HBO’s REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL, the most honored sports journalism program on television with 37 Sports Emmy® Awards, returns with an all-new episode TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.
September segments include:
- NFL KICKERS: To the millions watching at home, the job of an NFL kicker seems rather simple: boot a ball through the uprights, which are a generous 18.5 feet wide. In reality, kicking a football may just be one of the most mentally ruthless jobs in all of sports and because the job description demands perfection, success is difficult to achieve. With even more people than ever watching, betting, and talking about football, the pressure cooker that is NFL kicking has never been hotter.
- ATHLETES & COLLEGE ADMISSIONS: At a time when getting into the nation’s best colleges has become the most cutthroat sport in America, the nation’s best students are being sidelined at a stunning rate in favor of athletes. It’s a trend fast on the rise and being led by the very schools that claim to put academics first. Yet, the details have long been a well-kept secret outside their Ivy-covered walls, until now.
- RJ PEETE: 25-year-old RJ Peete is a clubhouse attendant with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The job is a dream come true for RJ, who was diagnosed with autism at three years old. On the day of his diagnosis, doctors told RJ’s parents – former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete and actress Holly Robinson Peete – that he wouldn’t be able to do most things, including hold down a meaningful job. While there were certainly bumps in the road, the Peete family’s support, along with the Dodgers willingness to open its organization’s doors to RJ, has transformed RJ’s life and helped him blossom into a high-functioning, sociable young man who is beloved by his coworkers at Dodger Stadium.
- RUNNING JUDGE UPDATE: Judge Craig Mitchell has continued to attract more of the houseless population on L.A.’s Skid Row to join his running club to help turn their lives around. He recently led a group who finished the Los Angeles Marathon and has even taken many of the runners around the world to compete in races far and wide, all in an effort to help get people off the streets, into homes, and back on track.
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is executive produced by Joe Perskie.
