Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel: Season 23
Season 23 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel Season 22.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 23 Progress Shield
Episode 238 - The Game He Loved / Mind Games / The Hooper's Pass
Jan 24, 2017 · 60 min
Correspondent Jon Frankel revisits the story of Kevin Turner, a former NFL player who died in 2016 from ALS and whose brain is being studied for CTE. Plus, Bryant Gumbel explores w
Episode 239 - King Kraft / No Average Joe / Bloodsport
Feb 21, 2017 · 60 min
Topics include a profile of Patriots owner Robert Kraft; a chat with baseball manager Joe Maddon, coming off a World Series triumph with the Cubs; a report on cockfighting; and a v
Episode 240 - One Last Shot / March Myth / Curveball
Mar 21, 2017 · 60 min
Texas Rangers reliever Matt Bush opens up about what it's like to be called MLB's biggest draft bust. Plus, Real Sports sits down with Juan Dixon, the star of Maryland's 2002 NCAA
Episode 241 - Valley of Death / Race Against Time / Uncaged
Apr 18, 2017 · 60 min
Following the deaths of several Dominican MLB players in violent car accidents, Real Sports travels to the island nation to learn why it's one of the most dangerous places to drive
Episode 242 - Soccer’s Darkest Secret / Latino Voice / Pinball Wizard
May 23, 2017 · 60 min
Segments include a report on abuse in youth soccer programs in England; a profile of the Dodgers' Spanish broadcaster Jaime Jarrin; and a visit with Robert Gagno, the autistic defe
Episode 243 - Man vs. Beast / Unbreakable / American Dream
Jun 20, 2017 · 60 min
Profile of American tennis prodigy Frances Tiafoe; the world of Spanish bullfighting; after losing his right leg in a farming accident, Jeff Glasbrenner continues to compete in spo
Episode 244 - MMA Fight Club / Dying Down Under / Rod Karew
Jul 18, 2017 · 60 min
Ramzan Kadyrov, Head of the Chechen Republic, creates a world-class MMA fight club to bolster his regime; global warming has a devastating effect on the Great Barrier Reef; basebal
Episode 245 - 10-Year Agreement / Youth Sports Inc. / Ball Hawk
Aug 22, 2017 · 60 min
Examining the NFL Players' Association and its leader, DeMaurice Smith; the new industry of travel sports tourism; profile of notorious sports fan Zack Hample, the infamous "ball h
Episode 246 - Gurantee Games / Lewis Hamilton / McDonough Family
Sep 26, 2017 · 60 min
A profile of three-time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton; exploring the consequences surrounding "guarantee games" in college sports; a profile of the McDonough family, wh
Episode 248
Nov 21, 2017 · 60 min
Segments include profiles of basketball's Chris Collins and his dad Doug Collins; a visit with soccer development coach Tom Byer; a Texas high-school football teams' comeback after
Episode 249 - 2017 Year in Review
Dec 12, 2017 · 60 min
A roundtable review of the show's most memorable moments of 2017, with Gumbel leading the correspondents in a discussion of the most significant stories of the year. Included are s