look at some interesting sports media typos.
Matt shows us how the Baseball Tonight crew had trouble demonstrating its new touchscreen.
Joe Favorito looks at what’s new with professional lacrosse.
Patrick Stafford of Smart Company in Australia speaks with the owner of Footytips.com about how he sold his site to ESPN.
East and Mid-Atlantic
Chad Finn of the Boston Globe says the limited classic programming on NBA TV during the current league lockout can only take the channel so far.
Sox & Dawgs has the video of NESN’s Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy wearing chicken hats in the booth.
Richard Sandomir of the New York Times writes on how regional sports networks have increasing power and money to be a game changer for some professional teams.
Richard looks at the UFC on Fox deal that puts Mixed Martial Arts into the mainstream.
Dan Levin from the Times has a good story on how some athletes in Communist China are trying to buck their archaic system.
Mark DeCambre of the New York Post notes that the new Meadowlands Stadium now will have a sponsor when the new NFL season begins.
Justin Terranova in the Post looks at how Fordham University was a training ground for several NYC announcers.
Justin has five questions for SNY Jets analyst Anthony Becht.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes about Fox signing UFC for seven years.
Pete says local sports anchor Andrew Catalon’s call of tonight’s Browns-Lions game will be seen on NFL Network this weekend.
Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette says a local radio station will air a full high school football schedule.
Ken says the NBC Sports Group is increasing its commitment to horse racing this fall.
And Ken writes that a new local sports radio talk show will be debuting soon.
To Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record who says the New York Rangers will be featured extensively on the national NHL TV schedules.
Crossing Broad has the audio of Philadelphia’s sports radio station WIP announcement that it’s taking over WYSP’s FM frequency killing off a heritage rock station.
Dan Gross of the Philadelphia Daily News says ‘YSP staffers were melancholy about CBS Radio’s announcement killing off the station.
Jeff Wolfe of the Delaware County Times writes about WIP’s displacement of WYSP just as the rocker’s ratings were increasing.
Mike White in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says two local high school games hit the ESPN family of networks this fall.
Shelly Anderson of the Post-Gazette says the Penguins TV announcing crew will return for another season.
In the Baltimore Sun, David Zurawik explains where Ravens fans can find the team on TV and radio.
Dave Hughes of DCRTV.com writes in Press Box that the Ravens did extremely well in the ratings in both Baltimore and Washington, DC in their NFL preseason opener.
Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner talks with DC NFL Team radio voice Larry Michael.
And Jim writes that the Washington Capitals will have plenty of appearances on NBC/Versus (NBC Sports Network).
Mike Madden in the Washington City Paper says the local sports anchor is becoming a thing of the past.
Keith Loria of the Fairfax (VA) Times says native Lindsay Czarniak is about to make her debut on ESPN.
South
The Charleston (WV) Gazette notes that Root Sports Pittsburgh will carry some West Virginia and Marshall programming.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that Bob Griese will be joining the Miami Dolphins radio broadcast team replacing the late Jim Mandich.
Andy Kent of the Miami Dolphins website has Griese’s thoughts about joining the broadcast team and also sharing thoughts about Mandich.
Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times has some thoughts on the UFC/Fox deal, the Little League World Series on TV and CBS’ production of the PGA Championship.
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel says Yahoo! Sports does a better job of investigating college sports than the NCAA.
David Barron of the Houston Chronicle notes that Saturday’s US National Gymnastics championships get a network primetime slot.
Mike Finger and Brent Zwerneman of the San Antonio Express-News says the Longhorn Network hasn’t given up on airing high school football games in one form or another.
The Daily Oklahoman’s Mel Bracht looks at UFC getting a big payday from Fox.
Midwest
John Kiesewetter in the Cincinnati Enquirer talks with NBC’s Cris Collinsworth who’s going into his third season as Sunday Night Football analyst.
George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal now knows why DirecTV was so willing to give him a free subscription to NFL Sunday Ticket after learning that the service will be offered to Sony Playstation 3 owners.
The Grand Rapids (MI) Press’ Michael Zuidema notes that a Big Ten Network analyst feels Nebraska is a perfect fit for the conference.
Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is amazed at ESPN’s ever-expanding army of NFL analysts and mountain of NFL programming.
Ed Sherman from Crain’s Chicago Business has his winners and losers in sports business and media.
Scott Dochterman in the Iowa City Gazette says NFL Network has picked up Mediacom for cable subscribers in the Hawkeye State.
West
Scott D. Pierce of the Salt Lake Tribune says it’s not known which network will air the October 15th contest between BYU and Oregon State.
Dick Harmon of the Deseret (UT) News speaks with BYUtv’s Executive Director in a lengthy interview. Part I of which is here. Read Part II here.
Larry Bohannan at the Desert (CA) Sun says there’s evidence of not much live golf shown in a PGA Tour telecast.
John Maffei of the North County Times weighs the pros and cons of airing the Little League World Series.
In the Ventura County Star, Jim Carlisle looks at the contrasting opinions that John and Patrick McEnroe had on the state of American tennis on HBO’s Real Sports this week.
Jim explores the UFC on Fox deal.
Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times says Fox paid a pretty penny to get UFC into the fold.
Meg James of the Times also writes about the UFC on Fox deal.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says when it came down to it, Fox didn’t have much of a choice but to sign UFC.
Tom says one sidebar to the UFC on Fox deal is the fact that Fox Sports Radio will also air MMA events.
Tom writes that former Dodgers radio voice Ross Porter has found his latest gig, calling high school sports online.
Canada
The Toronto Globe and Mail’s Bruce Dowbiggin feels TSN Radio isn’t getting the job done.
The Winnipeg Free Press notes that the Jets will get 22 games aired on CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada.
And the number of links today are hearken back to the first two years of this blog. Lots of links. That’s it.
Aug
18
Let’s Do Some Thursday Linkage
Today is going to be a busy day with the UFC on Fox press conference and the NHL TV schedule announcement. I figure now would be a good time to linkage and I hope I don’t get interrupted here at work.
The big news that broke late yesterday was DirecTV announcing that it would offer its NFL Sunday Ticket package to Sony Playstation 3 platforms. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel News writes that the package will be offered to both non and current DirecTV subscribers.
In Sony’s official Playstation 3 blog, Philip Rosenberg explains what Playstation fans will see with the NFL Sunday Ticket offering.
Kari Lipschutz of Adweek tells us what this move means for Playstation owners.
CBS Radio continues to kill off its heritage rock stations and flip them to FM sports. It killed off rock stations in Boston and Cleveland in favor of new FM sports stations. Today’s it’s Philadelphia’s turn as long-time rocker WYSP will go by the wayside for a simulcast of WIP which was the 2nd station in the country after WFAN to go all-sports. All Access says the flip to sports will occur after Labor Day.
Dan Gross of the Philadelphia Daily News has the full details of the format change.
The Crossing Broad blog provides its reaction to the move.
The 700 Level analyzes what this all means for the Philly sports fan.
Back to Multichannel News, Mike Reynolds writes that the University of Hawaii will launch its own regional sports network on Friday, beating the Longhorn Network’s launch by a week.
Brett McMurphy of CBSSports.com says a big payday for the Big East’s TV contract could lead to major changes in the conference.
The LPGA has announced that it’s hired long-time Golf Channel anchor Kraig Kann as its chief communications officer.
Bob Cook at Forbes.com detests ESPN’s coverage of the Little League World Series.
Brandon Costa at Sports Video Group says the New York Jets will add a 1st and 10 line to its in-house game productions.
At SportsGrid, Timothy Burke has the audio of USA Today’s Danny Sheridan backing off a promise to name the money provider in the Cam Newton scandal and then he attacked bloggers. Not a good way to go, Danny.
