Coverage on NBC Begins at 1 p.m. ET

NBC Sports Network to Air One-Hour Preview Show Today at 4 p.m. ET

RISE UP: New Orleans Show to Air on ESPN

New Orleans’ McMain High School & Saints’ Drew Brees Featured; Stan Verrett to Host

ESPN will televise an ESPN RISE-created, one-hour TV show, “RISE UP: New Orleans,” which features New Orleans-based Eleanor McMain Secondary School and members of the New Orleans Saints’ staff and players, including Drew Brees. Inspired by ESPN RISE’s mission to engage and elevate high school athletes through recognition, resources and information, RISE UP: New Orleans was produced by ESPN Content Development; the show is hosted by SportsCenter’s Stan Verrett and will air next Tuesday, Sept. 21, 7 p.m. ET, on ESPN.

RISE UP: New Orleans highlights the growing need for assistance provided to school athletic programs due to cutbacks. The show covers members of the New Orleans business community coming together to refurbish McMain Secondary School’s athletic facility, its student athletes working with Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints’ strength and conditioning Coach Dan Dalrymple to learn proper training methods and a special appearance from Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees.

With McMain and its students at the show’s center, local architectural firm St. Martin Brown & Associates leads the charge, bringing together the team of contractors and engineers, including Woodward Design+Build, who executed the McMain athletic facility refurbishing project.

The show features the refurbishing project from start to finish, from the gutting of the space to the reveal where the students are shown the new facility. Special donations to complete the project included weight room equipment provided by Nautilus® commercial fitness equipment, Xenith provided helmets and concussion-prevention training, Nike’s gift of uniforms for all the school’s teams and other products from Sony, Best Buy, Promethean, Big Dog Warehouse and Custom Sports Surfacing.

A key component of the show is the focus on proper training for high school athletes. Members of McMain’s student athlete community are featured while visiting the Saints’ practice facility, watching practice, receiving instruction from Coach Dalrymple and Drew Brees, who is the co-chair of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, who spoke to them about the importance of proper training.

About ESPN RISE

ESPN RISE represents ESPN’s commitment to engage and elevate high school athletes by providing them with recognition, resources, information and inspiration that can motivate them to improve their skills and achieve their goals to be the best athletes they can.  ESPN RISE assets include ESPN RISE, GIRL, Hardwood and Gridiron magazines; ESPNRISE.com, and more than 160 high school events including Elite 11, Elite 24, ESPN RISE Games, ESPN RISE National High School Invitational, Faster to First, Area Code Baseball and Nike Combines/Nike SPARQ Mini Camps.  ESPN RISE is uniquely positioned to provide high school athletes and the company’s core fans with compelling high school sports content across all ESPN platforms.

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AN AMERICAN SPORTS STORY…

THE RIVALS

PREMIERES SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 AT 9 PM ET/PT

ON SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL

Two High Schools. Two Football Teams, Battling For Glory. Except The Champs Are The Have-Nots, And The Underdogs Are The Ones On Easy Street

New York, August 16, 2010 – Football is far and away America’s sport. On the opening weekend of the NFL’s regular season, Smithsonian Channel strips away the glitz and glamour of a sport that at its core is about competition with a story that can be heard in cities and towns across the country.  It’s a tale of champion versus challenger, the haves against the have-nots.  On Saturday, September 11 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, Smithsonian Channel presents the world television premiere of THE RIVALS, which follows one incredible season in the lives of two high school football teams in Maine who share the same goal: to win the state championship. It’s a story about football, but also a story about America and the universal quest for respect.

Rumford is a blue-collar town in the rugged mountains of Western Maine, supported by a dying paper mill that sheds workers on a seemingly daily basis.  While the town is suffering economically, its football team is a perennial powerhouse. Rumford’s Mountain Valley High School has been a contender in high school football for the better part of 20 years.  They have six conference titles and two state championships under longtime coach Jim Aylward. Having played high school football in Rumford, Aylward left for college, hoping that he would never have to work in the same paper mill where his father toiled for years.  His goal, besides winning, is to prepare his players to be successful in life by excelling on the field. The town of Rumford supports the team wholeheartedly, giving everything they can, even if they don’t have much, to ensure the continued success of the team.  The football team is the heart and soul of the town and a source of pride for all of its residents.

