Sports Question of the Day

[the other mike]

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 ?

 

[Skeptic1959]

from 1969:

 

[rightwinger]

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?"

View attachment 461829View attachment 461830View attachment 461831

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?

Sorry
I misread your post. Cosell used to do Boxing on Wide World. They used to have top fights before everything went pay per view. I remember watching Ali fight on Wide World.

By the end of his career, Cosell was a bitter man who turned against all major sports. Boxing was too violent, the NFL was a monopoly, Baseball was boring, the Olympics were too professional.

No problem or worries here. Yes, Cosell did become a much different man in the end. Who can forget his comment on MNF, "Look at that little monkey run!" YIKES. It was an amazing time to grow up back then...nothing like today. I still remember watching Spinks beat Ali for the title on a weeknight free tv bout.

Howard Cosell's best moments:

Cosell was a very insecure man. He considered himself to be a professional journalist and resented “jocks” in the booth. Everyone was beneath him.

In fact, he brought very little to the event he was broadcasting and did not understand the intricacies of the sport he was covering. He would come armed with obscure references from 30 years ago and think that passes as sports knowledge.

 

[Skeptic1959]

from 1969:

How it all began...

 

[Bobob]

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?"

View attachment 461829View attachment 461830View attachment 461831

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.

My favorite was Franz Klemmer's victory at the 1976 Olympics in the downhill. He was the last skier and Jim McKay announced his try for the gold meddle. Klemmer was on one ski most of the time and almost fell off the course on several occasions, as McKay had me on the edge of my seat with his incredible coverage. Klammer won by .33 seconds.
That and the 1980 hockey Olympic match between Russia and the US. "Do you believe in miracles? "YESSS!" Al Michaels covered it.

 

[Skeptic1959]

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?"

View attachment 461829View attachment 461830View attachment 461831

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.

My favorite was Franz Klemmer's victory at the 1976 Olympics in the downhill. He was the last skier and Jim McKay announced his try for the gold meddle. Klemmer was on one ski most of the time and almost fell off the course on several occasions, as McKay had me on the edge of my seat with his incredible coverage. Klammer won by .33 seconds.
That and the 1980 hockey Olympic match between Russia and the US. "Do you believe in miracles? "YESSS!" Al Michaels covered it.

Don't you miss the old days?

 

[Skeptic1959]

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?"

View attachment 461829View attachment 461830View attachment 461831

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.

My favorite was Franz Klemmer's victory at the 1976 Olympics in the downhill. He was the last skier and Jim McKay announced his try for the gold meddle. Klemmer was on one ski most of the time and almost fell off the course on several occasions, as McKay had me on the edge of my seat with his incredible coverage. Klammer won by .33 seconds.
That and the 1980 hockey Olympic match between Russia and the US. "Do you believe in miracles? "YESSS!" Al Michaels covered it.

 

[candycorn]

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?"

View attachment 461829View attachment 461830View attachment 461831

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.

I used to be obsessed with the Olympics. It would start months before the opening ceremonies. We got a word processor (lol) and I made this schedule of events so I could watch every one of them. And, unbelievably, I would often see the results on ABC (the network that covered them at the time)...exactly on the day it was supposed to happen. They often didn't cover the Women's giant slalom or biathlon but they would put the results up for a millisecond and I'd wait and watch to see if Anke Swillimeister of Sweden medaled.

 

[candycorn]

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?"

View attachment 461829View attachment 461830View attachment 461831

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.

I used to love watching The Superstars



I think I took it more seriously than most of the participants.

 

[rightwinger]

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?"

View attachment 461829View attachment 461830View attachment 461831

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.

I used to love watching The Superstars



I think I took it more seriously than most of the participants.

It got very corny at the end

 

[Rocko]

As a kid I used to love The Sports Reporters on ESPN and NBA Inside Stuff

Listening to sports commentary is a waste of time now. These commentators are all idiots.

 

[Bobob]

WWS was great but I was partial to college football. Been to a shitload of bowl games since the 82 Sugar Bowl.

I liked the way the bowl games were set up in the old days and kept my eyes glued to the tv. Today, the only game that means anything is the championship game.
The other bowl games are second class.

 

[rightwinger]

WWS was great but I was partial to college football. Been to a shitload of bowl games since the 82 Sugar Bowl.

