CELEBRATING 20 AWARD-WINNING SEASONS,
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL PRESENTS AN NCAA SPECIAL,
EXAMINING THE FINANCIAL IMPACT OF INJURIES ON FORMER ATHLETES AND
EXPLORING THE GROWING MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS OF STUDENT-ATHLETES,
ALONG WITH SPECIAL ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS
WHEN IT RETURNS MARCH 24, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL, TV’s most honored sports journalism series, departs from its usual format for a special look at the NCAA and its treatment (or as some allege, mistreatment) of student-athletes when the show’s 216th edition debuts TUESDAY, MARCH 24 (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:
*The Wreckage. The stakes are high when a college athlete suffers a serious injury and a possible pro career hangs in the balance. Injuries sustained on the field can not only leave devastating scars and require years of painful rehabilitation, but also create mounds of debt that become the athlete’s legacy long after the headlines fade.
Correspondent Bernard Goldberg meets with numerous former college student-athletes who endured massive injuries and discovers that once players are no longer at school, they’re typically on their own to pay medical bills and support their debilitated bodies. He speaks to players from the University of Washington, Oklahoma University, Eastern Illinois University and Illinois State University, who document financial difficulties stemming from medical expenses and the lack of earning potential resulting from injuries suffered while representing their colleges. REAL SPORTS also talks to national health and labor experts, asking how the NCAA and the schools have been able to avoid paying for these injuries and sidestep labor protections available to nearly every worker in all 50 states.
Producer: Josh Fine.
*Under the Radar. College athletes are often regarded as well-rounded young adults, brimming with self-confidence and good character, and in peak physical condition. However, a sizable number of them are currently being diagnosed as clinically depressed. REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel examines this alarming mental health crisis and discovers that many athletes report feeling overwhelmed by team responsibilities, performance mandates and academic workloads, while suffering under increasingly abusive coaches who often control their athletic and academic future. Frankel sits down with the NCAA’s chief medical officer, a workplace abuse expert and former NCAA athletes to learn more.
Producer: Josh Fine.
To lend perspective, host Bryant Gumbel will lead spirited discussions following both segments, with panelists discussing the two pieces and tackling related issues at a time when interest in college athletics is exceptionally high.
Throughout the 2015 season, REAL SPORTS features three-to-four minute segments spotlighting a different comedy star from the HBO family, who will close each show with a personal, unfiltered take on some element of sports. This month, comedian Lewis Black takes on the NCAA.
Other HBO playdates: March 24 (2:40 a.m.), 26 (1:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m.), 29 (11:00 a.m.) and 31 (4:00 p.m.), and April 1 (10:45 a.m., 6:00 p.m.), 4 (11:30 a.m.), 6 (12:10 a.m.) and 9 (3:00 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: March 27 (5:45 p.m.) and 31 (8:30 p.m.), and April 2 (2:40 p.m., midnight), 7 (11:00 a.m.), 11 (4:30 p.m.), 16 (1:10 a.m.) and 19 (2:45 p.m.)
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is available on multiple platforms, including HBO On Demand® and HBO GO®.
REAL SPORTS was recognized by the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication with a 2012 George F. Peabody Award for broadcast excellence. It is the only sports program ever honored with two duPont Awards, first in 2005 and again in 2012. Debuting April 2, 1995, the series has captured the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 15 times, receiving 26 Sports Emmys® overall.
Follow REAL SPORTS updates on HBO.com/realsports and facebook.com/realsports. Immediately following the debut of this month’s show on March 24, 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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