Media Release

All-New Episode Of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL Premieres June 22

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL returns for an all-new episode on TUESDAY, JUNE 22 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT).
 
The series is available on HBO and to stream on HBO Max. 
           
For up-to-the-minute updates about REAL SPORTS, follow on Twitter at @RealSportsHBO or join the conversation using #RealSports, and on HBO.com/realsports and facebook.com/realsports.    

June segments include:

  • “The Pandemic Games” While the pandemic continues to ravage many parts of the world, correspondent David Scott examines the IOC’s practice of promoting the vaccination of thousands of Olympic-bound athletes in the midst of a global shortage. Producer: Josh Fine.
     
  • “Ball Market” Most Minor League ballplayers make less than minimum wage. It’s a reality that former pitcher Michael Schwimer saw up close when he worked his way up to the Majors. Schwimer was injured and out of the game by the time he was 27, but came up with an idea to help Minor Leaguers by starting a private equity fund that pays young players money in exchange for a percentage of their future baseball earnings. Over the last five years, Schwimer has raised $156 million and invested in more than 300 players. A few months ago his venture proved its potential when Fernando Tatis, Jr. – one of Schwimer’s clients - signed one of the biggest contracts in the history of the game. Tatis, Jr. hit the jackpot, as did Michael Schwimer and his equity fund. Correspondent Soledad O’Brien reports. Producer: Nick Dolin.
     
  • “Alexis Sablone” Alexis Sablone is one of the very best female street skaters in the world and will represent the US at the Tokyo Games in the debut of the new Olympic event of skateboarding. Sablone earned her master’s degree in architecture from MIT five years ago and used her architecture and design skills to create her signature sneaker and a skateable sculpture in Sweden. Correspondent Mary Carillo reports. Producer: Maggie Burbank.
     
  • “Bike Wars” (Revisit) As the world froze and its streets emptied when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the search for a way to navigate our dangerous new reality set off a “bike boom”. Cyclists filled the streets in numbers so great they triggered a global bike shortage. To accommodate the surging demand, several European cities, like Paris, quickly and comprehensively transformed their infrastructure. While some efforts were made to accommodate bikers in America, the streets remained as dangerous as ever for cyclists, particularly with traffic returning to pre-pandemic levels. Correspondent Bryant Gumbel reports. Update Producer: Daniel Litke.

The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Joe Perskie.

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