Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel

Overview

Format

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 32 Sports Emmy Awards and won Peabody Awards in 2012 and 2015. In September 2023, it was announced that the series would end after 29 seasons. The final episode aired on December 19, 2023.

Real Sports was the inspiration for two other HBO shows: On the Record with Bob Costas and Costas Now.

Correspondents

Final correspondents:

• Bryant Gumbel (host)
• Mary Carillo
• Jon Frankel
• Andrea Kremer
• Soledad O'Brien
• David Scott
• Carl Quintanilla
• Kavitha Davidson
• Ariel Helwani

Former correspondents:

• James Brown
• Bryan Burwell
• Frank Deford
• Jim Lampley
• Sonja Steptoe
• Lesley Visser
• Armen Keteyian
• Bernard Goldberg

Notable stories

Camel Jockeys – Sports of Sheikhs

In 2004, guided by human rights activist Ansar Burney, an HBO team used a hidden camera to document slavery, sexual abuse, and torture in secret desert camps where boys as young as three were trained to race camels, a national sport in the United Arab Emirates. This half-hour investigative report showed a system of child 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 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.

Jack Johnson and Kelly Slater singing "Home (Live from the Beach)"

During the summer of 2013, Jon Frankel's interview with Kelly Slater spawned an HBO Sports video of Jack Johnson and Kelly Slater performing "Home (Live from the Beach)".

Controversial remarks

In February 2006, Gumbel made remarks regarding the Winter Olympics and the lack of African-American participation.

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:

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."Michael McCarthy, " Gumbel's remarks strike ill chord with Tagliabue," USA Today, 22 August 2006. Gumbel replied with, "It's a lot like covering any story [...] You see what is in front of you and you report on it."

On the October 18, 2011 episode, Gumbel invoked slavery in his criticism of NBA Commissioner David Stern over the league's lockout.

References

References

1. "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel - Real Sports, Hard Knocks win Sports Emmys". HBO.
2. "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel Claims 26th Emmy | Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel | HBO Sports".
3. "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel".
4. "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel: The Killing Fields".
5. White, Peter. (September 6, 2023). "'Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel' To End On HBO After 29 Seasons".
6. Surf Bum. (July 23, 2013). "''Kelly Slater Featured on HBO Sports Real Sports Tonight''". [[Gannett Digital.
7. (July 2013). "''Kelly Slater: Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (HBO Sports)''". HBO Sports.
8. (July 2013). "''Home (Live from the beach)''". HBO Sports.
9. (February 21, 2006). "Wojciechowski: In living, ludicrous color".
10. "HBO's Bryant Gumbel calls NBA's Stern 'plantation overseer' | ajc.com".