Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel - Season 2

First aired: 3/11/1996 5 episodes
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Episodes

1. Episode 5 - Hakeem Olajuwon; 1966 Texas Western; Women's College Basketball

Aired: 3/11/1996

Segments include a profile of the NBA's Hakeem Olajuwon by Frank DeFord; a look at the 1966 NCAA basketball championship won by Texas Western---the first all-black team to do so---over an all-white Kentucky squad; and a report on women's college basketball by Jim Lampley.

2. Episode 6 - Lawrence Phillips; Open Wheel Racing Feud

Aired: 5/20/1996

Segments include an interview with Lawrence Phillips, the controversial Nebraska back drafted by the St. Louis Rams; a look at the feud between the the new Indy Racing League and the established Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), and its impact on the Indianapolis 500; and a report on risks in boxing. James Brown, Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant report.

3. Episode 7 - The Olympic Show

Aired: 7/15/1996

Segments on the Olympics include a profile of IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch; a look at U.S. weightlifter Mark Henry; visits with Olympic champions Mark Spitz and Bruce Jenner; and a report on the sponsorship of the U.S. decathlon team.

4. Episode 8 - Albert Belle; NFL Drug Testing

Aired: 9/10/1996

Filmmaker Spike Lee's profile of Albert Belle is featured. The Cleveland outfielder is one of baseball's top hitters, but has been suspended five times in his turbulent career. Interviewed are Belle, his manager, Mike Hargrove, and teammate Kenny Lofton. Also: a report on the NFL's substance-abuse policy, reported by Jim Lampley.

5. Episode 9 - Shaquille O'Neal; Packers

Aired: 11/12/1996

Segments include a look at the Los Angeles Lakers offseason signing of Shaquille O'Neal. Also: a visit with shareholders of the publicly-owned Green Bay Packers; and a report on a high-school football player afflicted with Down's syndrome.