Real Sports
Jul
18
Let’s Do Some Wednesday Linkage
Time for the links on this Wednesday. Let’s check out what we have.
Marisa Guthrie of the Hollywood Reporter talks with NBC’s Bob Costas about the Olympics, Jerry Sandusky and being short. That’s right.
Daniel Kaplan from the Sports Business Journal writes that the NFL will not sign a telecommunications partner this season and will see how the Wi-Fi experience goes at five stadiums before deciding.
Owen Gibson of the London (UK) Guardian reports that BBC has scored the rights to the Olympics through 2020.
BBC Director-General Mark Thompson blogs about the Beeb keeping the UK rights to the Olympics.
I have the BBC press release on the new Olympics contract.
Jeff Labrecque of Entertainment Weekly says ESPNU will have its own late night entertainment/talk show premiering in late August.
Also from EW, Dan Snierson says disgraced former Cincinnati Reds star Pete Rose will get his own TLC reality show. The question is, who doesn’t have a TLC reality show?
Brian Moran at Broadcasting & Cable says World Team Tennis will get live national coverage this weekend on Tennis Channel and the Comcast SportsNet regional affiliates.
Toni Fitzgerald at Media Life writes that ratings for the Home Run Derby were up while the All-Star Game took a hit.
The SportsCasters speak with Sports Illustrated writer Jon Wertheim about Joe Posnanski’s book on Joe Paterno.
Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report wonders why SI passed on printing an excerpt of Posnanski’s book.
Ed notices that the promotional video for the Paterno book has been removed from YouTube.
Ed talks with an ESPN executive on the network now using its own cameras instead of relying on the BBC to cover the Open Championship.
Reinhardt Krause of Investor’s Business Daily look at how cable providers are finding ways to drive up sports rights fees.
The Tampa Bay Times’ Eric Deggans in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center talks with Real Sports’ Frank Deford about his updated piece on marching band hazing at historically black colleges.
SportsGrid’s Eric Goldschein has video of Los Angeles Dodgers voice Vin Scully scolding the team for its failure to execute a rundown play.
Patrick Burns at Deadspin says the Joe Paterno story dominated ESPN’s news coverage last week.
Deadspin’s John Koblin notes that Sports Illustrated is beginning to use the photo sharing site, Instagram.
The London (UK) Mirror provides 100 bizarre facts about the Olympics.
Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with ESPN’s Paul Azinger about the Open Championship.
Brandon Marcello of the Jackson (MS) Clarion-Ledger says the SEC Storied documentary series will produce a film on a former Mississippi State football coach.
Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman notes that with the Thunder’s Kevin Durant, USA basketball vs. Brazil on ESPN drew very well locally.
John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer wonders what exactly will the new TLC Pete Rose reality show be about?
John says a local internet service provider will add ESPN3 in August.
Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times looks at ESPN paying the Rose Bowl $80 million per year starting in 2015.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has a preview of tonight’s “The Franchise” episode on Showtime which will show the Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton going under the knife.
Joe Flint of the Times has Comcast appealing to the government to butt out of its programming decisions i.e., Tennis Channel.
Sports Media Watch notes that TNT’s NASCAR season finale saw increased ratings.
SMW has some ratings news and notes.
Chinwe Nwadike at Chinwe’s Corner wonders why some in the media are angry at Fox’s Erin Andrews.
Emmett Jones at Sports Business Digest says the WWE has established a social media hub for investors.
Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing has a screengrab of the Longhorn Network taking one final shot at Texas A&M before it leaves the Big 12 for good.
Jason Boog at Galleycat says an NBC Sports producer has published a children’s book on the Olympics.
That will do it for today.
Jul
17
Bryant Gumbel’s Closing Comments on HBO’s Real Sports, July 17, 2012
HBO Sports has sent us an advance transcript of tonight’s Real Sports closing commentary by Bryant Gumbel. Often, Bryant’s words are to the point and tonight, he’s practically spot on.
Here he takes on Reggie Jackson’s recent comments about Alex Rodriguez and the Baseball Hall of Fame. Then Bryant talks about the HoF being a place of honor and not necessarily statistics. And with the Steroids Era players becoming eligible starting next year, Bryant gives voters a warning.