Cape Elizabeth is a wealthy suburban town right outside Maine’s largest city, Portland. It’s two hours south of Rumford, and home to Cape Elizabeth High School, which is known as a “soccer school,” since its football program didn’t exist until 2004. The “Cape Kids,” as the students are known, seem to have it all. Although their football program is in its infancy, they have better equipment and facilities than Mountain Valley could ever afford. Knowing that these advantages will only take the team so far, their fiery young coach, Aaron Filieo, tries to instill in his players the same work ethic that his coach taught him during his playing days.

“The Rivals” documents these two teams, their coaches, players and towns during their tumultuous 2007 season, which had enough twists and turns for a Hollywood movie.  Each team shares the same simple goal – to be the best.  This isn’t just a film about high school football and competition on the field – it’s a story of class, pride and perseverance. These are lessons that the athletes from Mountain Valley and Cape Elizabeth will carry with them wherever they go, for the rest of their lives.

THE RIVALS is produced by Lone Wolf Films. Kirk Wolfinger is the director. The film has been well received on the independent film festival circuit, having won the Audience Choice Award at the 2010 Woods Hole Festival, Best Picture at the 2010 Phoenix Film Festival and Best Documentary at the 2009 Los Angeles Reel Film Festival.

ABOUT SMITHSONIAN NETWORKS

Smithsonian Networks (SNI/SI Networks L.L.C.) is a joint venture between Showtime Networks Inc. and the Smithsonian Institution, formed to create channels featuring programs largely inspired by the assets of the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum complex. Smithsonian Channel features award-winning original documentaries, series, and groundbreaking programs highlighting America’s historical, cultural and scientific heritage. Smithsonian Channel brings the American experience home in high definition and Dolby Digital 5.1 and is currently available to customers of DirecTV, Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Charter Communications, Cablevision, Verizon, AT&T, and more.  Learn more at www.smithsonianchannel.com.

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—Eight Matchups Live from Five States

—Defending Champions Plant, Hoover and Trinity Featured

The ESPN RISE High School Football Kickoff will air live in HD across ESPN’s family of networks—ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU—over three days, August 27-29. The first annual event, will precede all high school, college and pro-football regular-season fall football programming. will feature 16 teams from seven states in eight exciting high school football match-ups; the weekend-long event will precede all high school, college and pro-football regular-season fall football programming.  ESPN’s Tom Luginbill, Herm Edwards, Justin Kutcher, Rob Stone, Beth Mowins, Danny Kannel, John Congemi, Mike Gleason, Clay Matvick, David Pollack and Quint Kessenich will provide analysis and play-by-play commentary for the eight matchups.

Live from five states—Florida, California, South Carolina, Texas and Ohio—the ESPN RISE High School Football Kickoff will feature eight teams from the ESPN RISE FAB 50 2010 preseason ranking, seven ESPNU 150 ranked players and more than 60 Division One recruits. The event will feature defending Fla. 5A champion Plant (Fla.), defending Ala. 6A champion Hoover (Ala.) and defending Texas 5A champion Trinity (Texas).

The ESPN RISE High School Football Kickoff Television Schedule:

Of the 16 teams playing during the ESPN RISE High School Football Kickoff, eight are ranked in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 2010 preseason ranking: No. 2, Plant (Fla.), No. 4 Grant (Calif.), No. 6 Trinity (Texas), No. 9 Hoover (Ala.), No. 15 Good Counsel (Md.), No. 19 Manatee (Fla.), No. 39 St. Xavier (Ohio), and No. 42 Northwestern (S.C.).

ESPNU 150 ranked players featured in the ESPN RISE High School Football Kickoff are: No. 1 Jadeveon Clowney (DE, South Pointe), No. 7 Malcolm Brown (RB, Steele), No. 8 James Wilder II (ATH, Plant), No. 15 Aaron Green (RB, Madison), No. 16 Braxton Miller (QB, Wayne), No. 96 Viliami Moala (DT, Grant) and No. 116 Mike Blakely (RB, Manatee).

The ESPN RISE High School Football Kickoff is produced in conjunction with Paragon Marketing Group.

