Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel: Season 2

Air Date

March 11, 1996

Episodes

5 episodes

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel

Season 2

Episodes

1. Episode 5 - Hakeem Olajuwon; 1966 Texas Western; Women's College Basketball

March 11, 1996
60 min

Segments include a profile of the NBA's Hakeem Olajuwon by Frank DeFord; a look at the 1966 NCAA basketball championship won by Texas Western---the first all-black team to do so---over an all-white Kentucky squad; and a report on women's college basketball by Jim Lampley.

2. Episode 6 - Lawrence Phillips; Open Wheel Racing Feud

May 20, 1996
60 min

Segments include an interview with Lawrence Phillips, the controversial Nebraska back drafted by the St. Louis Rams; a look at the feud between the the new Indy Racing League and the established Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), and its impact on the Indianapolis 500; and a report on risks in boxing. James Brown, Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant report.

3. Episode 7 - The Olympic Show

July 15, 1996
60 min

Segments on the Olympics include a profile of IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch; a look at U.S. weightlifter Mark Henry; visits with Olympic champions Mark Spitz and Bruce Jenner; and a report on the sponsorship of the U.S. decathlon team.

4. Episode 8 - Albert Belle; NFL Drug Testing

September 10, 1996
60 min

Filmmaker Spike Lee's profile of Albert Belle is featured. The Cleveland outfielder is one of baseball's top hitters, but has been suspended five times in his turbulent career. Interviewed are Belle, his manager, Mike Hargrove, and teammate Kenny Lofton. Also: a report on the NFL's substance-abuse policy, reported by Jim Lampley.

5. Episode 9 - Shaquille O'Neal; Packers

November 12, 1996
60 min

Segments include a look at the Los Angeles Lakers offseason signing of Shaquille O'Neal. Also: a visit with shareholders of the publicly-owned Green Bay Packers; and a report on a high-school football player afflicted with Down's syndrome.