BRYANT GUMBEL CLOSING COMMENTARY
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL
EPISODE #184
AIRS TONIGHT (7/17) @ 10:00 PM ET/PT“Finally tonight comes word that Reggie Jackson has wisely decided to pass on this weekend’s induction ceremonies at Cooperstown. You may have seen that Jackson recently caused a stir by suggesting that a variety of baseball notables didn’t merit inclusion in the Hall of Fame. Now, because his judgment was personal and his timing terrible, Reggie has since retreated from his stated views. But here’s hoping that the gist of what he said isn’t altogether lost on the Hall’s voters.
You see Reggie was basically right in contending that the hall should be special and its doors should not be opened just because someone stuck around long enough to collect 3,000 hits or 300 wins. Yes, the numbers are proof of some very good players. But as the former star pitcher Jim Kaat has often noted so astutely, Cooperstown’s supposed to be a Hall of Fame – not a hall of achievement.
If the voters are really so obsessed with honoring guys with the numbers, they’d be wise to start rethinking the exclusion of those megastars linked to steroids, and do it quickly. Because the next Cooperstown ballot will, for the first time, include among others, both the seven-time MVP Barry Bonds and the seven-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens. And while both men have a suspect past, it’s going to be hard to argue they don’t deserve a bust in Cooperstown. After all, a hall of fame that somehow excludes the game’s homerun king and its most honored pitcher and its all-time hits leader, would really be making a mockery of itself.”
That’s all. Real Sports airs tonight at 10 ET/PT
Jul
17
Doing Some Tuesday Linkage
I was expecting to be out of the office today, but with the temperatures over 90 in Southern New England, being inside with air conditioning is probably the way to go today. I hope wherever you are, you’re staying cool and away from the sun.
I have some links.
Georg Szalai of the Hollywood Reporter says the BBC is defending the size of its staff devoted to covering the London Olympics pointing out that NBC is bringing almost four times BBC’s number.
Tim Baysinger of Broadcasting & Cable writes that ESPN has hired an internationally-known soccer journalist to bolster its website.
Tim says Golf Channel has made a couple of hires.
George Winslow at Broadcasting & Cable writes that the Pac-12 Networks have selected Cisco to distribute video throughout its systems.
Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says a US-based martial arts network is attempting to gain a foothold in Europe.
Gabriel Belton of Adweek looks at a new Olympics-themed ad from GlaxoSmithKline.
Rupal Parekh at Advertising Age says Ralph Lauren is taking a huge PR hit over its “Made in Communist China” US Olympic Opening Ceremony uniforms.
Michelle Smith of espnW profiles Lydia Murphy-Stephens who’s helping to launch the Pac-12 Networks.
Timothy Burke at Deadspin notes that NBC’s Today Show ran video of the wrong man during an interview with Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Michael Vick.
John Koblin of Deadspin says Sports Illustrated will not run an excerpt of Joe Posnanski’s upcoming book on Joe Paterno.
Ed Sherman in The Sherman Report says a promotional video for Posnanski’s book seems to be seriously outdated in the wake of the Freeh Report released last week.
Joe Lucia of Awful Announcing explores whether Baseball Night in America was a ratings success for Fox.
Matt Yoder of AA talks with ESPN tome author James Andrew Miller in a podcast.
And Matt speaks with Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel about Penn State and the BCS in a new podcast.
How about one more podcast? Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina interviews Fox’s Erin Andrews on why she left ESPN.
Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy explores whether the NHL’s new TV deals with NBC and HBO could prevent a prolonged lockout unlike the last one which wiped out an entire season.
At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay Times says the Freeh Report shows that journalists cannot take a college football program at face value.
Also at the National Sports Journalism Center, Michael Bradley blasts ESPN and Big Ten Network for their coverage of the Freeh Report.
Sports Video Group looks at a company that is streaming the Olympics to 70 countries worldwide.
Cork Gaines of the Business Insider Sports Page says ESPN actually censored its own Body Issue cover of New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski this morning.
Newsday’s Neil Best ventures into NBC’s “Billion Dollar Lab” for the 2012 Olympics.
Jerry Barmash of Fishbowl NY notes that WFAN’s Mike Francesa tops the Talkers Magazine Heavy Hundred Sports Radio Talk Show Hosts.
The Albany Times Union’s Pete Dougherty discusses Golf Channel’s new hires.
Evan Weiner in the New Jersey Newsroom says the NFL is pricing out the regular fan.
Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning News says a former Eagles and Steelers offensive lineman is now working for NFL Films.
