So what happened to weekend sports broadcasts?

[Mikej]

Just saying to the wife this last weekend. "What happened to all the different sports they used to show on weekend television?" Remember Swamp Buggy Races, Tractor pulls, Strongest Man Competitions? Once in awhile I'll still see the strongest man comp's listed though. That's all I can think of now. What else was out there 20 years ago? Motor cycle hill climbs and Rock crawling are seldom on.

Here's something pretty cool though....

View: https://youtu.be/N4p-mOf3PFU

View: https://youtu.be/ytKzWZp__Gs

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[edzz]

Looks like you answered your own question.

 

[Catfishmoon]

"The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat"..

That one had numerous unusual sporting events back in the day.

 

[Mikej]

Looks like you answered your own question.

Well if I wanted to search you tube, I imagine a person can find anything they want! From the most mundane, to bubblegum that would make a decent man puke.

 

[Bacchus]

I guess the market is only for "mainstream" sports now, but yes you're right, there used to be a much bigger variety of sports to watch.

Almost as bad is what has happened to sports on the Internet. 10 years ago many sports sites moved from writing good stories to doing mostly sports "news" videos. I remember when ESPN fired many of their reporters who knew how to write good stories, and just kept the "personalities" that did the video "reports", many of whom seem to think they're the stars.

 

[Mikej]

I guess the market is only for "mainstream" sports now, but yes you're right, there used to be a much bigger variety of sports to watch.

Almost as bad is what has happened to sports on the Internet. 10 years ago many sports sites moved from writing good stories to doing mostly sports "news" videos. I remember when ESPN fired many of their reporters who knew how to write good stories, and just kept the "personalities" that did the video "reports", many of whom seem to think they're the stars.

The only sport I watch is pro football. I'll watch a little bit of baseball. Some little league baseball can be interesting when they get to world series time. Some ladies fast pitch ball can be interesting. Now "soccer"! WTF? 90 mins. of running back and forth for a score of 1-1, 1-2.

 

[RVTECH]

"What happened to all the different sports they used to show on weekend television?" Remember Swamp Buggy Races, Tractor pulls, Strongest Man Competitions?

What stations/networks used to show these things?

Get a ROKU device - I'm sure you'll be able to find something like you used to!

 

[Catbox]

Wasn't a bunch of the good stuff shown on The Nashville Network or TNN?

I remember watching all the good stuff they would show like the swamp buggies and such.

 

[Mikej]

What stations/networks used to show these things?

Get a ROKU device - I'm sure you'll be able to find something like you used to!

Gosh, I don't remember, but it seems that "Wide World of Sports" had sports on from everywhere. Not just whatever was in season at the time. I think their thing was "sports around the world!"

Wasn't a bunch of the good stuff shown on The Nashville Network or TNN?

Probably.... I used to love the swamp buggy races. Those tall wheels/tires in a half mile long, or so, figure-8 canal like waterway. With big v-8s and 400 HP! Yee-Haw! Look at the sports channels now. There's like eight major channels and all they come up with is 1-5 year old football games! Crap, send a crew with a camera on Friday night to some high school for the varsity football game. If all those re-ran football games get watched that much then I don't know what to think. I know it's advertiser money driven, but people love sports. I'd think they'd watch "Sports", of a different kind too?

 

[Catfishmoon]

ABC's Wide World of Sports was where I was most exposed to activities I had never previously seen growing up in the 1960's and 70's;
Wrist Wrestling championship
Mexican cliff diving in Acapulco
Very high diving from a tower
Motorcycle racing on ice
People running thru streets with bulls
Airplane racing
Jai Alai
Motorcycle hill climb
Pikes Peak racing
Baja 500 or Dakar racing

I can't say for certain I saw all of these on Wide World Sports as opposed to a different show, but that is where I saw most less popular outdoor activities for the first time. There was very limited exposure to non-mainstream activities in the pre-internet days.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

"The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat"..

That one had numerous unusual sporting events back in the day.

Wide world is sports was awesome! I also miss the rally racing coverage and touring car racing from back in the day.

 

[IndyPrepper]

 

[Bacchus]

Nowadays you have to pay for sports coverage that you didn't previously. ESPN wants you to sign up (I don't know if you have to pay) to read their "ESPN+" stories which are frequently the ones I most want to watch. And when I was a kid you could watch every championship boxing fight for free. The first one I recall with paid access was Leonard-Hearns back in about 1982. (That was actually worth it, the best fight I ever saw).

There used to be track and field every weekend, or at least a lot more. I remember when Sports Illustrated covered the occasional championship level chess games (not athletics, but sport); Evel Knievel; auto racing at many different levels: Formula 1, Drag racing, NASCAR, SCCA, Can-Am, Trans Am, Indy cars, Prototype/GT endurance racing (Ford vs Ferrari, anyone?).

They had a great story about one of their writers going up in a Navy fighter jet:

On a Wing and a Prayer

That story was so funny I still remember it decades later.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Well if I wanted to search you tube, I imagine a person can find anything they want! From the most mundane, to bubblegum that would make a decent man puke.

View: https://youtu.be/tDxDYIQL6Nc?feature=shared

 

[Mikej]

ABC's Wide World of Sports was where I was most exposed to activities I had never previously seen growing up in the 1960's and 70's;
Wrist Wrestling championship
Mexican cliff diving in Acapulco
Very high diving from a tower
Motorcycle racing on ice
People running thru streets with bulls
Airplane racing
Jai Alai
Motorcycle hill climb
Pikes Peak racing
Baja 500 or Dakar racing

I can't say for certain I saw all of these on Wide World Sports as opposed to a different show, but that is where I saw most less popular outdoor activities for the first time. There was very limited exposure to non-mainstream activities in the pre-internet days.

Now that's what I'm talking about!

 

[Mikej]

View: https://youtu.be/tDxDYIQL6Nc?feature=shared

Loved it. Watched it every chance I got!

Gene Gene the dancing machine!

View: https://youtu.be/ACpNVD5GMUw

 

[Mikej]

I was in lust with J.P Morgan back then.

 

[IndyPrepper]

I was in lust with J.P Morgan back then.

Ok..you had me down a google rabbit hole..all I could find were boring finance dudes.

It's "Jaye" P Morgan Yowsa!

"From 1976 to 1978, Morgan was a regular panelist on The Gong Show, in which she achieved notoriety for flashing her breasts while on live camera"

 

[hawmanai]

My guess is most sports now want money to film and rebroadcast. Just like when the cheerleaders wanted money for being broadcast so the TV stations just quit showing them, that's when I stopped watching NFL.

NASCAR uses copyright infringement to stop fans posting videos. https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnmcquaid/2013/02/23/nascars-youtube-problem/

Nowadays the Agony of Defeat ski jumper would sue the TV show using his pain and suffering to make money.

Also like CB Media videos, the lack of safety rules over there is interesting. They must not have a sue happy population.