| Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel | |
|---|---|
| Format | Sports newsmagazine |
| Presented by | Bryant Gumbel |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | HBO |
| Original airing | April 2, 1995 |
| External links | |
| HBO site | |
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel is a monthly sports newsmagazine on HBO that debuted on April 2, 1995. The show was "spawned by the fact that sports have changed dramatically, that it's no longer just fun and games, and that what happens off the field, beyond the scores, is worthy of some serious reporting," according to Bryant Gumbel, the host.
Contents |
Overview [edit]
Format [edit]
Each episode has four stories, all of which are about society and sports, famous athletes, or problems afflicting sports. The show also has investigative reports, interviews, and interesting stories that don't necessarily occur in the professional leagues. This show goes beyond traditional sports reporting, like box scores and statistics, and presents exclusive stories that other networks don't usually cover.
Real Sports was the inspiration for two other HBO shows, On the Record with Bob Costas and Costas Now.
Reporters [edit]
Reporters include Mary Carillo, Bernard Goldberg, Frank Deford, Armen Keteyian, Andrea Kramer, Jon Frankel and Bryant Gumbel himself. Several reporters have since left, including James Brown, Lesley Visser, Bryan Burwell and Jim Lampley.
Notable stories [edit]
Camel Jockeys - Sports of Sheikhs [edit]
In 2004, guided by human rights activist Ansar Burney, an HBO team used a hidden camera to document slavery and torture in secret desert camps where boys under the age of five were trained to race camels, a national sport in the United Arab Emirates. This half-hour investigative report exposed a carefully hidden child slavery ring that bought or kidnapped hundreds of young boys in Pakistan and Bangladesh. These boys were then forced to become camel jockeys in the UAE. The report also questioned the sincerity of U.S. diplomacy in pressuring an ally, the UAE, to comply with its own stated policy of banning the use of children under 15 from camel racing.
The documentary won a Sports Emmy Award in 2004 for "Outstanding Sports Journalism" and the 2006 Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award for outstanding broadcast journalism. It also brought world attention to the plight of child camel jockeys in the Middle East and helped Ansar Burney Trust to convince the governments of Qatar and the UAE to end the use of children in this sport.
Controversial remarks [edit]
In February 2006, Gumbel made remarks regarding the Winter Olympics and the lack of African-American participation.[1]
| “ | So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world's greatest athletes despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention. | ” |
On the August 15, 2006 episode of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Gumbel made the following remarks about former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and National Football League Players Association president Gene Upshaw and directed these comments to new commissioner Roger Goodell:
| “ | Before he cleans out his office have Paul Tagliabue show you where he keeps Gene Upshaw's leash. By making the docile head of the players union his personal pet, your predecessor has kept the peace without giving players the kind of guarantees other pros take for granted. Try to make sure no one competent ever replaces Upshaw on your watch. | ” |
In response, Tagliabue said, "What Gumbel said about Gene Upshaw and our owners is about as irresponsible as anything I've heard in a long time." [2] Gumbel replied with, "It's a lot like covering any story [...] You see what is in front of you and you report on it."[citation needed]
On the October 18, 2011 episode, Gumbel evoked slavery in his criticism of NBA Commissioner David Stern over the league's lockout.[3]
| “ | His efforts are typical of a commissioner who has always seemed eager to be viewed as some kind of modern-day plantation overseer, treating NBA men as if they were his boys. [...] His moves are intended to do little more than show how he's the one keeping the hired hands in their place. | ” |
References [edit]
External links [edit]
- Official site
- Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel at the Internet Movie Database
- Columbus Dispatch Article
- Real Sports - Fang's Bites
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