David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun is telling readers that Taylor Teagarden’s inadvertent “S” bomb after the Orioles win over Detroit on Fox Saturday is not a big deal.
Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog looks at where the local sports radio talkers rank on Talkers Heavy Hundred List.
Dan has video of a new Robert Griffin III commercial.
Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner explores the Nationals’ TV and radio ratings.
Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman notes that native Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers will be profiled on HBO’s Real Sports tonight.
John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer has video of Charlie Sheen appearing with Joe Morgan (?) on Jay Leno’s Show of Hacks.
Paul M. Banks of Chicago Sports Media Watch says ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue included a local Olympic volleyballer.
The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Chris Scott says the site’s own online TV service will be live from the Del Mar Racetrack this week for Opening Day.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News notes that the White House had trouble transcribing ESPN’s Mark Jones’ interview of President Obama during last night’s USA vs. Brazil pre-Olympic basketball exhibition game.
Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail says NHL fans may not see hockey until at least Thanksgiving at the earliest.
Paulsen at Sports Media Watch has some ratings news and notes.
That’s going to end the links for today.
Jul
16
Real Sports Back on Tuesday, July 17
HBO’s Emmy Award-winning newsmagazine, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, returns Tuesday with a profile of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Matt Kemp, a story about 1996 US Olympic gold medalist Dominique Moceanu’s long-lost sister and an update on band hazing at Historically Black College and Universities. While 20/20 already did a story on Moceanu and her sister, I’m sure HBO’s version will have something 20/20 did not cover.
Here’s the press release from HBO.
GOES ONE-ON-ONE WITH DODGERS ALL-STAR MATT KEMP;
TELLS THE IMPROBABLE STORY OF TWO GYMNASTS; AND
REEXAMINES MARCHING BAND HAZING AT HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES WHEN THE EMMY®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS JULY 17, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBONow in its 18th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 184th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, JULY 17 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Other HBO playdates: July 17 (3:10 a.m.), 19 (2:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m.), 22 (1:00 p.m.), 23 (1:00 a.m.), 25 (10:30 a.m., 5:30 p.m.), 28 (10:45 a.m.), 30 (11:30 p.m.) and 31 (6:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: July 18 (5:15 p.m., 1:50 a.m.), 20 (9:00 a.m., 8:00 p.m.), 24 (2:00 a.m.), 26 (2:00 p.m., 12:30 a.m.) and 29 (7:00 p.m., 5:10 a.m.), and Aug. 1 (5:30 p.m.) and 4 (11:25 a.m.)
HBO On Demand availability: July 23-Aug. 13. The show is also available on HBO GO.
Segments include:
*The Toast of Tinseltown. Boasting a new $160 million contract, emerging superstar Matt Kemp is the heart and soul of the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise. Kemp, 27, led the National League in home runs, runs batted in and runs scored last year, and was recently chosen to be a starting National League All-Star for the second straight season, despite a nagging hamstring injury that will keep him from playing in Kansas City. This current success stands in sharp contrast to his humble Oklahoma upbringing. In a REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Jon Frankel talks with Kemp about how the Dodgers have put their faith in him as a leader, and the pressures that come with that vote of confidence.
Producer: Michael Tolajian.
*Separated. Born without legs in the late 1980s, Jen Bricker was promptly given up for adoption by her parents. However, her foster parents treated her like a normal child, and she grew up in Illinois playing sports, despite her physical limitations. Around the same time, Romanian-American Dominique Moceanu was emerging as one of the United States’ best young gymnasts as part of the “Magnificent Seven” who captured team gold at the 1996 Atlanta games. Aware of her own Romanian heritage, Bricker rooted for Moceanu that summer, and, inspired by her idol, began competing and excelling in the sport. Recently, the two discovered an improbable bond much more profound than their shared interest in gymnastics, which would change both of their lives forever. REAL SPORTS correspondent Bernard Goldberg sits down with the two women to hear their moving story.
Producer: Joe Perskie.
*The Deadly Tradition. Among the most entertaining spectacles in college football is the game-day performance of the school band. Shockingly, behind the tradition and prestige of marching bands at historically black universities is a longstanding ritual of violent hazing, where bandmates hit, strike and even beat their counterparts. Two years ago, REAL SPORTS correspondent Frank Deford revealed some of the troubling incidents that led to the suspension of students and band directors, with victims filing and winning lawsuits. Yet the callous practice continued largely unabated. Last fall, at Florida A&M University, which was included in the Nov. 2010 report, drum major Robert Champion died after brutal hazing. Now, Deford leads HBO’s cameras back to the campuses to ask: Despite countless warnings, why does this dangerous initiation custom continue?
