HBO’s Emmy-winning sports documentary series Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel will end after nearly 30 years on the premium service, executives confirmed.
The series, which will conclude after its current 29th season run, debuted in 1995 with Gumbel, former host of NBC’s Today Show and CBS’s The Early Show, at the helm exploring stories that intersect sports and society. The series has won 37 Sports Emmy Awards during its nearly three decades on the air.
Gumbel, who received the Sports Emmys Lifetime Achievement Award earlier this year, said that working on the series has been “gratifying” to him over the years.
“Since day one at Real Sports we’ve consistently tried to look beyond the scoreboard and focus instead on the many societal issues inherent in the world of sports,” he said. “In the process, we’ve had the opportunity to tell complex stories about race, gender, class, opportunity and so much more. Being able to do so at HBO for almost three decades has been very gratifying. I’m proud of the imprint we’ve made, so I’m ready to turn the page. Although goodbyes are never easy, I’ve decided that now’s the time to move on.”
HBO and Max content chairman and CEO Casey Bloys also said in a statement: “For 29 seasons, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel has delivered a master class in sports storytelling, garnering 37 Sports Emmy Awards and three Peabody awards in the process.
“As the longest-running HBO series, Bryant and his Real Sports team have long been a cornerstone of HBO programming,” Bloys added. “The series will continue to resonate in the realm of sports journalism and we are so proud to have been part of such a remarkable odyssey.”
