HBO's REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL to Return 7/23

By: Jul. 19, 2013
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Now in its 19th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL, TV's most honored sports journalism series and the only sports program recognized with a prestigious 2012 George Foster Peabody Award, presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 196th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, JULY 23 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates: July 23 (2:45 a.m.), 27 (11:00 a.m.) and 31 (9:00 a.m., 4:45 p.m.), and Aug. 2 (2:00 p.m., 9:00 p.m.), 5 (11:30 p.m.), 6 (6:00 p.m., 1:00 a.m.) and 11 (12:45 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: July 24 (7:55 a.m., 10:00 p.m.) and 28 (3:15 p.m.), and Aug. 1 (6:00 p.m.), 7 (9:00 a.m., midnight), 10 (10:00 a.m.) and 15 (8:00 p.m.)

HBO On Demand availability: July 29-Aug. 19. The show will also be available on HBO GO.

Segments include:

*Chivas USA. In 2012, Mexican billionaire Jorge Vergara, owner of the storied Mexican soccer franchise Chivas de Guadalajara, sought to expand his empire by assuming sole ownership of the Los Angeles-based Major League Soccer club Chivas USA. What followed has sparked the ire of many critics, media and even employees, because the personnel changes he ordered were allegedly intended to benefit only those of Mexican heritage. In this REAL SPORTS report, Soledad O'Brien investigates the charges and speaks with former coaches and players who claim the team pushed them out because they are neither Mexican nor of Mexican descent.

Producer: Chapman Downes.

*Kelly Slater. An 11-time Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour champion, Kelly Slater is arguably the greatest surfer ever. Having won at age 20 in 1992, and at age 39 in 2011, he's both the youngest and oldest to hold the title. Now 41, Slater is as much a marvel away from the waves as he is riding them. He has dated supermodel Gisele Bundchen, starred in the hit TV show "Baywatch" and jammed with rock stars like close friend Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. While the fast life of surfing has claimed some close friends, Slater has struck a balance between good times and athletic discipline that has enabled him to remain in the spotlight. Meanwhile, he continues to push the limits with every wave, risking life and limb in the process. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Jon Frankel hits the sandy beaches of Slater's hometown, Cocoa Beach, Fla., for an inside look at the life of the world's most accomplished surfer.

Producer: Tim Walker.

Bob Hewitt. Every day the care and instruction of children are entrusted to athletic coaches, but sometimes that trust is painfully compromised. In 2011, the Boston Globe conducted a six-month investigation that disclosed allegations of sexual abuse by several adult women against Tennis Hall of Famer Bob Hewitt, who won all four Grand Slam titles in both doubles and mixed doubles in the '60s and '70s. The allegations, which reach back four decades to his playing days, contend that the South African harassed and sexually abused female players as young as 12 years old. When REAL SPORTS first explored the case in Nov. 2011, no formal charges had been filed against Hewitt and he was still a member of International Tennis Hall of Fame. But after the story aired, the Hall of Fame suspended the 73-year-old indefinitely and Hewitt was officially brought up on charges of rape and indecent assault in a South African court last month. REAL SPORTS correspondent Mary Carillo, whose own professional tennis career overlapped with Hewitt's, reconnects with accusers who say they can finally begin the healing process after decades of emotional anguish.

Producers: Beret Remak, Joe Perskie.

REAL SPORTS was the sole sports program recognized by the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication with a 2012 George F. Peabody Award for broadcast excellence. In addition, it is the only sports program ever honored with the duPont Award, first in 2005 and again in 2012.

At the 34th annual Sports Emmy Awards on May 7, REAL SPORTS captured two trophies, for Outstanding Edited Sports Series and for Outstanding Long Feature for the Aug. 2012 profile of former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason. REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Journalism 15 times and has received 25 Sports Emmy Awards overall.

Follow REAL SPORTS updates on Facebook at facebook.com/realsports or join the conversation on Twitter using #RealSports.

The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Joe Perskie is senior producer.



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