I liked the way the bowl games were set up in the old days and kept my eyes glued to the tv. Today, the only game that means anything is the championship game.
The other bowl games are second class.

There used to be eight bowl games and they meant something.
Now there are thirty with 6-6 teams bowl eligible

 

[candycorn]

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?"

View attachment 461829View attachment 461830View attachment 461831

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.

I used to love watching The Superstars



I think I took it more seriously than most of the participants.

It got very corny at the end

I think it got pretty corny during the first production meeting.

 

[candycorn]

As a kid I used to love The Sports Reporters on ESPN and NBA Inside Stuff

Listening to sports commentary is a waste of time now. These commentators are all idiots.

Absolutely true.

 

[candycorn]

WWS was great but I was partial to college football. Been to a shitload of bowl games since the 82 Sugar Bowl.

I liked the way the bowl games were set up in the old days and kept my eyes glued to the tv. Today, the only game that means anything is the championship game.
The other bowl games are second class.

Didn't it seem like the obvious solution would be to have eight bowl games starting the bracket in early January...that knocks it down to four around January 15, then the last Monday in January have the national championship game. Most of the bowls are actually meaningless (as are all college sports really) but if you're going to have the Peach Bowl...why not have the winner of it mean something?

 

[rightwinger]

Most of the bowls are actually meaningless (as are all college sports really) but if you're going to have the Peach Bowl...why not have the winner of it mean something?

What is meaningless about having the fourth place team of one conference play the fifth place team of another?

Don’t you want to know who will win?

 

[candycorn]

Most of the bowls are actually meaningless (as are all college sports really) but if you're going to have the Peach Bowl...why not have the winner of it mean something?

What is meaningless about having the fourth place team of one conference play the fifth place team of another?

Don’t you want to know who will win?

Its also just as meaningless when the #1 team in the nation plays the #2 team in the nation. Does anyone remember who won the 1981 national championship? 1991? 2001?

Its all meaningless.


However, if you're going to try to determine who the best is...You get rid of the "tune up" games with Central Northern South Carolina State and Notre Dame and replace that game with a game that means something. You have the top 16 teams in the nation playing in the bowl games (just off the top of my head)

Sugar
Orange
Cotton
Rose
Fiesta
Peach
Independence
Liberty

This takes place on New Years Day. The next week, the 8 winners play, the next week the final 4 play then the week before the super bowl...the national championship game. The legacy bowls once again mean something. It just seems like an easy solution to make the bowls mean something. which they don't.

 

[rightwinger]

Most of the bowls are actually meaningless (as are all college sports really) but if you're going to have the Peach Bowl...why not have the winner of it mean something?

What is meaningless about having the fourth place team of one conference play the fifth place team of another?

Don’t you want to know who will win?

Its also just as meaningless when the #1 team in the nation plays the #2 team in the nation. Does anyone remember who won the 1981 national championship? 1991? 2001?

Its all meaningless.


However, if you're going to try to determine who the best is...You get rid of the "tune up" games with Central Northern South Carolina State and Notre Dame and replace that game with a game that means something. You have the top 16 teams in the nation playing in the bowl games (just off the top of my head)

Sugar
Orange
Cotton
Rose
Fiesta
Peach
Independence
Liberty

This takes place on New Years Day. The next week, the 8 winners play, the next week the final 4 play then the week before the super bowl...the national championship game. The legacy bowls once again mean something. It just seems like an easy solution to make the bowls mean something. which they don't.

They have a four team playoff now. They should expand to eight
The rest of the bowls are meaningless

 

[Bobob]

WWS was great but I was partial to college football. Been to a shitload of bowl games since the 82 Sugar Bowl.

I liked the way the bowl games were set up in the old days and kept my eyes glued to the tv. Today, the only game that means anything is the championship game.
The other bowl games are second class.

Didn't it seem like the obvious solution would be to have eight bowl games starting the bracket in early January...that knocks it down to four around January 15, then the last Monday in January have the national championship game. Most of the bowls are actually meaningless (as are all college sports really) but if you're going to have the Peach Bowl...why not have the winner of it mean something?

Back in the day, there was no national championship game. The bowl games were played and then a team of sportscasters picked the best team. It was not as definitive as it is today, but my family and friends would look forward to the bowl games at the end of the year and the discussions as to which was the best, etc.,
before, during, and after a great dinner, knowing that any one of the 8 games could decide the national champion.