The WORST episodes of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
Every episode of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel!
Real Sports is TV's most-honored sports news magazine series, with 35 Sports Emmy Awards, including 20 for Outstanding Sports Journalism. Now in its 28th season, the monthly magazine broadcast produces hard-hitting investigative reports and gripping in-depth profiles from across the sports spectrum.
#1 - Episode 11
Season 8 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/26/2002
Included: profiles of Jeannie Buss, executive vice president of the Los Angeles Lakers, and former Virginia Tech basketball player Rayna DuBose, who lost her hands and feet to meningitis; a report on men playing women's field hockey; and the rags-to-riches story of PGA pro Esteban Toledo. Armen Keteyian and Frank Deford are among the correspondents.
#2 - Episode 8
Season 9 - Episode 8 - Aired 8/19/2003
A profile of 13-year-old golfer Michelle Wie; an update on former heavyweight champ Riddick Bowe; a visit with former NFL TE Johnnie Mitchell; and a report on a soccer team comprised of homeless men. Correspondents include Frank Deford, James Brown and Mary Carillo.
#3 - Episode 7
Season 9 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/22/2003
Included: profiles of auto racer Alex Zanardi and soccer player David Beckham; and a report on Mark Roberts, Britain's so-called "serial streaker." Correspondents include Frank Deford and Bernard Goldberg.
#4 - Episode 6
Season 9 - Episode 6 - Aired 6/24/2003
A look back at the controversy surrounding the remains of baseball legend Ted Williams; a report on the emergence of international basketball talent; and an examination of the lives of professional wrestlers. Correspondents include Bernard Goldberg and Frank Deford.
#5 - Episode 5
Season 9 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/20/2003
Bob Costas interviews baseball commissioner Bud Selig. Also: a look at the sports-talk program "Pardon the Interruption," an interview with Terry Bradshaw and a look at the treatment of Iraqi athletes. Correspondents include Armen Keteyian.
#6 - Episode 4
Season 9 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/15/2003
Reports on Toughman competitions, the frequency of head injuries in soccer, and law suits in youth sports. Also: a look at Carver Academy, a private school founded by the NBA's David Robinson. Correspondents include Frank Deford and Mary Carillo.
#7 - Episode 3
Season 9 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/18/2003
A look at the impact of this year's Masters controversy on Augusta, Ga.; profiles of former high-school-to-NBA phenom Darryl Dawkins and state trooper turned NBA referee Bob Delaney; and a report on U.S. Olympic Committee controversies. Correspondents include Frank Deford and Armen Keteyian.
#8 - Episode 2
Season 9 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/11/2003
Included: an interview with five-time world champion boxer Johnny Tapia; a look at drug-testing policies in high-school athletics; a report on safety concerns at ski resorts; and a segment on changes made to the pro-bowling tour. Correspondents include James Brown, Frank Deford and Bernard Goldberg.
#9 - Episode 1
Season 9 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/14/2003
Included: a look at health concerns for retired NFL linemen in the wake of a fatal heart attack suffered by former Saints player Frank Warren; and a profile of former NBA star Bob Love, who overcame a speech impediment to become Director of Community Affairs for the Chicago Bulls.
#10 - Episode 12
Season 8 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/17/2002
Included: a segment on brothers Joe and Gavin Maloof, owners of the NBA's Sacramento Kings and the WNBA's Monarchs; an interview with Martha Burk, who is spearheading the campaign to admit women at Augusta National Golf Club; a look at questionable recruiting methods at colleges; and a look at violence resulting from a high-school rivalry.
#11 - Episode 9
Season 9 - Episode 9 - Aired 9/23/2003
Included: a look at the Yankees' Jorge Posada, his son and his father, who was a promising prospect himself before being jailed in Cuba in the 1960s. Also: a profile of Tampa Bay LB Derrick Brooks. Correspondents include James Brown.
#12 - Episode 10
Season 8 - Episode 10 - Aired 10/29/2002
Former NFL player Esera Tuaolo discusses keeping his homosexuality hidden during his career. Also: an interview with attorneys Johnnie Cochran and Cyrus Mehri, who have criticized the NFL for not hiring more African-American coaches; a report on the decline of physical-education classes in schools; and a profile of Rodney Cummings, who credits youth boxing for helping him go from jail at age 18 to a prosecuting attorney in the same town. Correspondents include Bernard Goldberg and Jim Lampley.