To CNBC’s Darren Rovell who wonders why the NFL Players Association settled for as little as it did with the NFL.
At the Business of College Sports, the SportsBizMiss, Kristi Dosh goes over why the SEC did not formally invite Texas A&M to join its conference.
Tim Walker of the Independent in the UK explores the launch of ESPN.com’s Grantland and praises the site.
Jessica Heslam of the Boston Herald says former WEEI personality Pete Sheppard resumes his duties at Patriots.com next month.
Joe Drape at the New York Times says NBC Sports will air horse racing from the Keeneland Race Course in Kentucky in October.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has a look at the ACC Network schedule.
Laura Nachman notes that Vince Papale won’t be hosting Eagles Confidential this season.
Mike White of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that Root Sports will change its night for high school football programming where it can show most of it live.
Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel wants to know who should be added to the Miami Dolphins radio broadcast team.
Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes that the Grizzlies will be changing radio stations when the NBA returns from lockout.
B.J. Bethel of the Dayton Daily News says ESPN is part of the problem with college football.
James Jahnke of the Detroit Free Press says Lions fans won’t be heckling Matt Millen as he’s been taken off ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown show.
The Holland (MI) Sentinel reports that Fox Sports Detroit will increase its high school football coverage this fall.
Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that NFL Network will air the 2010 Packers edition of America’s Game the night before the NFL regular season opener.
Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business notes that a new book on the late Walter Payton will be published in October.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News reviews an HBO Real Sports segment comparing and contrasting the Brothers McEnroe’s opinions on how to revive American tennis.
Tom talks with two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion Danielle Kang.
Gary Lycan of the Orange County Register writes about the New York Jets being heard on Southern California radio this season.
Sports Media Watch notes that the first preseason Monday Night Football game received lower ratings from last year’s opener.
SMW has some various ratings news and notes.
Joe Favorito wonders if the NBA’s D-League can benefit from the NBA lockout.
Ben Koo at Awful Announcing looks at ESPN’s reluctance to cover the Miami payment scandal that was uncovered by Yahoo! Sports this week.
Scott Christ at Bad Left Hook takes a look at boxing’s TV ratings this year to date.
I’m going to end the links there. It’s going to be a busy day here. Keep your RSS and Twitter feeds updated. The posts could get fast and furious this afternoon.
Aug
16
HBO’s Real Sports Returns Tonight With An Interview With Plaxico Burress
The Emmy Award-winning Real Sports returns to HBO tonight with three new stories and an update from 2008. The main attraction is an interview that host Bryant Gumbel conducted with New York Jets wide receiver Plaxico Burress. It’s already getting some mileage and I’ll have a video preview in this post. First, the text preview of the stories you’ll see on Real Sports tonight.
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 173rd edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, AUG. 16 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Other HBO playdates: Aug. 16 (1:55 a.m.), 17 (10:30 a.m., 6:15 p.m.), 20 (11:30 a.m.), 22 (2:00 p.m., 11:50 p.m.), 24 (9:00 p.m.), 25 (2:30 p.m., midnight) and 28 (10:00 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Aug. 21 (1:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.), 23 (10:00 a.m., 12:30 a.m.) and 27 (3:00 p.m.), and Sept. 13 (5:30 p.m.) and 16 (12:30 p.m.)
HBO On Demand availability: Aug. 22-Sept. 12
Segments include:
*Plaxico. Over the last few years, several prominent athletes have overcome major setbacks to reemerge as stars once again. Plaxico Burress, who returned in June from a two-year stint in a New York prison, is the latest to get the chance to rewrite his own legacy. The 34-year-old wideout pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a weapon after he illegally carried a firearm into a Manhattan nightclub on the night of Nov. 28, 2009 and accidently shot himself in the leg. He now looks to return to form in the same city where he ascended to stardom and won a Super Bowl with the Giants, but his homecoming will be in a New York Jets uniform. In the first TV interview to feature both Plaxico and his wife, Tiffany, since Burress signed with the Jets, REAL SPORTS host Bryant Gumbel reviews the incident that led to Burress’ imprisonment, the new path that he has forged and his outlook on playing for the Jets.
Producer: Chapman Downes.
*Holding Court. The dreadful showing by Americans at Wimbledon earlier this summer gave more ammunition to critics who charge that tennis is in steep decline in the U.S. The glory days of Ashe, King, Connors, Evert and McEnroe, who gave the U.S. a towering presence, are long gone. Add the retirement of Sampras and Agassi, and injuries to the Williams sisters, and the scene is ripe for new stars to emerge. But why is American tennis sputtering? And what can be done to revive it? As the USTA prepares to host the US Open in Flushing Meadows, correspondent Jon Frankel examines the issue in this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration. Queens natives Patrick and John McEnroe lead the discussion about what should be done to promote tennis to America’s youth while explaining their contrasting approaches to the revival.
Producer: Lisa Bennett.
*Riding the High. Most surfers would say the rush from high-risk surfing is almost incomparable. Away from the tides, some still chase that high through illegal drug use, and say their passion for big waves and dependence on drugs stem from the same adrenaline-seeking impulse. REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel looks inside the world of surfing and its disturbing subculture of drug use, which has been around for decades, and speaks with former users about the steps being taken to raise awareness and aid in rehabilitation.
Producer: Maggie Burbank.
*Danger in the Saddle. The exhilarating and glamorous sport of equestrian eventing, when horse and rider compete in dressage, jumping and cross-country, is not just the ultimate test of horsemanship, but is also extremely dangerous. Every year, riders are seriously injured when horses trip over jumps or balk during competition, vaulting jockeys to the ground. When HBO first covered this story in 2008, REAL SPORTS discovered that a troubling number of riders and horses were killed participating in this sport. REAL SPORTS correspondent Frank Deford reconnects with the some of the riders who brought attention to this issue and details what steps have been taken to improve rider safety.
Producer: Zehra Mamdani.
REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 14 times, in addition to being the first sports program honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism. In May, the program received the 2010 Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism for August 2010’s report revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS. Overall, REAL SPORTS has collected 22 Sports Emmys® in 16 years.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.
And here’s the video of Bryant Gumbel’s interview with Plax.
That’s all.
Aug
14
Doing Some Sunday Links
I haven’t been able to provide a Sunday link dump for you in a while so it’s time to provide some while I can. I do have to do a Sunday thoughts column and again, haven’t done one in a while so I hope to get that done for you later today. Too many thoughts in my head and I have to release them!
I apologize for not being able to do links since Wednesday. I’ve been at jobsites in Rhode Island and Massachusetts and that has taken my days to the point when I get home, it’s tough to do anything. I hope this upcoming week won’t be as busy.
To the links.
Richard Deitsch from Sports Illustrated has his latest Media Power List. Some good names on the list I should say.
Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News writes that the NFL preseason opener on ESPN took down MTV’s Jersey Shore on Thursday. Maybe there is hope for us all.
EJ Schultz of Advertising Age says Anheuser-Busch is taking a big $50 million gamble by having Bud Light become the official beer of the NFL replacing Coors Light.
Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times writes in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center that the media still has some lessons to learn from the public fallout between Tiger Woods and his former caddie, Steve Williams.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell finally finds an Under Armour running shoe he likes.
Speaking of Darren, SportsNewser’s Marcus Vanderberg writes that Darren and Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio will be getting their own shows on the soon-to-be rebranded Versus in the new year.
Marcus tells us that ESPN Radio Los Angeles will be picking up New York Jets games this season. Ok.
Karen Hogan of Sports Video Group looks at Fox tackling college football in a big way through its Game of the Week series on FX.
Pete Thamel of the New York Times explores the anarchy that reigns college football.