About ESPN RISE

ESPN RISE represents ESPN’s commitment to engage and elevate high school athletes by providing them with recognition, resources, information and inspiration that can motivate them to improve their skills and achieve their goals to be the best athletes they can.  ESPN RISE assets include ESPN RISE, GIRL, Hardwood and Gridiron magazines; ESPNRISE.com, and more than 160 high school events including Elite 11, Elite 24, ESPN RISE Games, ESPN RISE National High School Invitational, Faster to First, Area Code Baseball and Nike Combines/Nike SPARQ Mini Camps.  ESPN RISE is uniquely positioned to provide high school athletes and the company’s core fans with compelling high school sports content across all ESPN platforms.

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Eight Matchups—Live On ESPN, ESPN 2 and ESPNU August 27-29

ESPN will begin its 2010 fall football programming with a newly developed TV event called the “ESPN RISE High School Football Kickoff,” featuring 16 teams from seven states in eight exciting high school football match-ups; the weekend-long event will precede all high school, college and pro-football regular-season fall football programming.  Live from five states—Florida, California, South Carolina, Texas and Ohio—the ESPN RISE High School Football Kickoff will feature eight teams from the ESPN RISE FAB 50 2010 preseason ranking, seven ESPNU 150 ranked players and more than 60 Division One recruits. The eight games will be televised live on ESPN, ESPN 2 and ESPNU, August 27-29.

Team match-ups for the ESPN RISE High School Football Kickoff are: defending Fla. 5A champion Plant (Fla.) vs. Manatee (Fla.), Grant (Calif.) vs. Folsom (Calif.), defending Ala. 6A champion Hoover (Ala.) vs. Byrnes (S.C.), South Pointe (S.C.) vs. Northwestern (S.C.), Steele (Texas) vs. Madison (Texas), defending Texas 5A champion Trinity (Texas) vs. Tyler Lee (Texas), Good Counsel (Md.) vs. St. Xavier (Ohio) and Moeller (Ohio) vs. Huber Heights Wayne (Ohio).

Of the 16 teams playing during the ESPN RISE High School Football Kickoff, eight are ranked in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 2010 preseason ranking: No. 2, Plant (Fla.), No. 4 Grant (Calif.), No. 6 Trinity (Texas), No. 9 Hoover (Ala.), No. 15 Good Counsel (Md.), No. 19 Manatee (Fla.), No. 39 St. Xavier (Ohio), and No. 42 Northwestern (S.C.).

ESPNU 150 ranked players featured in the ESPN RISE High School Football Kickoff are: No. 1 Jadeveon Clowney (DE, South Pointe), No. 7 Malcolm Brown (RB, Steele), No. 8 James Wilder II (ATH, Plant), No. 15 Aaron Green (RB, Madison), No. 16 Braxton Miller (QB, Wayne), No. 96 Viliami Moala (DT, Grant) and No. 116 Mike Blakely (RB, Manatee).

The ESPN RISE High School Football Kickoff Television Schedule:

The ESPN RISE High School Football Kickoff is produced in conjunction with Paragon Marketing Group.

About ESPN RISE

ESPN RISE represents ESPN’s commitment to engage and elevate high school athletes by providing them with recognition, resources, information and inspiration that can motivate them to improve their skills and achieve their goals to be the best athletes they can.  ESPN RISE assets include ESPN RISE, GIRL, Hardwood and Gridiron magazines; ESPNRISE.com, and more than 160 high school events including Elite 11, Elite 24, ESPN RISE Games, ESPN RISE National High School Invitational, Faster to First, Area Code Baseball and Nike Combines/Nike SPARQ Mini Camps.  ESPN RISE is uniquely positioned to provide high school athletes and the company’s core fans with compelling high school sports content across all ESPN platforms.

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Platinum Recording Artist Young Jeezy to Perform Live at Halftime; Practice Covered on ESPNU Dec. 30 –31; Skills Challenge on ESPN2 Jan. 1

The third annual Under Armour All-America High School Football Game, organized by ESPN and Intersport, will be played on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010. The annual all-star competition, featuring 89 of the top high school football seniors in the nation, will air on ESPN at 11 a.m. ET. The telecast will also be available in high definition on ESPN HD and on ESPN’s broadband sports network, ESPN360.com. Justin Kutcher (play-by-play announcer), Tom Luginbill (National Recruiting Director for ESPN Scouts, Inc.) and Quint Kessenich (sideline reporter) will call the action from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.