#13 - Episode 9
Season 8 - Episode 9 - Aired 9/17/2002
A profile of minor-league baseball owner Mike Veeck; a report on weight-loss practices of Thoroughbred jockies; and a visit with 14-year-old sports journalist Grant Paulsen. Correspondents include Lesley Visser and Bernard Goldberg.
#14 - Episode 8
Season 8 - Episode 8 - Aired 8/20/2002
Included: profiles of Green Bay wide receiver Terry Glenn and Redskins coach Steve Spurrier; and a report on youth traveling baseball teams. Correspondents include Mary Carillo and Armen Keteyian.
#15 - Episode 7
Season 8 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/23/2002
Included: a profile of Michael Franzese, a former organized-crime figure who now coaches Little League and counsels athletes on the dangers of gambling; a tribute to baseball announcer Ernie Harwell; and a report on an alleged hazing incident at a Massachusetts high school. Correspondents include Frank Deford and Bernard Goldberg.
#16 - Episode 6
Season 8 - Episode 6 - Aired 6/25/2002
Included: an interview with Muhammad Ali; a report on the dangers of using aluminum bats; a look at the racial makeup of players in the National Minority College Golf Championship; and a feature on colleges' increased emphasis on cheerleading. Correspondents include Armen Keteyian and Bernard Goldberg.
#17 - Episode 5
Season 8 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/14/2002
Included: profiles of golfer Phil Mickelson and former NBA player Manute Bol; a report on pole-vaulting deaths; and an interview with paralympian Dan Andrews. Correspondents include Frank Deford and Mary Carillo.
#18 - Episode 4
Season 8 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/22/2002
An interview with former Arkansas basketball coach Nolan Richardson; a profile of the NBA's Rasheed Wallace; a look at players' preparations for the NFL scouting combine; and a report on steroid smuggling from Mexico. Correspondents include James Brown, Armen Keteyian and Bernard Goldberg.
#19 - Episode 3
Season 8 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/18/2002
Segments include a profile of Arizona pitcher Curt Schilling; a behind-the-scenes look at junior figure skaters; a profile of juco basketball player Lee Benson Jr., who is hoping to play in the NBA after spending more than eight years in prison; and a visit with former Buffalo Sabres coach Ted Nolan, who teaches hockey to Canadian Indians. Correspondents include Jim Lampley, Mary Carillo and Frank Deford.
#20 - Episode 2
Season 8 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/25/2002
Segments include an interview with Pavle Jovanovic, a U.S. bobsledder suspended for steroid use; a look at "Hockey Night in Canada," a weekly NHL broadcast celebrating its 50th year on Canadian television; a profile of Willie Davis, a school custodian turned junior-high basketball coach; and a report on the movement to ban the game of dodgeball in schools. Correspondents include Frank Deford.
#21 - Episode 7
Season 10 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/20/2004
A report on the BALCO steroid investigation; profiles of K-1 fighter Bob "The Beast" Sapp and former Olympic fencer-turned-coach Peter Westbrook; and an update on baseball's Miracle League for disabled youths. Correspondents include Frank Deford and Bernard Goldberg.
#22 - 10th Anniversary Special
Season 11 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/10/2005
The 10th-anniversary special revisits the show's top stories, including an interview with Juan Antonio Samaranch, a report on children used as camel jockeys and the Miracle League baseball program for disabled kids. Bryant Gumbel hosts with correspondents Bernard Goldberg, Mary Carillo, Armen Keteyian, Frank Deford and James Brown.
#23 - Episode 3
Season 11 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/14/2005
A report on the rising number of "Tommy John" surgeries on young pitchers; a visit with NBA player Doug Christie and his wife, Jackie; and a profile of boxer Kassim Ouma, who was forced to serve as a soldier in Uganda at age 7. Correspondents include Armen Keteyian and Bernard Goldberg.
#24 - Episode 2
Season 11 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/22/2005
A profile of golfer Vijay Singh; visits with disabled-soldier-turned-skier Kirk Bauer and banned track-and-field star Kelli White; and an update on basketball coach Willie Davis, who was once a custodian. Correspondents include Mary Carillo and Armen Keteyian.
#25 - Episode 1
Season 11 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/25/2005
A profile of play-by-play announcer Joe Buck; a look at the financial, emotional and physical pitfalls of NFL retirement; a report on sports wagering.