Producers: Josh Fine, Nick Dolin, Jake Rosewasser.
REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 15 times and has received 23 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. In January, 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. In April, the show received the Emmy® in the category of Outstanding Sports Journalism for Bernard Goldberg’s 2011 report on the college bowl game money trail.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.
That is all.
Jun
19
Bryant Gumbel’s Closing Comments on Real Sports, 06/19
Tonight, Bryant Gumbel went after some athletes whom he felt got their comeuppance. He didn’t spare any words in going after Terrell Owens, Floyd Mayweather, Curt Schilling and Manny Ramirez. Sometimes Bryant’s comments are way out in left field, but tonight, I agree with him.
Overall, this edition of Real Sports was one of the best I’ve seen in a long time.
Here are Bryant’s comments:
Finally tonight, it may be time to question that adage that “Justice Delayed is Justice Denied”, because some famous jocks who’ve been infamous jerks for a long time have finally been getting their comeuppance … and all in the last three weeks.
On May 30th, the veteran diva Terrell Owens, got kicked to the curb by the latest and probably last team that tired of his shenanigans… an indoor league football team at that.
On June 1st, Floyd Mayweather, the fighter who found it easier to get physical with the mother of his children than with Manny Pacquaio finally went to jail to begin serving a sentence for domestic battery.
On June 7th, we learned that the FBI is investigating former pitcher and fulltime blowhard Curt Schilling. A tea party guy, he evidently hates gov’t handouts, except when they’re to him. Schilling’s company, it seems, forfeited on a sweetheart Rhode Island state loan, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill.
On June 13th, the US anti-doping agency effectively said what so many have long suspected…that Lance Armstrong is a fraud and they’ve officially brought charges that may at long last cycle him out of the spotlight.
And on June 15th, Manny Ramirez, the 40 year old slugger whose been a major league pain in the ass for years, was given his release and would appear to be finally on his way out of baseball.
In the grand scheme of things, the problems of all these guys may not amount to much, unless you believe in karma…in which case, congratulations are in order, because you’re having one hell of a month.
And that’s our show for this evening. For all the good folks here at Real Sports, I’m Bryant Gumbel. Thanks so much for being with us and good night.
Very strong words from Bryant tonight. I particularly like what he said about Curt Schilling. No, I’m not a bitter Rhode Island taxpayer, not at all. Anyway, Bryant’s commentary gets an A.
Jun
18
Real Sports Returns Tuesday, June 19
The Emmy Award-winning Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel returns on Tuesday with three new stories and one update. One story will have an interview with former NBA coach Phil Jackson who talks about whether he’ll return to the league. Two stories have Olympic themes and one will focus on one of the most dangerous races in the world.
Lots of interesting stories. HBO gives us a preview.
Now in its 18th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 183rd edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, JUNE 19 (10:00 p.m. ET/PT & 9:00 p.m. CT), exclusively on HBO.
Other HBO playdates: June 19 (2:25 a.m.), 22 (10:30 a.m., 8:00 p.m.), 24 (10:30 a.m.), 25 (3:30 p.m.), 27 (6:00 p.m., 1:15 a.m.) and 30 (10:00 a.m.), and July 2 (11:30 p.m.) and 5 (7:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: June 20 (2:00 p.m.), 23 (9:20 a.m.) and 29 (6:00 a.m., 8:00 p.m.), and July 1 (4:15 p.m.), 3 (8:30 a.m., 5:30 p.m.) and 9 (11:00 a.m., 11:00 p.m.)
HBO On Demand availability: June 25-July 16
Segments include:
*Philling Time. He’s won more championships than any other professional team coach in history. So why is Phil Jackson relaxing at his secluded house in Montana, instead of issuing orders from the bench of an NBA team? In an exclusive interview with the 11-time title winner, REAL SPORTS correspondent Andrea Kremer goes to Jackson’s rarely-seen compound in Big Sky country to discuss what’s ahead in his life and whether a return to an NBA team is in his future.
Producer: Nick Dolin.