Newsday’s Neil Best has a partial transcript from HBO’s Real Sports interview with Jets wide receiver Plaxico Burress.
Phil Mushnick of the New York Post proclaims to be looking out for the little guy. Whatever.
Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette writes one TV station in New York’s Capital Region will be busy with sports.
Ken McMillan at the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record lists the local affiliates for the Jets and Giants radio networks.
Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner talks with ESPN NASCAR voice Allen Bestwick about calling a race at the Watkins Glen road course as opposed to traditional oval tracks.
Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says former Braves broadcaster, the late Ernie Johnson, Sr. is being remembered fondly. Johnson died Friday at the age of 87.
Mark Bradley of the AJC says Johnson was the kindest of men.
David Barron of the Houston Chronicle provides some thoughts on the NCAA’s ban of college networks airing high school games.
Dan Caesar in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that NFL Network has finally been picked up by Charter Communications.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has an extensive interview with Dodgers GM Ned Colletti.
Sports Media Watch says ESPN’s NFL preseason opener drew better ratings than last year’s game.
Joe Favorito writes that Northwestern University is conducting a highly original marketing campaign for a Heisman Trophy candidate.
The Toronto Sports Media blog notes some changes at TSN Sports Radio.
And TSM talks about some wholesale changes at the Toronto Star that will effect its sports section.
And that’s it for now. I hope to add some more links later.
Jul
22
The Complete Friday Megalinks
Friday’s have become maddening. I was out of the office earlier today and expect to be out again later, but I’m doing the Megalinks early so I can be done with them and be free for other stuff tonight.
As always, check out the Weekend Viewing Picks for the sports and entertaining programming.
National
We’ll begin with Andy Staples from Sports Illustrated who writes that the Longhorn Network has suddenly created a big problem for Big 12 Conference schools not named “Texas.”
Gavin J. Blair of the Hollywood Reporter says one of Japan’s networks will begin airing women’s soccer in the wake of the country’s win in the Women’s World Cup last week.
Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says MSG Network will celebrate Baseball Hall of Fame Weekend with a marathon of Halls of Fame specials.
Jessica Shambora of Fortune says ESPN succeeds where other cable channels don’t.
Glenn Davis of SportsGrid notes that NFL Players Association Executive DeMaurice Smith snuck up on ESPN reporters George Smith and Chris Mortensen during a live shot on Thursday.
Cam Martin at SportsNewser has former Howard Stern Show castmember Artie Lange confirming that he’s in talks to do a Fox Sports Radio show.
Karen Hogan of the Sports Video Group mentions that ESPN Films will premiere a new documentary on famed Georgia running back Herschel Walker in September.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell tells us that he’s going to sing the national anthem before a selected MLB game next month.
Sports Media Watch has some various ratings news and notes.
Steve Lepore of Puck The Media waxes poetic about Mike Emrick’s departure as Voice of the New Jersey Devils.
Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing has the site’s next matchup in its Joe Morgan Memorial Tournament, Joe Buck vs. Jim Gray. That’s a tough choice.
Ryan Yoder from AA says ESPN is taking a chance on airing live poker.
Joe Favorito asks who really benefits from the World Cup?
Dave Kohl at Major League Programs has a review of the week in sports media.
Dom Cosentino of Deadspin notes that San Francisco Giants announcer Jon Miller is still bitter about his firing by ESPN.
East and Mid-Atlantic
Chad Finn of the Boston Globe talks with Sunday Night Baseball analyst Bobby Valentine about his first year in the broadcast booth.
The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir talks with Mike Emrick about his decision to leave the New Jersey Devils.
Newsday’s Neil Best writes that the Derek Jeter 3,000 hit chase has put a famous memorabilia company into the spotlight one again.
Neil talks about New Jersey announcers departing their teams after long runs.
Phil Mushnick of the New York Post admits that he loves to hate WFAN’s Mike Francesa.
Justin Terranova of the Post writes about Hall of Fame announcer Mike Emrick leaving the New Jersey Devils after 21 seasons.
Justin has five questions for ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union talks with an NBC Sports executive about how its summer horse racing series from Saratoga came to fruition.
Dave Hughes from DCRTV.com writes in Press Box that one Baltimore TV station is cutting back on its sports coverage.
The Washington Post’s Dan Steinberg revels in an on-air argument on one of the local sports radio stations in the DC Sports Bog.
South
At the Houston Chronicle, Brent Zwerneman writes that Texas A&M officials are very concerned about the Longhorn Network and what it means for the future of the Big 12 Conference.
The Chronicle’s David Barron has statements from Big 12 Commissioner Don Beebe and Longhorn Network owner ESPN about the conference’s temporary cease-and-desist order on airing high school football games and a Texas conference game.
David says the Longhorn Network saga could make for good reality TV.
David says while Longhorn Network is prevented from airing high school football for now, Fox Sports Southwest will have an NFL Red Zone Channel-like high school football block on Friday nights.
Suzanne Halliburton of the Austin Statesman-American says Longhorn Network programming is currently in limbo.
From the Daily Oklahoman, Mel Bracht writes that ESPN will document the Oklahoma football program as it prepares for the 2011 campaign.
Midwest
John Erardi of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that ESPN’s Barry Larkin is coming back to the Queen’s City this Sunday.
Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press writes that a local TV sports director is back on the job after corrective neck surgery.
Ed Sherman at Crain’s Chicago Business has this week’s winners and losers.
Roman Augustoviz says WNBA star Maya Moore will give viewers an inside look at the WNBA All-Star Game tomorrow.
West
John Maffei at the North County Times says there’s too much money being left on the table for an extended NFL lockout.
Bill Shakin of the Los Angeles Times writes that court documents show MLB was very skeptical of how Fox’s money for an extended rights deal could have helped the Dodgers remain competitive.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says Minnesota Twins analyst Bert Blyeven credits Dodgers voice Vin Scully for helping him to become a Hall of Fame pitcher.
Jeff Faraudo of the San Jose Mercury Times reports that ESPN Deportes now has an affiliate in the Bay Area.
Jon Wilner of the Mercury Times tries to handicap what will happen next with the Pac-12 Network.
Canada
Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail looks at Bryant Gumbel’s closing comments on the US Women’s soccer team on HBO’s Real Sports.
And that’s going to do it. Stay cool on this scorcher of a day.
Jul
19
Bryant Gumbel’s Real Sports Closing Commentary On Women’s Soccer
Bryant Gumbel is never one to mince words and he does so again tonight on Real Sports in his closing comment. Says it’s time to stop coddling the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team.
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL
EPISODE #172
AIRS TONIGHT (7/19) @ 10:00 PM ET/PT“Finally tonight, can we stop coddling women in sports? Are we now so fearful of being labeled sexist that we can’t objectively assess the efforts of female athletes? Those are both valid questions that have come to the fore in the wake of the patronizing reactions that have followed the USA’s loss to Japan in the Women’s World Cup soccer final.
For the record, in the final, a very determined but unheralded Japanese team won the championship, upsetting a U.S. team that was heavily favored and ranked number one in the world of Women’s Soccer. En route to the loss, the American women failed to cash in on a wealth of early scoring chances, twice blew late leads with sloppy mistakes, and then got badly outclassed in penalty kicks.
Had a men’s team turned in a similar performance, papers and pundits nationwide would have had a field day assailing the players, criticizing the coach, and demanding widespread changes to a men’s national team that flat out choked. Yet the common reaction to this ladies’ loss were simply expressions of empathy for the defeat of the unfortunate darlings and pride in their oh-so-heroic effort.
Look, I have no desire to see anyone assail the women’s game or their athletes unfairly. But if the definition of true equality is treating folks honestly, without regard for race or gender, then it’s time we started critiquing women athletes in the same way we do the men. I’m sure some won’t like it, but blind praise is worthless in the absence of fair criticism.”