ESPN’s telecast will also include a special halftime performance by CTE/Def Jam and double-platinum recording artist Young Jeezy.

In addition, several players are expected to announce their college decisions during the game: No. 9 Darius White, WR (Dunbar HS, Ft. Worth, Texas); No. 12 Chris Dunkley, WR (Pahokee HS, Pahokee, Fla.); No. 42 John Fulton, CB (Manning HS, Manning, S.C.); No. 93 Kenny Shaw, WR (Dr. Phillips HS, Orlando, Fla.); and No. 120 Toney Hurd, Jr., CB (Thurgood Marshall HS, Missouri City, Texas).  White is considering Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Florida and LSU; Dunkley – Georgia, Florida and Alabama; Fulton – Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia and LSU; Shaw – Florida State, Michigan, Tennessee, Florida and South Carolina; Hurd – Oregon, California, Auburn, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M.

ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex will host the event’s practice sessions and the Burger King High School All-America Skills Challenge.  The three-hour daily practice sessions will be televised on ESPNU Dec. 30 – Dec. 31, from 3-6 p.m., as part of a special edition of ESPNU Recruiting Insider. Lowell Galindo will host alongside ESPN Scouts, Inc. experts Luginbill, Craig Haubert and Bill Conly, who will provide analysis. The Burger King High School All-America Skills Challenge will take place Thursday, Dec. 31 and will air on ESPN2 Jan. 1 at 9 p.m.  The Skills Challenge will consist of drill sequences by position for quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs, defensive backs, linebackers and offensive and defensive lineman.  Kutcher will handle play-by-play with analysis from Luginbill and sideline reports from Galindo.

Of the 89 players selected by ESPN Scouts, Inc. to participate in the Under Armour All-America High School Football Game, 60 are ranked in the ESPNU 150 player rankings. Team Blur (white jersey) will include St. Thomas Aquinas School (Miami, Fla.) cornerback No. 5 Lamarcus Joyner; Treasure Coast’s (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) No. 6 Jeff Luc, ILB; No. 7 Michael Dyer, RB of Little Rock Christian (Little Rocky, Ark.); Tulsa Central’s (Tulsa, Okla.) No. 18 Demarco Cobbs, ATH; Booker T. Washington’s (Atlanta, Ga.); No. 24 Antonio Goodwin, ATH; No. 49 Corey Miller, DE of James Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.); and Bishop Carroll’s (Wichita, Kan.) No. 64 Blake Bell, QB.  Team Nitro (black jersey) will feature No. 2 Jordan Hicks, OLB of Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio); No. 8 Jonathan Dowling, S of Southeast (Bradenton, Fla.); Dunbar Senior’s (Ft. Worth, Texas) No. 9 Darius White, WR; No. 11 Demar Dorsey, S of Boyd Anderson ( Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.); John H. Guyer’s (Denton, Texas) No. 14 Taylor Bible, DT; No. 17 Mack Brown, RB of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Lithonia, Ga.); and No. 21 Storm Johnson, RB of Loganville HS (Loganville, Ga.). Florida leads with the most players (19), followed by Texas (15), Georgia (13), California (7) and Virginia, South Carolina and Alabama with four. There will be 26 states represented in the game. Complete rosters for Team Blur and Team Nitro.

Former NFL head coaches Ted Marchibroda and Sam Wyche will serve as the head coaches. Marchibroda will coach of Team Blur, while Wyche will coach Team Nitro. Both coaching staffs, selected by ESPN Scouts, Inc., will consist of former NFL coaches acting as offensive and defensive coordinators, with support from 19 high school coaches who have players participating in the game.

Tickets for the game are available for $10 through www.Ticketmaster.com.

About the Game

The Under Armour High School All-America Football Game, an annual all-star football competition spotlighting the nation’s top high school seniors, debuted on Jan. 5, 2008, at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Organized in conjunction with Intersport, a leading sports and entertainment media and marketing company with over 20 years experience, the event will be televised live to a national audience on ESPN from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.   Some notable alumni of the game include USC’s Matt Barkley, Georgia’s A.J. Green and Alabama’s Julio Jones.