*Holley Mangold. At 5’8” and 350 pounds, Holley Mangold isn’t your typical world-class athlete. Loud and bawdy, the 22-year-old won a spot on the U.S. Olympic weightlifting team after hoisting 320 pounds in the clean-and-jerk event. Sitting in the stands cheering her on was older brother Nick Mangold, All Pro center for the New York Jets. The siblings grew up playing all kinds of sports, but when Holley saw Nick play Pee Wee Football, she followed suit, playing offensive line from grade school through high school and becoming the first high-school female ever to play from the line of scrimmage in Ohio. When she took up weightlifting in college, however, she really set herself apart, ascending to the top of the sport in only four years. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated report, correspondent Mary Carillo catches up with Holley Mangold as she prepares for the fast-approaching London Olympic Games.
Producer: Lisa Bennett.
*Isle of Man. The Isle of Man, a 226-square mile island in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland, hosts motorcycle racing’s most prestigious event, the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, but the competition has been under heavy scrutiny for safety concerns since it began in 1907. The Snaefell Mountain Course, where the race is held during the final week of May and the first week of June, has resulted in 237 deaths, and the event was stripped of its world championship status in 1976. REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel travels to the British Isles to learn more about this prominent, very dangerous, race.
Producer: Tim Walker.
*Lopez Lomong. Lopez Lomong is considered one of the “Lost Boys of Sudan.” After being captured by rebel soldiers during a brutal Sudanese civil war and suffering through weeks of watching others die at their camp, the six-year-old ran for three days until he reached Kenya, where he was placed in a refugee camp. Lomong spent the next ten years of his life as a refugee before being adopted by a rural New York family. He subsequently emerged as an elite talent in long-distance running, earning a scholarship to Northern Arizona University, where he won two NCAA championships, and a chance to represent the United States at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
When REAL SPORTS last talked to Lomong, he was training for the 2008 Games, at which he was chosen by his fellow Americans to carry the U.S. flag in the opening ceremonies and reached the semi-finals of the 1500M. Correspondent Mary Carillo reconnects with the 27-year-old as he prepares for the 2012 London track trials.
Producers: Jake Rosenwasser, Mike Sullivan.
REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 15 times and has received 23 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. In January, 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. In April, the show received the Emmy® in the category of Outstanding Sports Journalism for Bernard Goldberg’s 2011 report on the college bowl game money trail.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.
That’s all.
May
21
Preview of HBO’s Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel, Episode 182 — Lolo Jones
On Tuesday, HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel will air a feature on Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones and her attempts to get back to the Games. You may remember in the 2008 Communist China Olympics that Jones was leading the women’s 100 meter hurdles and was the heavy favorite to win the gold medal when she hit the next to last hurdle, then fell to the track and lost the race. Now, she’s attempting to get back to the Olympics for her shot at redemption.
Mary Carillo interviewed Lolo and we have some clips from the show that will air on Tuesday. And the subject matter is rather fascinating.
First, Jones talks about how she got the name “Lolo”.
Here, Lolo tells Mary what it takes to train to get to the Olympics.
And in this clip, Lolo explains to Mary why she decided to remain a virgin until she marries.
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel airs Tuesday night at 10 ET/PT on HBO with various replays throughout the next three weeks.
May
21
HBO’s Real Sports Returns May 22
The Emmy Award-winning monthly HBO Sports newsmagazine Real Sports returns Tuesday with three new stories and an update.
Among the stories you’ll see will be a look at why Korean golfers thrive on the LPGA Tour, a profile of Olympics hurdler Lolo Jones, another profile on the nephew of legendary boxer Micky Ward and the update will be on a New York City fireman who was a top-notch accident, but after an accident and losing his leg became a top-notch athlete again.
We have the preview of this month’s program from HBO Sports. Check it out.