He has a point, but I’m not calling it a choke and I would feel the same way if the US Men’s Soccer Team did the same. Newsday’s Neil Best has his reaction to Gumbel’s comments.
Real Sports airs at 10 p.m. East and West on HBO.
Jul
16
HBO’s Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel is Back On July 19
This Tuesday, the Emmy Award-winning Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel returns with three new stories and an update. Let’s check out what they have in store for us.
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 172nd edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, JULY 19 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Other HBO playdates: July 19 (3:20 a.m.), 21 (5:00 p.m., midnight), 24 (9:00 a.m.), 26 (10:30 a.m., 7:30 p.m.), 28 (1:00 p.m., 1:45 a.m.) and 30 (10:30 a.m.), and Aug. 4 (8:30 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: July 23 (6:30 p.m.), 25 (1:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.), 29 (5:00 p.m.), and 31 (12:30 p.m.), and Aug. 2 (11:00 p.m.) and 5 (11:30 a.m.)
HBO On Demand availability: July 25-Aug. 15
Segments include:
*All in the Family. Manning. Griffey. Ripken. These are some of the multi-generational families in sports that are household names. But a new family is set to make history, not as players, but in coaching. The Harbaugh boys, John and Jim, have followed in their father’s footsteps and are the first brother act to serve simultaneously as head coaches in the NFL. Jack Harbaugh coached college football for 45 years and taught his only sons the ins-and-outs of the game from an early age. His eldest son, John, is the Baltimore Ravens’ head coach and has led the team to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons at the helm. Jim, after a successful NFL career as a quarterback, reenergized the Stanford University football program and was hired in January to take over the underachieving San Francisco 49ers. And later this year, when most families will be gathered around the TV watching Thanksgiving Day football, the brothers are set to face-off at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated report, correspondent Andrea Kremer joins the family on vacation to find out what makes them tick and why they have so much to be thankful for.
Producers: Joe Perskie, Josh Fine.
*Wounded Warriors. Often the hardest part of an athlete’s career is battling back from injury, but nothing can compare to challenges faced by members of the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team. All of these men have endured near-fatal injuries and excruciating rehabilitation to return to the ball field from the battlefield. The current team is made up of 15 Army and Marine vets who suffered leg, foot or arm amputations while heroically serving their country. Despite their individual handicaps, they face able-bodied teams and have a .500 record. In this feelgood comeback story, REAL SPORTS correspondent Frank Deford goes on location with the Wounded Warriors Softball Team to show that they are the same focused, physically capable men they have always been.
Producer: Nick Dolin.
*The Original Extreme Sport. Hundreds of years before skateboarding, BMX biking and water skiing, the original extreme sport was the running of the bulls, wherein people test their bravado by racing bulls through barricaded streets to a corral at the end of the course. According to Spanish lore, the custom originated in Spain around the 14th century, and it was made world-famous by American author Ernest Hemingway’s first novel, “The Sun Also Rises.” With extreme sports comes extreme danger, however, and since record-keeping began in the early 1900s, 15 people have died, while scores are injured every year. REAL SPORTS correspondent Mary Carillo travels to the Fiesta de San Fermin in Pamplona to meet some of the top runners and provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse at one of the most dangerous events on earth.
Producer: Tim Walker.
*Record Breaker. In Oct. 2009, REAL SPORTS profiled Ashrita Furman of Queens, NY, who held the Guinness World Record for holding the most world records, with 245 records overall and more than 100 simultaneously. He finds spiritual fulfillment through the constant pursuit of physical challenges and world records, which is why he continues to hold on to his title. Furman has set 355 world records since 1979 and currently holds 130. REAL SPORTS correspondent Bernard Goldberg reconnects with Ashrita Furman, who has set exactly 100 new records since the last time they got together.
Producers: Zehra Mamdani, Tim Walker.
REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 14 times, in addition to being the first sports program honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism. On May 2, the program received the 2010 Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism for last August’s report revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS. Overall, REAL SPORTS has collected 22 Sports Emmys® in 16 years.
The executive producers of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL are Ross Greenburg and Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.
That will conclude this post.
Jun
22
Let’s Do Some Wednesday Linkage
On this rainy Wednesday in Southern New England, let me do some links. I hope the weather where you are is dry and sunny.
I’ll start today off with John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal who says Comcast may have appeared to have overbid for the Olympics, but it may pay off in the long run.
USA Today’s Michael Hiestand talks with Dick Enberg who’s calling his final Wimbledon this year.
Dan Fogarty at SportsGrid has video of Dick Enberg discussing “bloody blue balls” at Wimbledon and his on-air partner, Chris Evert making the perfect response.
SportsGrid also has the HBO Real Sports segment with Tiki Barber that was quite compelling TV.
Patrick Rishe of Forbes says Mark Cuban owning the Los Angeles Dodgers needs to happen soon.
At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Eric Deggans from the St. Petersburg Times writes that Barber is on a media redemption tour while David Feherty is learning the ropes in another manner.
Kirk Honeycutt of Reuters reviews the ESPN Films documentary on transsexual tennis player Renee Richards. The film was shown at the Los Angeles Film Festival and will premiere on ESPN in the fall.
Lacey Rose at the Hollywood Reporter writes that HBO has assembled some All-Star production talent to develop a new drama based on the early life of Mike Tyson.
Andrea Morabito of Broadcasting & Cable says CBS Sports Network has signed a multiyear deal with the Patriot League for various sports.
Anthony Crupi of Adweek says the NFL’s TV partners are hopeful after hearing negotiations to end the league’s lockout are making substantial progress.
One thing to come out of the talks between the NFL and the Players Association is a full 16 week Thursday Night Football schedule that could begin in 2012. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains what that means for the players and fans.
Jeff Fedotin at the National Football Post claims this guy, Jon Gruden of ESPN’s Monday Night Football, has the potential to be this generation’s John Madden. That remains to be seen.
Eric Spanberg of the Christian Science Monitor reviews the ESPN book.
The Lost Letterman blog has video of ESPN’s Erin Andrews confronting a fan at last year’s College World Series. I like Erin’s spirit in this and the guy was being an asshole.
Congratulations to ESPN.com baseball writer Jonah Keri who will be writing the quintessential history of the Montreal Expos.
Richard Sandomir from the New York Times says there are plenty of marketing opportunities surrounding the 3,000th hit of Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.
Jack Bell of the Times talks about legendary women’s soccer star Mia Hamm joining espnW to provide analysis on the Women’s World Cup.
At the New York Observer, Kat Stoeffel talks with ESPN Radio New York’s Jared Max about his decision to come out.
Matthew Margolis from the East Hampton (NY) Patch writes that a young actor got to do some voiceover work for ESPN’s Little League World Series coverage.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes that Jimmer Fredette’s YouTube channel has a big following.
Mark Wogenrich at the Allentown (PA) Morning Call explores the new deal between CBS Sports Network and the Patriot League for four sports.
Jack Bogaczyk of the Charleston (WV) Daily Mail feels it was smart of the Big East to turn down ESPN’s $1 billion offer to get a feel for the marketplace.
The Naples (FL) Daily News reports that locally, the U.S. Open scored well in the ratings.
Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes that a local sports radio morning drive host has been let go.
Doug Moe at the Wisconsin State Journal speaks with Randall Mell of the Golf Channel.
Sandra Guy in the Chicago Sun-Times looks at the new street-level studios for ESPN Radio Chicago.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News talks about Dick Enberg’s final fortnight at Wimbledon.
Matthew Fleischer of Fishbowl LA writes that ESPN WNBA analyst Rebecca Lobo tweeted about her plane’s emergency landing while heading to SoCal this week.
Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail notes that Americans will get a nice dose of the CFL on the NFL Network.
George Dickie of zap2it talks with David Feherty about his new Golf Channel show.
Sports Media Watch says the CONCACAF Gold Cup has been a ratings hit for Univision and its sister network, Galavision.
SMW says the NHL Winter Classic goes back to primetime on January 2.
The Big Lead says Friend of Friend’s Bites Michelle Beadle is single once again. Sorry, Michelle, I had to put this one in.
The Sports Tube has an appreciation of Dick Enberg who’s making his final rounds at Wimbledon and the US Open this year.
That will do it.
Jun
21
Bryant Gumbel Slams The USGA In Tonight’s Real Sports
Tonight on HBO’s Real Sports, host Bryant Gumbel blasts the United States Golf Association for making the Congressional Country Club course in Bethesda, MD way too easy for the recently completed U.S. Open. Now Bryant is an avid golfer and was Johnny Miller’s original partner when he joined NBC Sports, so Gumbel has good knowledge of the sport. However, Bryant admits he buys into a conspiracy theory that the USGA made the course easier in attempt to get ratings. It’s definitely food for thought.
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL
EPISODE #171
AIRS TONIGHT (6/21) @ 10:00 PM ET/PT“Finally tonight, the U.S. Golf Association should be ashamed of itself. The same folks who like to claim they’re the caretakers of the game took a national championship that has always been revered, and this past weekend, made a mockery of it. Instead of setting up a U.S. Open course, as they always have, to identify the best player. They seem to have sought only to identify the most viewers.
Yes, the course they laid out was nominally long, but as even those who regularly shill from the game noted, they played the tees up, they thinned the rough, and they placed many of the pins in bowls that allowed many balls that were hit to a green to simply funnel to the hole from all directions.
In no way does this discredit the impressive and likeable Open winner, Rory McIlroy. That he finished with a score of 16-under par is remarkable, but that so many made it look like a local pitch-and-putt is an embarrassment. On Sunday, 20 golfers finished this U.S. Open under par. Twenty! That’s as many golfers that have finished under par in the last 12 Opens combined.
Look, as a rule, I don’t buy conspiracy theories. I don’t subscribe to suspicions about Roswell, the grassy knoll, and fake lunar landings. But I do believe USGA honchos sold out this weekend. Knowing the absence of Tiger Woods would cost them audience, I believe they decided to try to make up for it by enabling anyone who teed it up to go low in the hopes that lots of birdies would mean lots of viewers. That their Open plan instead generated lousy TV ratings that were down 26%, suggests that karma’s alive and well in the world of golf.”
There you have it.
Jun
21
Digging Out Some Tuesday Linkage
Time for the links on this Tuesday. Lots of good stuff to get to.
Matthew Futterman of the Wall Street Journal looks at MLB Commissioner Bud Selig rejecting the Los Angeles Dodgers’ deal with Fox which now throws Frank McCourt’s ownership of the team into jeopardy.
In Sports Business Journal, Broadcasting & Cable Editor-in-Chief Ben Grossman has some suggestions for Major League Soccer on how to grow the sport in the U.S.
From the ESPN Ombudsman, Kelly McBride of the Poynter Institute says Bill Simmons’ Grantland site shows potential, but needs to do more.
Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch has his June Media Power List.
Richard also talks with the CEO of the polarizing Bleacher Report.
Had to catch up with those last three links from last week. I was so far behind after not doing linkage Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Curtis Eichelberger of Bloomberg writes that NFL quarterback Chad Pennington is taking a year off and will work for Fox Sports when the league comes back from lockout.
Lesley Goldberg of the Hollywood Reporter writes that Comedy Central has canceled two sports-themed shows after just one season.
Marisa Guthrie of the Reporter notes that the U.S. Open’s final round ratings improved from Saturday’s numbers, but were still far below last year’s.
John Eggerton from Broadcasting & Cable has NBC being very apologetic about cutting “Under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance during Sunday’s coverage of the U.S. Open.
Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says NBA’s digital platforms are all over this week’s NBA Draft.
Toni Fitzgerald from Media Life Magazine says Rory McIlroy has yet to prove he’s a ratings draw.
Brett McMurphy of CBS Sports.com says the Big East turned down a big payday from ESPN to risk checking the free agent market.
Sam Mamudi of Marketwatch.com notes that you may not know that Turner Sports has a rather large online presence in golf.
Alex Weprin of SportsNewser recaps Comcast CEO Brian Roberts’ comments on NBC’s successful Olympics bid.
At SportsGrid, Dave Levy writes that Grantland failed to live up to the hype.
Dave says Bill Simmons could have left ESPN to create Grantland somewhere else.
And Dave has thoughts on Grantland here, here and here.
Dan Fogarty at SportsGrid says the Dan Patrick Show has an unusual proposal on how to end the NFL lockout.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell writes that flamboyant tennis fashionista Bethanie Mattek-Sands (who came to Fang’s Bites’ attention in 2007) has signed a new endorsement contract for an nontraditional tennis product.
Jay Busbee of Yahoo’s From the Marbles blog looks at Fox’s proposal to move some of its NASCAR races to cable in its next contract.
At the Daly Planet, John Daly has some thoughts on what this potential move means for the future of Speed.
Diane Mermigas of the Business Insider says innovation could help NBCUniversal pay for its $4.38 billion pricetag for the Olympics.
Olympic sports beat writer John Powers of the Boston Globe finally gets to write about NBC winning the rights to four Olympic Games.
Tom Rock of Newsday has some quotes of tonight’s HBO Real Sports profile of former New York Giants running back and NBC analyst Tiki Barber.
Richard Sandomir from the New York Times looks at MLB rejecting the Los Angeles Dodgers’ deal with Fox.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union notes that Rory McIlroy doesn’t move the TV ratings meter like Tiger Woods did.
Nate Mink writing for the Philadelphia Daily News recaps an ESPN taping of a program involving legendary coaches Joe Paterno of Penn State and Mike Krzyzewski of Duke.
Joseph Santoliquito of the Marple Newtown Patch has a profile of Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia anchor Ron Burke.
Greg Augman of the St. Petersburg Times notes that Jon Gruden is taping a session of his ESPN “QB Camp” series with former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor.
Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has an interview with Georgia Tech’s Athletic Director on a few subjects including the impact of the ESPN/SEC contract on the school.
Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes that Golf Channel is giving David Feherty a platform for his humor.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Bob Wolfley has Keith Olbermann not impressed with the tome on ESPN.
Justin Albers at the Chicago Sun-Times chronicles ESPN’s Baseball Tonight’s visit to the Windy City on Sunday.
Robert Feder of Time Out Chicago says the local ESPN Radio affiliate is about to move to new streetside studios.
Chad Purcell of the Omaha World-Journal goes behind-the-scenes with ESPN’s crew at the College World Series.
Bill Shaikin and David Wharton of the Los Angeles Times have a story on MLB rejecting the Fox offer to Dodgers’ owner Frank McCourt and putting the team into limbo.
The Spokane (WA) Spokesman-Review has a profile of Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis who used to work in the area.
Kenyon Wallace of the Toronto Star responds to ESPN the Magazine ranking the Canadian city as the worst in all of pro sports.
Cathal Kelly of the Star says there are cities worse off than Toronto.
The Canadian Sports Media Blog has its version of the NHL TV Awards.
Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing feels it’s time for Joe Buck to leave Fox Saturday Baseball. I called for this two years ago.
Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball writes that Frank McCourt is threatening legal action to hold onto the Dodgers.
Barry Petchesky of Deadspin has video of NESN’s Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy being amused by a Red Sox fan wearing a chicken hat. I found out later that she’s the sister of writer Joe Meloni who covers the Hockey East conference for College Hockey News.