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Coaches Set for 2010 Under Armour All-America High School Football Game in St. Petersburg on Jan. 2

Ted Marchibroda to Lead Team Blur and Sam Wyche to Head Team Nitro; Game Live on ESPN

Former NFL head coaches Ted Marchibroda and Sam Wyche will lead the nation’s top high school seniors in the 2010 Under Armour All-America High School Football Game. The third annual game will take place at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Saturday, Jan. 2, at 11 a.m. ET, and will be televised live on ESPN. Marchibroda will serve as head coach of Team Blur (white jersey), while Wyche will coach Team Nitro (black jersey). Both coaching staffs, selected by ESPN Scouts, Inc., will consist of former NFL coaches acting as offensive and defensive coordinators, with support from 19 high school coaches who have players participating in the game. The rosters will feature the nation’s top high school football prospects, according to the ESPNU 150 player rankings.

Marchibroda is a former quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Cardinals (now the Arizona Cardinals). He also served as head coach of the Baltimore Colts (now the Indianapolis Colts) and was the first head coach of the Baltimore Ravens (1996-98). Also, he was the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams (now St. Louis Rams) and Washington Redskins, as well as the Buffalo Bills during their Super Bowl appearances in 1990 and 1991. He will be assisted by Dave Levy on offense and Rex Norris on defense. Levy won four national titles on staff with USC and coached in eight Rose Bowls. He also coached in the NFL with San Diego and Detroit. Norris has more than 30 years of experience, including coaching in college at Oklahoma, Florida, Tennessee and Texas. He also spent 12 years coaching in the NFL.

The inventor of the no-huddle offense, Wyche is the former head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals (1984-91), a team he led to the Super Bowl in 1988 on his way to earning NFL Coach of the Year honors. He also served as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1992-95. Wyche began his coaching career with the San Francisco 49ers with legendary coach Bill Walsh. He directed the 49ers’ passing game including Joe Montana from 1979-82. Wyche’s coordinators will be Larry Kennan on offense and George Dyer on defense. Kennan is the executive director of the NFL Coaches Association. Kennan had several NFL coaching stops, including quarterbacks coach for the Los Angeles Raiders (1983-87); offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks (1992-94) and offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots. Dyer has more than 20 years’ experience coaching defensive lines in the NFL (Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams) and also coached at Arizona State and Michigan State.

Three-time NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year Joe Avezzano will serve as special teams coach for both teams. The individual position coaches will be high school head coaches who have players in the Jan. 2 game. Each coach will be responsible for his respective position of expertise and will help coach the team that includes his player.

The coaches and players will also participate in several activities surrounding the game, including daily practice sessions that will be televised live on ESPNU on Wednesday, Dec. 30 and Thursday, Dec. 31, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., and the Burger King Skills Challenge on Friday, Jan. 1, at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.

Of the more than 80 players selected by ESPN Scouts, Inc., to participate in the Under Armour All-America High School Football Game, several are ranked among the ESPNU 150: No. 2 Jordan Hicks, OLB Lakota West (Ohio); No. 5 Lamarcus Joyner, CB, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.); No. 6 Jeff Luc, ILB, Treasure Coast (Fla.); No. 7 Michael Dyer, RB, Little Rock Christian (Ark.); No. 9 Darius White, WR, Dunbar (Texas); No. 11 Demar Dorsey, S, Boyd Anderson (Fla.); No. 12 Chris Dunkley, WR, Pahokee (Fla.); No. 14 Taylor Bible, DT, Guyer (Texas); No. 17 Mack Brown, RB, Martin Luther King (Ga.); No. 18 DeMarco Cobbs, ATH, Tulsa Central (Okla.); No. 19 Jordan James, RB, Corona (Calif.) and No. 20 DeMarcus Milliner, CB, Stanhope Elmore (Ala.). Team Blur and Team Nitro rosters will be unveiled on the ESPNU Under Armour Selection Show Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 7:30 PM.

TICKETS: Tickets for the game are available for $10 through www.Ticketmaster.com.