LOOKS AT SOUTH KOREAN DOMINANCE ON THE LPGA TOUR;
GOES ONE-ON-ONE WITH US OLYMPIAN LOLO JONES;
TELLS THE INSPIRING STORY OF RAY GREENHALGE, MICKY WARD’S NEPHEW;
AND RECONNECTS WITH NEW YORK CITY FIREMAN MATT LONG WHEN THE EMMY®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS MAY 22, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBONow in its 18th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 182nd edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, MAY 22 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Other HBO playdates: May 22 (5:00 a.m.), 25 (1:30 p.m., 8:00 p.m.), 27 (8:00 a.m.), 29 (8:30 a.m., 6:00 p.m.) and 31 (4:00 p.m., 3:45 a.m.), and June 2 (9:30 a.m.) and 6 (11:00 a.m., 12:25 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: May 24 (7:00 p.m.), 26 (1:40 p.m.), 28 (10:00 p.m.) and 30 (10:00 a.m., 11:00 p.m.), and June 3 (11:30 a.m.), 7 (7:00 p.m., 1:45 a.m.) and 11 (3:30 p.m.)
HBO On Demand availability: May 28-June 18
Segments include:
*Seoul Sisters. Home to 50 million people, tiny, mountainous South Korea has little room for golf courses, but no other country in the world has more women in the upper ranks of pro female golfers. An astounding 145 of the top 500 female golfers in the world are from South Korea, including four of the top ten, while the nation is responsible for 17 of the top 50 LPGA earners in 2012 to date, the most of any country. The path to success on the links can begin early, with some young South Korean women – on the advice of their parents – sacrificing traditional schooling to dedicate more than 40 hours a week to their craft. REAL SPORTS host Bryant Gumbel travels to South Korea to find out how a country roughly the size of Indiana and making up less than one percent of the world’s population has come to dominate a sport.
Producer: Nick Dolin.
*Lolo Jones. Entering the Women’s 100M Hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Lori “Lolo” Jones was the favorite to capture gold, but she tripped while attempting to clear the penultimate hurdle, finishing seventh. While this stumble was a huge blow to her career, it was also just another adversity to overcome. Jones’ difficult childhood included stretches of homelessness, thanks to a father who was in and out of prison and a mother who struggled financially. But she went on to win three NCAA titles, earn 11 All-American honors at LSU and capture gold medals at the World Indoor Championship. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Mary Carillo sits down with the 29-year-old to talk about then and now, as she prepares for what could be her last shot at Olympic gold.
Producer: Chapman Downes.
*Ray Greenhalge. When Ray Greenhalge was born seven weeks prematurely, doctors said he would never walk or talk as a result of the debilitating muscle disorder cerebral palsy, as well as severe fluid on the brain. Now, 26 years later, he’s probably more talkative and physically active than most his age – an age many feared he wouldn’t reach. The nephew and godson of retired boxer Micky Ward, best known for his historic trilogy of fights with Arturo Gatti in 2002 and 2003, Greenhalge has a unique passion for boxing, which gives him a sense of direction. He also proves to be every bit as tough as his uncle, with whom he spars ten rounds every Saturday, as well as engaging in two- to three-hour daily gym workouts. REAL SPORTS correspondent Bernard Goldberg travels to Massachusetts to hear Greenhalge’s inspirational story.
Producer: Michael Tolajian.
*Matt Long. On a frigid 2005 winter morning in midtown Manhattan during a transit strike, New York City fireman, marathoner and Ironman triathlete Matt Long was riding his bike to work when a private bus made an illegal turn and literally ran him over. Given a one-percent chance of survival, he spent five months in the hospital and underwent 40 surgeries to repair his crushed right leg and impaled organs. The 46-year-old credits his great physical condition for being able to stave off infection and survive the ordeal. The 9/11 veteran persevered and trained passionately for two years to become a top-notch athlete again. In 2008, Long completed the New York City marathon in just over seven hours, and eight months later completed an Ironman Competition within the 17-hour time limit.
Since the original story aired in 2009, Long has gotten married and expects to become a father in June. He was also involved in another car accident, this time during a charity bike ride in Florida, but escaped with just a broken wrist. While the injury derailed his quest to qualify for this summer’s London Paralympics, REAL SPORTS correspondent Mary Carillo learns that Long is doing better than ever.
Producers: Jake Rosenwasser, Lisa Bennett.
REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 15 times and has received 23 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. In January, REAL SPORTS received its second duPont Award, for a series of investigative reports on concussions, highlighted by the August 2010 story revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS. Last month, the show received the Emmy® in the category of Outstanding Sports Journalism for Bernard Goldberg’s 2011 report on the college bowl games money trail.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.
That’s all from here.