And that’s where I’ll leave it for now. Lots of links today.
Jun
20
Real Sports Is Back on HBO Featuring An Interview With Tiki Barber
On Tuesday, HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel returns. There are three new stories and one update. One story of interest is one on former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber who is attempting a comeback to the NFL. The story also chronicles Barber’s bout with depression after losing his NBC gig following the end of his marriage and subsequent stories in the tabloid press. Here’s a preview from HBO Sports.
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 171st edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, JUNE 21 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Other HBO playdates: June 21 (2:45 a.m.), 23 (9:30 a.m., 7:00 p.m.), 25 (10:00 a.m.) and 28 (noon, 8:00 p.m.), and July 3 (8:15 a.m.), 7 (5:00 p.m., midnight) and 11 (2:00 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: June 22 (11:00 p.m.) and 26 (7:45 a.m., 9:30 p.m.), and July 1 (1:00 p.m.), 5 (7:00 p.m., 2:25 a.m.) and 16 (12:30 p.m.)
HBO On Demand availability: June 27-July 18
Segments include:
*Tiki. Rarely does a great athlete walk away from competition at the peak of his abilities, but in 2006, after ten seasons with the New York Giants, Tiki Barber hung up his cleats to pursue a career in network TV. The Virginia native landed at NBC as a sports analyst and “Today Show” correspondent, but after his TV career fizzled and his marriage fell apart in public, Barber was transformed from prince of the city to tabloid casualty. Now, at age 36, he’s seeking redemption with a return to the gridiron next season. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Armen Keteyian goes one-on-one with Tiki Barber in his first extended TV interview since announcing his NFL comeback.
Producer: Nick Dolin.
*The Big Bust. There is an exclusive club reserved for first overall picks in the NBA draft, including names like Magic, Shaq and LeBron. LaRue Martin, another member of the club, is famous for being the biggest bust in draft history. Selected first by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1972 draft, the former Loyola University (Ill.) center averaged a disappointing five points a game and retired after only four years in the league. Martin began drinking heavily and struggled for years with shame and depression on his rocky path to redemption. REAL SPORTS host Bryant Gumbel returns to De La Salle High School in Chicago, where he and Martin were schoolmates, to tell the story of how LaRue Martin went from dejected basketball retiree at age 26 to successful UPS executive.
Producer: Maggie Burbank.
*Saadi Qaddafi. As the turmoil continues in Libya, REAL SPORTS chronicles the strange quest of Saadi Qaddafi, third son of Libyan ruler Muammar Qaddafi, to become an international soccer player. Although his skills were limited, Saadi used his family’s wealth and power to buy his way onto some of the world’s best soccer teams. Sparing no expense, he recruited a team of professionals that included everything from a nutritionist to a physiotherapist, but nothing could transform him into a pro-caliber athlete. After a failed drug test, he eventually returned to Libya and now serves as commander of special forces in his father’s regime. REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel travels to Italy, where Saadi Qaddafi played on several clubs, to tell this bizarre story.
Producers: Chapman Downes and Josh Fine.
*Ann Wolfe. Ann Wolfe dominated women’s boxing for almost a decade after turning pro in 1998, holding world titles in four different weight classes simultaneously. However, she suffered devastating blows outside the ropes, including a stretch of homelessness. When HBO’s cameras previously caught up with Wolfe, she was about to become the first woman in boxing history to train a man for a world title. Those plans were derailed when her fighter, James Kirkland, went to prison for 18 months. When Kirkland returned from his stretch behind bars, he hired a new trainer, but in April was knocked out in shocking fashion, suffering the first loss of his pro career. REAL SPORTS correspondent Andrea Kremer reconnects with Ann Wolfe, who is back in James Kirkland’s corner, as they set out to make history together.
Producers: Zehra Mamdani, Nick Dolin and Chapman Downes.
REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 14 times, in addition to being the first sports program honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism. On May 2, the program received the 2010 Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism for last August’s report revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS. Overall, REAL SPORTS has collected 22 Sports Emmys® in 16 years.
The executive producers of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL are Ross Greenburg and Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.
That will do it.
May
17
Bryant Gumbel’s Closing Comments For Real Sports, May 17, 2011
Tonight on the latest edition of Real Sports, Bryant Gumbel gives out praise to two sports figures who recently spoke out about homosexuality. Let’s take a look.
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL
EPISODE #170 AIRS TONIGHT (5/17) @ 10:00 PM ET/PT“Finally tonight, did you ever feel like not making a big deal out of something, because it shouldn’t be, but you mention it anyway? That’s kind of how I feel right now in extending some praise to Sean Avery, when I doubt he even wants it. Avery is a veteran hockey player who recently recorded an endorsement for the legalization of same sex marriage, which in the macho world of pro hockey, proved to be a very big deal indeed.
Avery’s stand, combined with the recent announcement by Phoenix Suns President and CEO Rick Welts that he’s gay has me wondering just when such news items in sports will become commonplace. It’s 2011. Folks in politics, entertainment, business, education and every other aspect of life have already moved past dramatically caring about someone’s sexual orientation, so why is the sports world still lagging when the law says it needn’t be and logic says it shouldn’t be?
Look, I know it’s easy for me to sit here and hope for the day when someone else sticks their neck out, but amid estimates that perhaps two-to-six percent of all guys are not heterosexual, it is sad and absurd to think of just how many athletes today might be feeling compelled to essentially hide in plain sight at games we all enjoy – simply because of their sexual orientation.
Jocks don’t like to talk about homosexuality and when they do it’s often in crude terms. That could have changed long ago, but so far it hasn’t and it’s time it should. Which is why Sean Avery is to be applauded for showing some courage on this issue and for not making a big deal out of something that shouldn’t be.”
That’s all.
May
15
Bringing Out Some Sunday Links
I’m going to try to do some Sunday links and write my Sunday thoughts later. Usually, it’s been one or the other, but I’m hoping to get both done today.
Linkage first and let’s get to it.
I didn’t get to see this last night as I was at a wedding, but The Big Lead captures six minutes of painful television with Sarah Silverman in the booth during Red Sox-Yankees on Fox.
Dan Fogarty at SportsGrid notes that ESPN’s Sage Steele used an unfortunate choice of words this morning on SportsCenter.
In ESPN Front Row, ESPNU production assistant Meghan O’Leary writes about her experience to make the U.S. Olympic Rowing team.
Dan Barry from the New York Times writes about an NBA executive deciding to come out.
Phil Mushnick gets on overzealous tweeps for driving Mets catcher Jose Thole off Twitter.
Gene Warner of the Buffalo News reports on ESPN and TSN NHL analyst Matthew Barnaby pleading not guilty to various domestic violence charges regarding an incident involving his ex-wife and another woman.
The Rochester (NY) Democrat and Chronicle has Barnaby issuing a statement following his arraignment.
In the New Jersey Newsroom, Evan Weiner says fans are being punished by sports leagues, but they keep coming back for more.
Shawn Nisson from the Delmarva (MD) Daily Times writes about a local resident who will take part in Golf Channel’s Big Break series.
Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner has Gus Johnson discussing his departure from CBS and moving to Fox.
Dustin Long at the Virginian-Pilot writes that a ratings rebound among younger viewers has NASCAR executives optimistic.
Annette Fuller of the Winston-Salem (NC) Journal recaps the commencement address from ESPN’s Stephen A. (A is for Acrimonious) Smith to the Class of 2011 yesterday.
Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News notes that officials at the University of Texas-San Antonio are hopeful over a new reality series from Fox Sports Southwest will show their school in a positive light.
Joyanna Weber of the Cleveland Banner says a local resident will star in a new reality show produced by Versus.