About the Game

The Under Armour High School All-America Football Game, an annual all-star football competition spotlighting the nation’s top high school seniors, debuted on Jan. 5, 2008, on ABC, at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Organized in conjunction with Intersport, a leading sports and entertainment media and marketing company with over 20 years experience, the event will be televised live to a national audience on ESPN from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.   Some notable alumni of the game include USC’s Matt Barkley, Georgia’s A.J. Green and Alabama’s Julio Jones.

Visit www.espnmediazone.com for ESPN’s latest releases, schedules, news, photos, video and audio clips, and more.

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LOOKS AT THE TRAGIC DEATH OF ANGELS PITCHER NICK ADENHART;

EXAMINES THE NATIONWIDE TREND TO ELIMINATE PUBLIC SCHOOL SPORTS;

PROFILES THE MAN WITH THE MOST GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS; AND

REVISITS DETROIT TIGERS BROADCASTING LEGEND ERNIE HARWELL

WHEN THE EMMY®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS OCT. 27, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

Winner of 21 Sports Emmys® in 14 years, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 151st edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, OCT. 27 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates:  Oct. 27 (2:20 a.m.), 29 (noon, midnight) and 31 (9:30 a.m.), and Nov. 2 (6:30 p.m., 1:30 a.m.), 6 (10:00 a.m., 8:00 p.m.), 8 (8:00 a.m.) and 10 (4:30 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates:  Oct. 28 (8:00 a.m., 9:30 p.m.) and Nov. 1 (7:45 a.m.), 3 (6:00 p.m., 2:05 a.m.), 12 (8:00 p.m.), 14 (2:30 p.m.) and 16 (noon)

HBO On Demand availability:   Sept. 21-Oct. 12

Segments include:

*In Our Hearts. On April 8, 2009, Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart finally arrived in the big leagues.  After years of recovering from Tommy John surgery and working his way up through the minors, the highly touted pitching prospect earned a spot in the Angels’ rotation for the 2009 season and delivered the best performance of his career.  But just hours after achieving his dream, Adenhart’s life was tragically cut short by an alleged drunk driver in an accident that also claimed two of his friends.  In this emotional REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated report, correspondent Mary Carillo looks at the heartbreaking death of the Angels pitcher and Maryland native, speaking exclusively with Nick’s parents, reviewing the tragedy with the lone survivor in Adenhart’s car, and talking with Angels players about the effect of his death on the team.

Producer:  Mike Sullivan.

*Game Over. In the sports hotbed of Columbus, Ohio, Friday nights are traditionally all about high-school football and Saturdays are reserved for the Ohio State Buckeyes.  But this year, as the Buckeyes play on, Fridays in some areas in and around Columbus have been eerily quiet:  no screaming crowds, no high school bands, no cheerleaders and no football.  That’s because one of the largest school districts in the state recently eliminated all sports and other extracurricular activities due to a lack of funds.  As students, parents and others in the community wrestle with the aftermath of this decision, correspondent Jon Frankel talks to those affected and sheds light on a growing nationwide trend of school districts slashing or completely eliminating athletic programs that were an integral part of American public education for generations.

Producer:  Joe Perskie.

*Record Breaker. Ashrita Furman, of Queens, NY, holds the Guinness World Record for holding the most world records.  Since 1979, he’s set 244 official Guinness World Records, and in April 2009 became the first person in history to hold 100 records simultaneously.  His wild but incredible achievements include pushing a car 17 miles in 24 hours, walking an astonishing 80 miles with a milk bottle on his head and bouncing a basketball 339 times in just one minute.  Furman has gone from self-declared childhood nerd to world-renowned conqueror of physical challenges, all in pursuit of a greater spirituality.  Correspondent Bernie Goldberg sits down with the man who literally somersaulted, hopscotched and hula-hooped his way into the history books.

Producer:  Tim Walker.

*Ernie Harwell. In 2002, REAL SPORTS profiled Detroit Tigers broadcasting legend Ernie Harwell as he worked his 55th and final season behind the microphone in Major League Baseball.  Over a career that spanned seven decades and 42 seasons calling games for the Detroit Tigers, Harwell became an integral part of the national pastime, describing some of baseball’s most unforgettable moments.  Now, seven years later, correspondent Frank Deford revisits the 91-year-old legend, who was recently diagnosed with inoperable cancer.

