Bryant Gumbel.Photo:Arturo Holmes/Getty
Arturo Holmes/Getty
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbelis bidding farewell.
Bryant Gumbel, who’s hosted the show since 1995, confirmed on Wednesday that the investigative sports series would be coming to an end. The acclaimed program had run on HBO for nearly three decades.
“Since day one atReal Sportswe’ve consistently tried to look beyond the scoreboard, and focus instead on the many societal issues inherent in the world of sports,” Gumbel, 74, said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “In the process we’ve had the opportunity to tell complex stories about race, gender, class, opportunity and so much more.”
Bryant Gumbel on ‘Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel’.Warner Bros. Discovery
Warner Bros. Discovery
Deadlinewas the first to report the news.
Bryant Gumbel hosting ‘Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel’.Warner Bros. Discovery
This year, Gumbel received the Sports Emmys Lifetime Achievement Award. Additionally, over the course of the show’s 29-year history,Real Sportswas awarded 37 sports Emmys and three Peabody awards.
Some of the journalist’s most famous stories onReal Sportsincluded exposing a child slavery ring, where 5-year-old boys were forced to compete in camel racing in the U.S. and investigating the International Olympic Committee.
Gumbel also reported the story of a police officer shooting a young boy and helpedShaquille O’Nealreveal that he’s made more money from brand endorsements than he did from his professional basketball career.
“For 29 seasons,Real Sports with Bryant Gumbelhas delivered a masterclass in sports storytelling,” Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “As the longest-running HBO series, Bryant and hisReal Sportsteam have long been a cornerstone of HBO programming.”
“The series will continue to resonate in the realm of sports journalism, and we are so proud to have been part of such a remarkable odyssey,” the statement concluded.
In addition to hostingReal Time, Gumbel’s illustrious career in television included covering the NFL as a co-host of NBC’sGrandStandfrom 1975 to 1982. He also co-hostedTodayandThe Early Showon CBS.
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Season 29 ofReal Sports with Bryant Gumbelcontinues Sept. 26 at 10 p.m. ET on HBO.
source: people.com