Tom Loxas of Chicago Now says the Cubs and ESPN Radio in Chicago were angry at Colin Cowhack for irresponsible reporting on Friday.
Bob Wolfley in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel previews Bob Uecker’s segment on HBO’s Real Sports this Tuesday.
In the Los Angeles Daily News, Tom Hoffarth looks at the controversial new book on sportswriting by former New York Times columnist Robert Lipsyte.
And that will do us for today.
May
11
Bringing You Some Mid-Week Links
On this Wednesday, it’s time to provide some linkage. Some stuff to get to. Let’s not delay any further.
Steve Wieberg of USA Today writes that the NCAA spent a lot of money to protect the March Madness™ trademark.
Michael Hiestand of USA Today looks at Gus Johnson leaving CBS for Fox Sports.
Eben Novy-Williams at Bloomberg News delves into Gus’ departure from CBS.
The great Maggie Hendricks at Yahoo’s Cagewriter says while Gus is leaving CBS, he will remain at corporate sibling Showtime to call boxing and MMA.
Brian Lowry of Fox Sports says while fans are cheering the Lakers’ exit now, they’ll regret it later.
Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News writes that TNT scored an across-the-board ratings win in key demographics for Game 4 of the Miami-Boston NBA Playoff game.
Mike Farrell of Multichannel says Disney’s CEO is saying that the Olympics could help ESPN get more money from cable providers.
Anthony Crupi of Adweek says Disney’s CEO isn’t too worried about an NFL lockout hurting ESPN.
Crupi writes a weak field in the Kentucky Derby offset NBCUniversal’s heavy promotion for the Run for the Roses.
Tony Fitzgerald of Media Life also looks at the lower ratings for the Derby on NBC.
Sean Martin at Golfweek says college golf could see more airtime with the new megarights deals with the Pac-12 and University of Texas.
Cam Martin of SportsNewser notes that ESPN will air the MLS Cup against Sunday Night Football again (provided there is an NFL season).
Cam has video of ESPN’s Barry Melrose comments about gays on NHL teams which really has to be seen to be believed.
Stephen Douglas a.k.a. Cousins of Ron Mexico at The Big Lead shoots down point-by-point, a guest column written by celebrity-wannabe Rob Kardashian in ESPN.com’s Page 2 section.
Speaking of ESPN.com, the Et tu, Mr. Destructo blog has a review of the soft launch of Captain Blowhard’s Grantland site. The review is almost as long as the two articles that launched the site.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell says he got to meet a star before she become one.
Darren says Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade is hoping to fill a void in fantasy camps.
Chad Finn of the Boston Globe has a story on Jack Edwards signing an extension with NESN to call Bruins games.
Richard Sandomir of the New York Times writes about Gus Johnson moving to Fox Sports.
At the DC Sports Bog at the Washington Post, Dan Steinberg wonders if Captain Blowhard is recruiting Tony Kornheiser to write for Grantland.
Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says Maryland and Miami will open the ACC football season in primetime on ESPN.
Joe Reedy at the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that the Bengals have renewed their radio rights deal with Clear Channel Radio.
The South Bend Tribune reports that ESPN/ABC may put a November Notre Dame road game in primetime.
Anthony Schoettle from the Indianapolis Business Journal says IndyCar officials are talking about placing more of their races on ABC in the next TV contract.
Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes that HBO’s Real Sports will profile Brewers voice Bob Uecker.
Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business says a suspended sports talk show host returns to the air today.
Philip Hersh of the Chicago Tribune suggests the International Olympic Committee should take NBC’s overbid for the 2010/12 Games into account for the bid for the ’14/’16 Olympics.
Dom Izzo at WDAY-TV in Fargo, ND says Twins fans are being shut out from a number of games thanks to a dispute between Fox Sports North and the local cable provider.
Scott D. Pierce in the Salt Lake Tribune doesn’t understand why ESPN did not choose Real Salt Lake for its MLS TV schedule.
In the Phoenix Business Journal, Patrick O’Grady writes that the Pac-12 Network could find it difficult to gain carriage into Arizona homes.
Diane Pucin of the Los Angeles Times discusses Gus Johnson signing with Fox to become its main college sports announcer.
Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail says the controversy over Sean Avery’s support of gay marriage and the condemnation by Uptown Hockey has opened a Pandora’s Box.
The Canadian Sports Media Blog feels Uptown Hockey and NHL agent Todd Reynolds should not have gone there.
Lost Letterman wonders if ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla could be headed back into coaching.
Matt Sarzyniak at Matt’s College Sports Media analyzes the ESPN/ABC Pac-12 schedule.
Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says Dan Patrick will host NBC’s coverage of the Stanley Cup Final, more specifically, the later games.
Sports Media Watch has some various NHL ratings news and notes.
And that will do it.
May
03
HBO Home To Seven Sports Emmy Awards
HBO Sports won seven Sports Emmy Awards including Outstanding Sports Documentary for Lombardi, Outstanding Sports Journalism for Real Sports, three for Hard Knocks on the New York Jets and one for Outstanding Edited Sports Special for 24/7: Penguins-Capitals. Some good stuff for HBO which continues to get awards for its long-form programming.
Winners were revealed Monday night at the 32nd Annual Sports Emmy® Awards in New York City.
HBO garnered seven Sports Emmys, tying the network for first place with NBC.
HBO 7
NBC 7
CBS 6
ESPN 5
ABC 3
FOX 3
MLB Network 2
ESPN2 2HBO collected seven Sports Emmy Awards which includes:
OUTSTANDING SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
LOMBARDIOUTSTANDING SPORTS JOURNALISM
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL – The Missing Link (Bernard Goldberg)OUTSTANDING EDITED SPORTS SERIES/ANTHOLOGY
HARD KNOCKS: TRAINING CAMP WITH THE NEW YORK JETSOUTSTANDING CAMERA WORK
HARD KNOCKS: TRAINING CAMP WITH THE NEW YORK JETSOUTSTANDING POST PRODUCED AUDIO/SOUND
HARD KNOCKS: TRAINING CAMP WITH THE NEW YORK JETSOUTSTANDING EDITED SPORTS SPECIAL
24/7 PENGUINS/CAPITALS: ROAD TO THE NHL WINTER CLASSICOUTSTANDING EDITING
24/7 JIMMIE JOHNSON: RACE TO DAYTONA
CBS Sports’ press release is next.
May
02
Complete Winner’s List of the 32nd Annual Sports Emmy Awards
Ok, I’ve listed the winners in the Sports Emmy Awards. Now time to list the people who were part of the productions that won. First, the breakdown of the networks that won awards tonight. HBO and NBC won the most awards tied with 7 as 2010 was an Olympic year. Turner Sports was shut out.