May
01
HBO Sports Wins Three Sports Emmy Awards
Another Sports Emmy Award press release for you. This one comes from HBO Sports which was honored for its innovative 24/7 series, one for boxing, the other for the NHL. And HBO also received one of the more prestigious awards, Outstanding Sports Journalism for its feature “The College Bowl Game Money Trail” which was aired on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel last year.
Here is HBO Sports’ press release for you.
HBO collected three Sports Emmys Awards.
The wins marked the 15th time that Real Sports has been honored with the award for “Outstanding Sports Journalism” and the two trophies for the “24/7” franchise brings to 16 the number of Sports Emmys won by the series since its inception in 2007. “24/7” is the most honored sports series on television during that span.
OUTSTANDING SPORTS JOURNALISM –
- REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL – The College Bowl Game Money Trail (Bernard Goldberg)
OUTSTANDING EDITING –
- 24/7 PACQUIAO/MARQUEZ
THE DICK SCHAAP WRITING AWARD
- 24/7 FLYERS/RANGERS: ROAD TO THE NHL WINTER CLASSIC
We’re done. Two more Sports Emmy press releases and we’re finished in the category.
May
01
Winners of the 33rd Annual Sports Emmy Awards
Throughout the day, I will be posting various press releases from the networks touting their Sports Emmy Awards. Last night, I posted the winners as they were handed out. Now, we have the official press release from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences which holds the annual ceremonies.
These include the names who were involved in each category. Congratulations to all of the winners this year.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF THE 33rd ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS
Jack Whitaker Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award
New York, NY – April 30, 2012 – The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) announced the winners of the 33rd Annual Sports Emmy® Awards at a special ceremony tonight at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. Winners in 33 categories including Outstanding Live Sports Special, Live Series, Sports Documentary, Studio Show, Promotional Announcements, Play-by-Play Personality and Studio Analyst were honored.
The awards were presented by a distinguished group of sports figures and television personalities including Cris Collinsworth (sports analyst for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football”); Harold Reynolds (MLB Network studio analyst); Michele Tafoya (sideline reporter, NBC’s “Sunday Night Football”); Al Leiter (studio analyst, MLB Network); Mike Mayock (game analyst, NFL Network); Melissa Stark (reporter, NFL Network); Shaquille O’Neal (studio analyst, “Inside the NBA on TNT”); Joe Buck (sportscaster, FOX Sports); Curt Menefee (sportscaster and host, “FOX NFL Sunday”); Tracy Wolfson (sportscaster, CBS Sports); Gary Danielson (commentator, CBS Sports); Mary Carillo (correspondent, HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel”); Sage Steele (anchor, ESPN’s “SportsCenter”); Bob Papa (HBO Sports Broadcaster); Ernie Johnson (host of “Inside the NBA on TNT”); Chris McKendry (co-anchor, ESPN’s “SportsCenter”); and Steve Levy (journalist, ESPN’s “SportsCenter”).
One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Jack Whitaker, sports commentator and essayist, by Jim Nantz, play-by-play announcer of “The NFL on CBS,” NCAA college basketball and golf on CBS.
“We are honored to be presenting Jack Whitaker with our Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Malachy Wienges, Chairman, NATAS. “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, NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell was honored with the Chairman’s Award representing the networks and their patriotic coverage of the historic 10 year anniversary of September 11th last year.
The Sports Emmy® Award recipients were chosen by a Blue Ribbon Panel of industry peers. The awards recognize outstanding achievement by individuals and programs broadcast throughout the 2011 calendar year.
A detailed listing of all awards is below as compiled by the independent accountancy firm of Lutz and Carr, LLP. A list of winners for the 33rd Annual Sports Emmy Awards is also available on the National Television Academy’s website at www.emmyonline.tv.
Awards by Network Group
NBC Sports Group (NBC, Versus, Golf Channel, nbcsports.com) 9
ESPN (ESPN, ESPN 2, ABC, ESPN 3D, espn.com) 6
Turner Sports (TNT, TBS, NBA TV, NBA.com, truTV) 5
FOX Sports Media Group (FOX, SPEED) 5
CBS (CBS, Showtime, CBSSports.com) 4
HBO Sports 3
MLB Network 3
NFL Network 2
PGA.com 1
Nominations by Network
NBC 8
FOX 4
TNT 4
ESPN 3
HBO Sports 3
MLB NETWORK 3
SHOWTIME 3
ESPN2 2
NFL NETWORK 2
CBSSPORTS.COM 1
ESPN 3D 1
NBA TV 1
PGA.COM 1
SPEED 1
VERSUS 1
And the list of award winners are after the jump.
