CELEBRATING 20 AWARD-WINNING SEASONS,
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL
INVESTIGATES UNDER-REGULATED WORKOUT SUPPLEMENTS IN THE MILITARY;
CHRONICLES BLIND ATHLETE AND ADVENTURER ERIK WEIHENMAYER; AND
RECONNECTS WITH MMA SENSATION RONDA ROUSEY
WHEN IT RETURNS MAY 19, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL, TV’s most honored sports journalism series, returns with more enterprising features and reporting when the show’s 218th edition debuts TUESDAY, MAY 19 (10:00–11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
For the up-to-the-minute updates about REAL SPORTS, follow on Twitter at @RealSportsHBO or join the conversation using #RealSports.
Segments include:
*In Harm’s Way. For the United States military, good physical fitness is about more than looking and feeling good. It can also determine career trajectory and save a life in various situations, including combat. So it’s not surprising to find that more than 70% of troops take some sort of supplement, many of them workout supplements marketed with the military in mind. In recent years, an alarming number of service men and women have suffered illnesses and injuries such as liver damage, seizures and heart issues, and several have died, after taking these supplements. REAL SPORTS correspondent Soledad O’Brien presents an eye-opening investigation into the use of under-regulated workout supplements, which can be purchased at GNC stores at military bases around the country, and follows the money trail to the corridors of power in Washington.
Producer: Jake Rosenwasser.
*Erik Weihenmayer. Erik Weihenmayer has scaled the Seven Summits, somersaulted out of airplanes and scrambled up 2,000 foot icefalls like Canada’s Polar Circus. Now he’s taking on what he calls the greatest challenge of his life, an almost 300-mile solo kayak trip down the Colorado River through some of North America’s most violent rapids. What makes this, and all his feats, so remarkable is that the 46-year-old athlete is completely blind, and has been since age 13. REAL SPORTS correspondent David Scott followed Weihenmayer as he tackled Colorado’s terrifying white waters.
Producer: David Scott.
*Ronda Rousey. In 2013, REAL SPORTS profiled a rising Ronda Rousey, weeks before she became the first female fighter to headline a major UFC event. Since then, she has become one of the most famous female athletes in the world. Business Insider recently named Rousey the most dominant athlete in sports, edging out NBA superstar LeBron James for the top spot. In her five UFC fights, Rousey is undefeated and finished four of her five opponents in the first round. The 28-year-old has raised her profile substantially outside the octagon as well, appearing in the blockbuster film “Furious 7” and the upcoming “The Expendables 3,” in addition to co-authoring the book “My Fight/Your Fight,” which tells her life story. Correspondent Jon Frankel catches up with Rousey to discuss her meteoric rise from talented fighter to global celebrity and learns how she is dealing with newfound fame.
Producers: Tim Walker, Beret Remak.
Throughout 2015, REAL SPORTS features three-to-four-minute segments spotlighting a different comedy star from the HBO family, who closes each show with a personal, unfiltered take on an element of sports. This month, Billy Crystal, who has starred in six solo specials on HBO and appeared on the first REAL SPORTS in 1995, weighs in on sports today and discusses how challenging it is for his grandchildren to connect with today’s sports heroes.
Other HBO playdates: May 19 (3:45 a.m.), 23 (9:30 a.m.), 27 (2:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m.) and 29 (8:30 a.m., 5:30 p.m.), and June 2 (11:30 p.m.), 4 (6:00 p.m., 3:35 a.m.) and 7 (11:00 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: May 21 (11:45 a.m., 8:00 p.m.), 24 (2:30 p.m.) and 26 (7:00 p.m., 2:35 a.m.), and June 16 (1:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m.) and 21 (10:30 a.m.)
On May 5, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL captured two Sports Emmy® Awards, in the Outstanding Sports Journalism and Outstanding Sports News Anthology categories. REAL SPORTS has won Outstanding Sports Journalism Emmys® 16 times and earned 28 Sports Emmy® Awards overall since debuting in 1995.
Follow REAL SPORTS updates on HBO.com/realsports and facebook.com/realsports. Immediately following the debut of this month’s show on May 19, log on to HBO.com/realsports for a special overtime session hosted by Bryant Gumbel.
The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Joe Perskie is senior producer.
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