| Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Presented by | Bryant Gumbel |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 29 |
| No. of episodes | 320 |
| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | April 2, 1995 (1995-04-02) – December 19, 2023 (2023-12-19) |
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel is an American monthly sportsnews magazine that aired onHBO from April 2, 1995 to December 19, 2023. The program was presented by television journalist and sportscasterBryant Gumbel.
Each episode consisted of four stories covering society and sports, famous athletes, or problems afflicting sports.
As of 2018, the show has been honored with 32Sports Emmy Awards[1] and wonPeabody Awards in 2012 and 2015.[2][3][4] In September 2023, it was announced that the series would end after 29 seasons.[5] The final episode aired on December 19, 2023.
Real Sports was the inspiration for two other HBO shows:On the Record with Bob Costas andCostas Now.
Final correspondents:
Former correspondents:
In2004, guided by human rights activistAnsar Burney, an HBO team used ahidden camera to document slavery, sexual abuse, and torture in secret desert camps where boys as young as three were trained torace camels, a national sport in theUnited Arab Emirates. This half-hour investigative report showed a system ofchild slavery involving thousands of young boys from Bangladesh and Pakistan who were kidnapped or sold. 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 aSports Emmy Award in 2004 for "Outstanding Sports Journalism" and the 2006Alfred 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.
During the summer of 2013, Jon Frankel's interview withKelly Slater spawned an HBO Sports video ofJack Johnson and Kelly Slater performing "Home (Live from the Beach)".[6][7][8]
In February 2006, Gumbel made remarks regarding theWinter Olympics and the lack of African-American participation.[9]
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 aGOP convention.
On the August 15, 2006 episode ofReal Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Gumbel made the following remarks about former NFL commissionerPaul Tagliabue andNational Football League Players Association presidentGene Upshaw and directed these comments to new commissionerRoger 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."[10] 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 invokedslavery in his criticism of NBA CommissionerDavid Stern over theleague's lockout.[11]
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.