Prior to marrying a jock, I enjoyed watching sports. But since I’ve been hitched to a man who has done wrestling, mixed martial arts, football, baseball, basketball and dabbled in other sports, I have found myself paying way more attention to sports television shows.
One evening while watching and commenting on points made on ESPN program “First Take” with famed sports journalists Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless, I realized I may like sports shows more than I thought.
So, here are my top five favorite sports shows in no particular order.
HBO’s Hard Knocks
Fans think being a professional baller is all glitz and glam, but “Hard Knocks” highlights what it really takes to make it in the NFL. This show documents training camps of select National Football League teams. “Hard Knocks” shows perspectives of players like rookies vying for a spot on the team, veterans working to maintain their spot on the roster and coaches who must make tough decisions to help build a winning team.
HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
To me, this show is like “60 Minutes” for sports. The topics are always interesting, in-depth and diverse. And joke all you want about Bryant Gumbel, he is a fine journalist along with his team of investigative journalists. Reporters like Carl Quintanilla are always fun to watch, but getting a female perspective on sports issues is intriguing. Soledad O’Brien, Mary Carillo and Andrea Kremer do a fabulous job as well.
ESPN 30 for 30
Do you notice a pattern here? I guess I like to go beyond the obvious and want to know the ins, outs and idiosyncrasies of sports and athletes who have made the game what it is today. ESPN’s “30 for 30” is another one on that list. Inspired by ESPN’s anniversary in 2009, ESPN Films’ “30 for 30” is a narrative series featuring 30 films from 30 filmmakers’ perspectives. This series is storytelling at its finest and may have to be No. 1 among my favorites. The films I’ve enjoyed most have been “Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The Knicks,” “The U,” “You Don’t Know Bo” and “Sole Man.” If you want to know the “Five Ws” of sports and athletes, this is the show to watch.
NBA on TNT
I’m going to let the cat out of the bag and say although I was born and raised a Hoosier, basketball is not my favorite sport. I can attend any sporting event, yet if I have to watch sports on television, I’d prefer to watch football. But if basketball is what’s on, I’d rather turn my television to NBA on TNT and watch the antics of host Ernie Johnson and analysts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith. Their blend of knowledge and humor makes watching basketball more bearable and fun.
TBS’ My Boys
Although this show no longer comes on television, I enjoyed watching this TBS sitcom, because I believe it captures the best parts of sports — people who have a mutual love of sports coming together and forming relationships. “My Boys” is about a professional sports writer looking for love within her world, which is dominated by her group of male friends. This may seem kind of chick-flick-ish, but I’m a chick, so there you go. But seriously, think about who you call to attend games or who you gather with to watch the Super Bowl. It’s the people you love to be around the most. Sports has a way of bringing out the fun and camaraderie of people. “My Boys” reflects that. Catch “My Boys” on Netflix.