Winners by Network
| HBO | 7 | MLB Network | 2 | |
| NBC | 7 | DIRECTV | 1 | |
| CBS | 6 | NBCOlympics.com | 1 | |
| ESPN | 5 | NBCOlympics.com/NBCLearn.com | 1 | |
| ABC | 3 | |||
| FOX | 3 | NFL Network | 1 | |
| ESPN2 | 2 |
And the breakdown of awards by networks:
The 32nd Annual Emmy Awards for Sports
SUMMARY OF WINNERS BY NETWORK
HBO (7)
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets ……… 3
24/7 Jimmie Johnson Race to Daytona …………………………… 1
24/7 Penguins-Capitals: Road to the Winter Classic ……….. 1
Lombardi …………………………………………………………… 1
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel ………………………………………… 1
NBC (7)
XXI Olympic Winter Games ……………………………………………….. 3
Cris Collinsworth ………………………………………………………………….. 1
Bob Costas …………………………………………………………………………… 1
Mike Emrick …………………………………………………………………………. 1
NBC Sunday Night Football ………………………………………………. 1
CBS (6)
NFL on CBS – Super Bowl XLIV ……………………………………………. 3
Golf on CBS …………………………………………………………………………. 1
NCAA Basketball on CBS ……………………………………………………. 1
US Open Tennis Championship ………………………………………….. 1
ESPN (5)
2010 FIFA World Cup …………………………………………………………… 2
College GameDay………………………………………………………………. 1
Kirk Herbstreit ……………………………………………………………………….. 1
Sport Science ………………………………………………………………………. 1
ABC (3)
2010 FIFA World Cup …………………………………………………………… 3
FOX (3)
MLB All-Star Game ………………………………………………………………. 1
NASCAR on FOX ………………………………………………………………….. 1
NFL ‘It’s Good to Have a Ring’ ………………………………………….. 1
ESPN2 (2)
2010 FIFA World Cup ……………………………………………………………. 1
E:60 …………………………………………………………………………………. 1
MLB Network (2)
Bob Costas …………………………………………………………………………… 1
MLB Tonight ………………………………………………………………………….. 1
DIRECTV (1)
NFL Sunday Ticket Experience on DIRECTV …………………….. 1
NBCOlympics.com (1)
XXI Olympic Winter Games ……………………………………………….. 1
NBCOlympics.com / NBCLearn.com (1)
XXI Olympic Winter Games ……………………………………………….. 1
NFL Network (1)
Sound FX ………………………………………………………………………………. 1
And now, the winners after the jump break.
Apr
20
It’s a Mid-Week Link Thing
Let’s do some links today. I hope to get some other things done today and some time down the road, I need to do some work.
We begin Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch who gives us his March Media Power List. Some good names on it.
Some links from USA Today and lots of good ones at that. Sean Leahy notes that the Dallas Cowboys will be seen aplenty in primetime in the 2011 NFL regular season.
Sean notes that in addition to the Cowboys, the usual suspects like the Patriots, Colts, Steelers, Jets and others get multiple primetime games as well.
Michael Hiestand says while the primetime NFL schedule looks good on paper now, will the matchups really be attractive come fall?
Michael also looks at the ratings of selected events from the weekend.
Michael shares his thoughts on the NHL staying on NBC/Versus.
In what could be the first of several takeovers in Comcast/NBC markets, John Ourand at Sports Business Daily reports that Comcast SportsNet Bay Area will produce live sportscasts for the San Francisco NBC affiliate, KNTV.
Brian Lowry at Fox Sports says Sports Law & Order does not make for good television.
Dan Wetzel of Yahoo feels the fact that the NFL has scheduled two meaningful games in the New York area and Washington on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 should show that the league is serious about ending the lockout before the season begins. I’ll mildly disagree as I’m sure the NFL had plans to have games scheduled there for quite some time, but we’ll see if the league follows through.
Gregg Rosenthal of Pro Football Talk notes the five NFL teams that didn’t get scheduled for primetime.
The St. Petersburg Times’ Eric Deggans in the Indiana National Sports Journalism Center talks with investigative reporter Armen Keteyian about his return to Real Sports this month.
The Hollywood Reporter’s Marisa Guthrie has NBC Sports Group Emperor Dick Ebersol being extremely optimistic about the company’s new 10 year deal with the NHL.
Jon Lafayette at Broadcasting & Cable says with its new deal, NBC/Versus will get extra exclusivity from the NHL.
Jon says the $2 billion pricetag for the NHL shows that Comast is willing to spend money on sports.
Michael Malone of B&C has more details about Comcast SportsNet Bay Area taking over the live sportscasts for NBC’s KNTV.
Janon Fisher of Adweek says a New York woman is suing the Yankees for trademark infringement saying the team never paid her uncle to create what is now the iconic logo for the franchise.
Glenn Davis at SportsGrid says a New York Daily News Mets beat writer did his best to come up with a creative lede to describe yet another loss by the team.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell asks does it really matter who is on the Madden NFL video game cover?
Bruce Allen from Boston Sports Media Watch takes a look at what the impact of a Comcast SportsNet New England/NBC partnership could mean for the New England region.
From the New York Times, Richard Sandomir says the NHL decided to remain loyal to the networks that stood by it when times were tough to find a television home.
Newsday’s Neil Best says ESPN Radio New York is undergoing yet another scheduling shuffle.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says poker’s time on TV might be over.
Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette gives praise to the NBC/Versus deal with the NHL.
Ken McMillan at the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record speculates on what the NFL schedule in New York would look like throughout the 2011 season provided the lockout is settled.
Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner takes a look at the NHL’s new contract with the NBC Sports Group.
Stephen Whyno of the Washington Times tells us what the NBC Sports Group/NHL deal means for fans.
An era in broadcasting is ending as long-time Voice of the North Carolina Tarheels Woody Durham announced his retirement today. Durham began broadcasting Carolina football and basketball in 1971 and ended this year in 2011 which means an amazing 40 year career. I used to pick up the games through various 50,000 watt AM radio stations from the Tarheels Radio Network. He was great to listen to and I loved his style of calling a game.
Robbi Pickeral of the Raleigh News & Observer says Durham felt it was time to retire.
Briana Gorman from the Durham Herald-Sun writes that the news of Durham’s retirement came as a shock to some.
Ed Hardin of the Greensboro News & Record says Durham was a journalist and a friend.
Bob Sutton of the Gaston Gazette shares one particular memory about Woody Durham.
Alan Ford of the Gazette says Woody was there to call all of the big moments in Carolina basketball.
Aaron Keck at radio station WCHL in Chapel Hill, NC has reaction from those who worked with Durham over the years.
Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution asks Woody’s son, Wes, an outstanding broadcaster in his own right and voice of Georgia Tech basketball and the Atlanta Falcons, on whether he would succeed his father.
Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham (AL) News feels ESPN’s Bob Knight should go one step farther after his apology on comments he made about Kentucky’s basketball program.
In fact, ESPN issued a short statement on Knight’s comments.
Then ESPN issued an apology attributed to Knight.
Eric Crawford at the Louisville Courier-Journal says Knight’s apology still doesn’t address inaccuracies in his original statements about Kentucky.
In Crain’s Chicago Business, Ed Sherman has some various Windy City sports media news and notes.
Ed says the Chicago Bears did not receive the maximum number of primetime appearances.
Chip Scoggins from the Minneapolis Star Tribune says without Brett Favre, the Minnesota Vikings’ primetime appearances have been cut significantly.
Diane Pucin of the Los Angeles Times looks at the new NBC Sports Group/NHL deal.
Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News notes that the Pac 12 asked Fox for a lot of money and that is why the rights to the conference are currently on the open market.
David Shoalts of the Toronto Globe and Mail says the NHL wants to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix at all costs over its TV market. There’s been talk the Coyotes may have to Winnipeg, but nothing has been confirmed.
Bruce Dowbiggin of the Globe and Mail writes that Don Cherry’s making light of concussions isn’t helping the situation.
The lovely Kat Hasenauer at SportsGirlKat (and she is lovely as I’ve met her in person) says blogging should not have a negative connotation. Very good post.
Sports Media Watch speaks with the Vice President of Content at NBA Digital.
SMW notes that NBC Sports Group is about to rebrand Versus very soon.
Let’s get Steve Lepore’s take on the NBC Sports Group new contract with the NHL in Puck The Media and he says it’s a win-win not just for both parties, but for fans too.
Steve also has the NHL Playoff weekend ratings for Versus.
The Canadian Sports Media blog has its observations on The Group and NHL getting back together.
The Big Lead talks about its first online NFL Pre-Draft special that will take place next Monday.
Dave Kohl in Major League Programs looks at sports radio ratings in various major markets.
Ok, I think I’m done for now.
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