the other mike
Diamond Member
Old Saturday Afternoon Sports-"If you grew up in the 1970s and 80s, what was your favorite Saturday afternoon sports show and which was your favorite?"
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I watched all three but started with Wide World of Sports. That anthology sports show thrust Howard Cosell into the spotlight as a boxing announcer. Who can forget the opening scene for Wide World of Sports showing the ski jumper crashing over the side of the trail. Truth is that man was not hurt very badly at all. But with Sportsworld, I can still see the show where they were hosting a weightlifting tournament and one of the participants was trying to do standing press and his knees gave out as he dropped to the floor and both knees blew out! It was ghastly.
Jim McKay hosted Wide World of Sports. Cosell appeared occasionally but did not become a phenomenon until Monday Night Football
I didn't say he hosted it...he made boxing more popular and used Wide World of Sports to increase his popularity. Yes, he also was a mainstay on MNF. But who can forget the Larry Holmes vs. Tex Cobb fight that prompted Cosell to quit calling fights?
Was that the one where Tex beat the hell out of Larry's hand with his face?
"I wonder if that referee understands that he is constructing an advertisement for the abolition of the very sport he's a part of." - Howard Cosell in round 14 of Cobb vs. Holmes
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Was he the bad guy in Raising Arizona ?