Producers:  Mike Sullivan, Lauren Gaffney.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL recently won the Sports Emmy® Award in the category of Outstanding Sports Journalism for Bernard Goldberg’s piece “Running For Their Lives.”  REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 12 of the last 14 years, in addition to being the first sports program honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism.

The executive producers of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL are Ross Greenburg and Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.

Old Spice Showcase to Feature 17 Games

This season, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, will combine to present 21 live high school football games beginning Friday, Aug. 28, with two matchups. The first contest will feature two Iowa schools — Dike-New Hartford at Aplington-Parkersburg on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET. This will be the first nationally televised high school football game from the state and the first game for Aplington-Parkersburg since the passing of their legendary head football coach Ed Thomas. ESPN anchor Rece Davis will host a pregame special and the game telecast from Ed Thomas Stadium in Parkersburg, alongside analysts Herman Edwards and Chris Spielman, with reports from George Smith. The second game will pit visiting Venice (Fla.) against Oscar Smith (Va.) at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.

Working in conjunction with Paragon Marketing Group, the ESPN networks will televise 17 games as part of the 2009 ESPNU Old Spice High School Showcase. Presenting sponsors include Gatorade, Nike and the U.S. Marine Corps. The other four games will be part of the Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series. ESPN360.com will supplement coverage with simulcasts of all ESPN and ESPN2 telecasts. The play-by-play for each telecast will rotate between Justin Kutcher and Clay Matvick, while the analysis will be handled by Tom Luginbill, Craig Haubert and newcomer Jon Berger. ESPN’s coverage of the high school football season will culminate with the annual Under Armour All-America High School Football Game on ESPN on Saturday, Jan. 2, and ESPNU’s National Signing Day special on Wednesday, Feb. 3.

ESPNU Recruiting Insider will return to supplement game coverage. The 30-minute show evaluates the top high school football recruits and programs throughout the season and will airs Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. on ESPNU, with Lowell Galindo hosting alongside ESPN Scouts, Inc., recruiting analyst Luginbill.

Seventeen schools from the ESPN RISE Fab 50 national team rankings will make appearances on the ESPN networks. No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) will appear twice; first against Upper Arlington on Aug. 29 at noon on ESPN and then vs. No. 2 Byrnes (S.C.) Oct. 2 at 8 p.m. on ESPNU. Other highly-ranked matchups include No. 30 Colerain (Ohio) at No. 3 Elder (Ohio) Sept. 6 at noon on ESPN; a quarterback showdown between Nick Montana of No. 6 Oaks Christian against Jake Heaps’ No. 9 Skyline (Wash.) squad on Sept. 18 at 10 p.m. on ESPNU; six-time Florida state champion Lakeland visiting 12-time California state champion De La Salle on Sept. 25 at 10 p.m. on ESPN2; and No. 5 Miami Northwestern (Fla.) at No. 28 Miami Central (Fla.) Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

Several players from the ESPNU 150, a national ranking of top prep football prospects, are expected to make appearances, including No. 6 Michael Dyer, RB (Little Rock Christian, Ark.); No. 10 Marcus Lattimore, RB (Byrnes, S.C.); No. 12 Lamarcus Joyner, CB (St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla.); No. 16 Mack Brown, RB (Martin Luther King, Ga.); No. 20 Lache Seastrunk, RB (Temple HS, Texas); No. 36 Phillip Sims, QB (Oscar Smith, Va.); No. 49 Todd Chandler, DT (Miami Northwestern, Fla.);No. 51 Aaron Benson, OLB (Cedar Hill HS, Texas); No. 54 Brandon Willis, DT (Byrnes, S.C.); No. 67 Blake Bell, QB (Bishop Carroll HS, Kan.); No. 72 Malcolm Jones, RB (Oaks Christian, Calif.); No. 76 Cody Riggs, CB (St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla.); and No. 131 Jake Heaps (Skyline, Wash.).

2009 ESPNU, ESPN and ESPN2 High School Football Schedule

(Schedule subject to change)

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