REAL Sports with Bryant Gumbel - Season 29

Favre Welfare Scandal: REAL SPORTS examines the role Hall of Famer Brett Favre is alleged to have played in redirecting millions of dollars away from the poorest residents in the country's poorest state to his own projects. David Scott reports. Producer: Max Gershberg.
 

Sudden Cardiac Arrest In Young Athletes: When Damar Hamlin collapsed on Monday Night Football, it was a shocking event that stunned audiences on national television. The sight of a healthy young athlete going into sudden cardiac arrest was hard for most people to comprehend. Yet, sudden cardiac arrest happens more than 100 times per year to high school athletes around the country. Since only 16 states mandate automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at high school sporting events, the result of these occurrences is often tragic. Soledad O'Brien reports. Producer: Nick Dolin.
 

Shooting Survivors (Update): Five years ago, REAL SPORTS met Reichen Posey and Jordan Murphy, two survivors of separate mass shootings - Sandy Hook and Aurora, respectively - who bonded over football. Today, Posey is a 6'2" 240-pound defensive end that finished a standout junior season at Murphy's old high school, where Murphy also serves as an assistant coach. Soledad O'Brien reports. Producers: Katie Melone, Stephen Lorenzo.

Segments: Swiss corruption scandals, the godfather of extreme wheelchair sports; North Shore lifeguards; Philly's Work to Ride program.

Dusty Baker: 73-year-old Dusty Baker has led an extraordinary baseball life. A two-time MLB All-Star during his playing days, Baker's pursuit of an elusive World Series title as a skipper brought him to Houston in 2020 as the Astros sought to stabilize the franchise after being decimated by a sign-stealing scandal. The move worked as Baker became the oldest manager to win a championship in history as the Astros rolled to victory last fall. Correspondent Bryant Gumbel goes one-on-one with one of the game's most admired figures. Producer: Chapman Downes.

Chris Snow: Nearly four years after being given one year to live, Chris Snow is still the assistant general manager of the Calgary Flames, despite being diagnosed with the same form of familial ALS that killed his father, two uncles, and a cousin. Correspondent Jon Frankel reports. Producer: Stephen Lorenzo.

Strongman Brothers: Tom and Luke Stoltman are the World's Strongest Brothers. Tom, the reigning World's Strongest Man, and Luke, Europe's Strongest Man, stand at 6'8 and 6'4 respectively, and weigh nearly 400 pounds each. What makes these Scotsmen remarkable, besides their extraordinary size and strength, is how the sport of weightlifting both fortified their bond and harnessed Tom's struggles with autism to make him the best in the world. Correspondent Mary Carillo reports. Producer: Nisreen Habbal.

Sitting down with Drew Rosenhaus, sports agent; exploring a girls' soccer program in India; revisiting Valentino Dixon, imprisoned for 27 years for a crime he did not commit, soaring to new heights in the art world with his golf-inspired drawings.

Grass vs. Turf: Following a rash of injuries in recent years, NFL players have repeatedly spoken out about the playing surface used in about half the league's games in place of grass – artificial turf. But amidst all the acrimony and angst at the NFL level, little is being said about the health of high school football players, who play on artificial turf fields across the country. "Real Sports" examines high school football injuries, and whether they are caused by the ground beneath. Correspondent Andrea Kremer reports. Producer: Jake Rosenwasser. 

Zion Clark: Zion Clark has overcome odds most of his opponents couldn't imagine.  Abandonedat birth after being born without legs due to a rare disorder, Clark moved from foster home to foster home where he says he suffered abuse and neglect which sent him spiraling. He found wrestling in high school, and has spent the last five years training to be a professional MMA fighter, notching a victory in his first fight last year. Correspondent David Scott reports. Producer: Katie Melone.

Stuntpeople: Stunt performers in blockbuster action movies do everything from fly through the air with acrobatic grace to flipping cars at high rates of speed. It's not surprising many were elite athletes in their previous lives, including college gymnasts, black belts in martial arts, or race car drivers. It can be a grueling life full of long hours, danger and broken bones, but for those who hung up their pro athlete dreams for stunt work, most say they have no regrets as they now get to spend their days in show business, turning sport into art. Correspondent Jon Frankel reports. Producer: Jordan Kronick.

Matt Araiza: Matt Araiza was a rising star in the NFL, a rookie on the Buffalo Bills, and the rare punter whose highlights went viral. But just as the season was about to start, he was named in a graphic lawsuit accusing him of orchestrating a gang rape at a college party. Araiza was immediately cut from the Bills and swiftly tried and convicted in the court of public opinion. In December, the San Diego District Attorney declined to file any charges in the case and now, as Araiza is still without a job, evidence has emerged that questions what happened. Correspondent Andrea Kremer reports. Producer: Nick Dolin.
 

Artistic Swimming: Artistic swimming (formerly known as synchronized swimming) has been reinvented for the extreme sports era with fast choreography, modern music, and high-flying acrobatics, but that push for relevance and respect may be coming at a terrible cost to the sport's athletes. "Real Sports" sits down with a number of former members of the US National Team who say the sport destroyed their mental health. Correspondent Soledad O'Brien reports. Producer: Maggie Burbank.
 

The Hoyts (Update): Until his death last month, Boston Marathon icon Rick Hoyt, born without the ability to move or speak, competed in over a thousand road races, pushed by his father, Dick. Now that both men have passed away, "Real Sports" revisits the father-son duo's remarkable story and looks at the incredible legacy they've left behind. Correspondent Mary Carillo reports. Producers: Joe Perskie and Daniel Litke.

Brad Daugherty: Retired NBA legend Brad Daugherty never won an NBA title, so he took a route to a championship through a very different sport: NASCAR. In February, Daugherty, now the owner of a racing team, won the most important race in American motorsports – the Daytona 500 – and in doing so made NASCAR history, becoming the first Black owner to capture the circuit's top prize. Correspondent Jonathan Jones reports. Producer: Evan Burgos.

Iranian Athletes: Iranian athletes have been among the most high-profile protesters calling for regime change in their home country, consequently putting targets on their backs as the government views them as a threat to stability. As several athletes and families have told "Real Sports," the regime's crackdown has been brutal: imprisoning many, torturing others, and even executing those they deem the biggest threats. Correspondent David Scott reports. Producer: Nisreen Habbal.

Special Olympics - Triathlon Edition: There's a group of Special Olympics athletes in Florida who are using their triathlon training to change their lives. Led by Chris Nikic, the first person with Down Syndrome to complete an Ironman, this group of young adults is breaking down physical barriers and social stigmas to achieve athletic feats that many thought impossible. Correspondent Mary Carillo reports. Producer: Beret Remak.

Victor Vescovo (Update): In the wake of the OceanGate Titan submersible tragedy, "Real Sports" checks in with Victor Vescovo, an explorer who had built his own deep-sea submersible in 2018. Vescovo, who lost two friends in the accident, believes the tragedy was avoidable and that early warning signs about safety were ignored. Correspondent Bryant Gumbel reports. Producers: Nisreen Habbal, Daniel Litke.