Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel - Season 9
1 - Episode 70
Air Date: January 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.
2 - Episode 71
Air Date: February 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.
3 - Episode 72
Air Date: March 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.
4 - Episode 73
Air Date: April 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.
5 - Episode 74
Air Date: May 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 75
Air Date: June 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.
7 - Episode 76
Air Date: July 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.
8 - Episode 77
Air Date: August 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.
9 - Episode 78
Air Date: September 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.
10 - Episode 79
Air Date: October 28, 2003
Segments include a profile of Ed Agre, sole reporter for a small-market TV station in Montana; a look at the sport of freediving; a visit with an NFL-lineman-turned-minister; and a report on the controversial sentencing of a convicted high-school football star.
11 - Episode 80
Air Date: November 25, 2003
Included: a look at the controversial ESPN series "Playmakers;" a report on the lack of black golfers on the PGA Tour; a profile of former UCLA hoops coach John Wooden; a look at a polo team made up of disadvantaged youths in Philadelphia.
12 - Episode 81
Air Date: December 30, 2003
A report on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's search for an NBA coaching job; a look at a harrowing mountain-climbing expedition in Peru; a report on the popularity of throwback jerseys; and a profile of Dottie O'Connor, an exercise enthusiast who has battled health problems.