HBO’s REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this season, returns for an all-new episode TUESDAY, JULY 21 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. The 279th episode is highlighted by a virtual roundtable led by Gumbel, who is joined by insiders Peter King (NBC Sports), David Aldridge (The Athletic) and Tom Verducci (Sports Illustrated, MLB Network) for a candid discussion about the state of the respective sports they cover.
The series is also available on HBO and to stream on HBO Max.
For up-to-the-minute updates about REAL SPORTS, follow on Twitter at @RealSportsHBO or join the conversation using #RealSports, and on HBO.com/realsports and facebook.com/realsports.
Segments include:
*Return to Play. As the college football season looks to get underway amidst the pandemic, correspondent David Scott examines the short and long-term health risks facing student-athletes – and the NCAA’s decision to not require universities provide any protections for the players.
Producer: Josh Fine.
*Running Judge. In 2012, Superior Court Judge Craig Mitchell founded the Skid Row Running Club to help residents of the distressed, 50-square block Los Angeles neighborhood with drug and alcohol abuse recovery. Correspondent Jon Frankel interviews Mitchell and members of the club and learns of the program’s life-changing effects, especially now against the backdrop of the pandemic.
Producer: Nisreen Habbal.
*Mini-Mental Athletes Revisit. REAL SPORTS returns to a piece that first aired four years ago featuring kids called ‘mental athletes,’ and how they’ve turned brain games like spelling bees, Scrabble and memory challenges into competitive sports complete with raucous crowds and television coverage. Correspondent Soledad O’Brien reports.
Update Producer: Daniel Litke.
The executive producers of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL are Peter Nelson and Joe Perskie.