Apr
17
HBO’s Real Sports Returns Tonight
The Emmy Award-winning newsmagazine, Real Sports returns to HBO tonight with three new stories and an update. As always, the show is extremely compelling and one of the best bastions of sports journalism today.
In tonight’s edition, we get a profile of Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon, another on Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol and a look into big-mountain back country skiing.
The update is on former race car driver Alex Zanardi who lost both of his legs in a horrific accident, but didn’t allow that to define him. Bryant Gumbel goes back to talk with Zanardi who is now training for the Paralympics in London.
All fascinating stuff. Here’s the press release from HBO Sports.
PROFILES TAMPA BAY RAYS MANAGER JOE MADDON;
VISITS LAKERS FORWARD PAU GASOL;
EXPLORES THE DEATH-DEFYING WORLD OF BACKCOUNTRY SKIING; AND RECONNECTS WITH FORMER RACE CAR DRIVER ALEX ZANARDI WHEN THE EMMY®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS APRIL 17, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBONow in its 18th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 181st edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, APRIL 17 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
Other HBO playdates: April 17 (2:10 a.m.), 20 (1:30 p.m., 8:00 p.m.), 22 (9:45 a.m.), 26 (5:00 p.m., 12:30 a.m.), 28 (11:00 a.m.) and 30 (9:30 a.m., 6:30 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: April 18 (9:30 p.m., 4:15 a.m.), 24 (10:55 a.m., midnight) and 27 (8:00 a.m.), and May 1 (7:00 p.m., 2:30 a.m.), 4 (7:55 a.m., 3:30 p.m.), 6 (noon) and 12 (9:00 a.m.)
HBO On Demand availability: April 23-May 14
Segments include:
*Joe Maddon. Since they went to the World Series in 2008, the Tampa Bay Rays have been a constant force in the playoff race, despite having one of the league’s lowest payrolls and competing in the American League East against the powerhouse Yankees and Red Sox. Much of the credit should go to Rays skipper Joe Maddon, who has led the team to three playoff appearance in six years, in the process capturing two A.L. Manager of the Year Awards. REAL SPORTS correspondent Armen Keteyian talks to the charismatic 58-year-old, who recently received a three-year contract extension, as he prepares once again to battle for a post-season berth.
Producer: Joe Perskie.*Pau Gasol. Seven-foot Spaniard Pau Gasol is arguably the most athletic big man in the NBA today. After setting nearly every franchise record during seven seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, he was traded to the storied the Los Angeles Lakers, where he teamed with superstar Kobe Bryant to win back-to-back NBA championships. Entering the shortened 2012 NBA season, Gasol was the subject of constant trade rumors, but with the trade deadline behind him, the four-time all-star can now focus on playing deep into June. REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel sits down with the 31-year-old Gasol to discuss being a Laker and the pressure that comes with the Hollywood spotlight.
Producer: Maggie Burbank.*Backcountry. Skiers who conquer a slope routinely seek out a taller, faster and more challenging mountain. But some raise the stakes by taking on unchartered terrain in big-mountain backcountry skiing, where unforeseen cliff drops, unexpected turns and avalanches are among the risks. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Jon Frankel meets three backcountry enthusiasts who have risked life and limb skiing fresh-powder slopes, and asks why they find death-defying activity so enticing.
Producer: Tim Walker.*Alex Zanardi. In 2001, Italian race car driver Alex Zanardi was involved in a horrifying crash at a CART race in Germany that instantly severed both legs. Although it appeared the two-time CART champion’s driving career was finished, he embarked on a remarkable comeback, taking an active role in designing prosthetics that allowed him to resume such everyday activities as walking, swimming and driving. Eventually, he raced again, driving a specially equipped race car that allowed him to shift and accelerate with his hands. More recently, the 45-year-old has turned to handbiking, a form of Paralympic cycling. REAL SPORTS reconnects with Zanardi as he trains for this summer’s London Paralympics in the hills of Tuscany. Host Bryant Gumbel reports.
Producers: Jake Rosenwasser, Ezra Edelman.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. On March 20, the program received four Sports Emmy® Award nominations for the 2011 programming season, including two in the category of Outstanding Sports Journalism. The winners will be announced April 30.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.
That is all.
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.
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.
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