NEW YORK — Bryant Gumbel’s “Real Sports” news magazine on HBO will shut down after 29 seasons, according to a statement Wednesday.
Addressing social and economic issues beyond the games, the program was like “60 Minutes” of sports and won 37 Sports Emmy Awards. Gumbel, 74, won a lifetime achievement award at the Sports Emmys earlier this year.
During a season in which “Real Sports” won a Peabody Award, some of the stories included investigations into football head injuries and athletes who came out as gay, as well as the gruesome death of a college drummer and a fatal plane crash. Including a professional hockey team in Russia.
“We had the opportunity to tell complex stories about race, gender, class, opportunities and much more,” Gumbel said. “It’s very gratifying to be able to do that on HBO for almost three decades. I’m proud of the marks we’ve created, so I’m ready to turn the page. Although goodbyes are never easy, I decided it was time to move on.”
Although HBO, parent company Warner Bros. While it has seen cuts since the merger that created Discovery, the channel said these financial concerns had nothing to do with the end of “Real Sports,” HBO’s longest-running series.
It is not yet known when the final episode will air.
“The series will continue to resonate with the sports journalism space, and we are very proud to be part of such a remarkable journey,” said Casey Bloys, HBO’s president and CEO.