Sports Challenge
Encyclopedia
Sports Challenge was a sports-centered game show that aired in weekly syndication from 1971 to 1979, with a separate version that aired briefly on CBS
weekends from May 20 to September 9, 1973. Dick Enberg
was host. Johnny Gilbert
, Art James
, and John Harlan
announced.
The show was taped at the KTLA
/Golden West studios in Los Angeles (known today as Sunset Bronson Studios), with the exception of some shows taped at Metromedia Square
.
The show's theme throughout its run was an instrumental version of The Beatles
' "Get Back
" by Pat Williams, from his Verve Records
album "Heavy Vibrations"; a different theme was briefly used for the 1977–1978 season, but the original theme replaced it for the show's final season.
On a free throw, if the team to which the free throw is assigned is unable to answer correctly within five seconds for 10 points, the other team can steal with a correct answer to pick up 20 points.
Some questions about or pertaining to the clip could contain either multiple choice or contain clues.
Whoever was in the lead after the Bonus Biography won the game and $1,000 worth of Voit (later Rawlings) sporting goods for an announced junior athletic organization. The losing team received $500 worth of sporting goods for the junior athletic organization whom they represented.
Occasionally, the Bonus Biography description would be finished by stating the subject's name prior to the expiration of time. When that happened, a single toss-up question would be asked for the remainder of the points.
Rarely, the Bonus Biography subject would divulge himself prior to taping. In that case, Enberg would ask a question about that subject and read clues to the answer to that question on the clock. The show would also use this procedure (without the clock) to break a tie at the end of the Bonus Biography round.
For at least the first few episodes, each participant also received $1 for every point their team scored; By the middle of the first season, no references to any such cash winnings were made.
The winning team returned the following week to face a new set of challengers, and continued until defeated. The team of Tommy Henrich
, Joe DiMaggio
, and Lefty Gomez
(New York Yankees) set a record for winning the game 8 consecutive times, which was tied once by the team of Duke Snider
, Don Drysdale
, and Don Newcombe
(Brooklyn Dodgers) during the show's final season, in 1979.
continue to circulate among the reruns still airing today.
released the "Sports Challenge Instant Replay" toy, in which the user would insert a small pre-recorded disc to learn information about a certain athlete or activity. The unit was promoted on-air by Enberg and given to all athletes who competed on the show.
Later in the show's run, Scarab released a series of 7" picture discs, which featured Enberg reading statistics about a famous baseball player, then asking a difficult trivia question about the player. About a dozen records were released.
, and ESPN 2 have all aired the series in the past, with The Walt Disney Company
(which owns 80% of ESPN) presumably owning any format rights along with the episodes.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
weekends from May 20 to September 9, 1973. Dick Enberg
Dick Enberg
Richard Alan "Dick" Enberg is an American sportscaster. He currently provides play-by-play for telecasts of San Diego Padres baseball on 4SD, following a long career calling various sports for such networks as NBC, CBS, and ESPN...
was host. Johnny Gilbert
Johnny Gilbert
John L. "Johnny" Gilbert III is an American show business personality who has worked mainly on television game shows. Originally a nightclub singer and entertainer, he has hosted and announced a number of game shows from various eras, dating as far back as the 1950s...
, Art James
Art James
Art James was an American game show host, best known for shows such as The Who, What, or Where Game and Pay Cards!. He was also the announcer on the game show Concentration....
, and John Harlan
John Harlan
John Harlan may refer to:*John Marshall Harlan US Supreme Court Justice, 1877–1911*John Marshall Harlan II , his grandson, US Supreme Court Justice, 1955–1971*John Harlan , American television announcer-See also:...
announced.
The show was taped at the KTLA
KTLA
KTLA, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, USA. Owned by the Tribune Company, KTLA is an affiliate of the CW Television Network. KTLA's studios are on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson...
/Golden West studios in Los Angeles (known today as Sunset Bronson Studios), with the exception of some shows taped at Metromedia Square
Metromedia Square
Metromedia Square was a radio and television studio facility located at 5746 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, on the southeastern corner of Sunset and Van Ness Avenue. For decades it was recognizable by the white, ladder-like snake on the building's roof...
.
The show's theme throughout its run was an instrumental version of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "Get Back
Get Back
"Get Back" is a song by The Beatles, composed by Paul McCartney and frequently attributed to Lennon–McCartney. The song was originally released as a single on 11 April 1969, and credited to "The Beatles with Billy Preston." A different mix of the song later became the closing track of Let It Be ,...
" by Pat Williams, from his Verve Records
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
album "Heavy Vibrations"; a different theme was briefly used for the 1977–1978 season, but the original theme replaced it for the show's final season.
Format
Sports Challenge featured two teams of three sports figures representing a sport or a team. In the latter case, the teams could be made up of former players or members of the current team; this was solely dependent on who the show's producers were able to book. During the early part of the run, Dick Enberg would read a disclaimer that "Sports Challenge is a game of quick recall and whether our stars win or lose is not solely based on knowledge but on how they react to the questions."Main Game
Four rounds were played. In each round, a film clip was shown, and a toss-up question would be asked about or pertaining to the clip. The first team to buzz in with a correct answer earned 20 points and a chance at scoring more with two 10 point "free throws". If no one answered correctly on the first toss-up, the free throws became toss-ups. On the toss-up, when ringing in, they must answer the question immediately. If incorrect or run out of time, the opposing team gets five seconds to confer amongst themselves before answering the question.On a free throw, if the team to which the free throw is assigned is unable to answer correctly within five seconds for 10 points, the other team can steal with a correct answer to pick up 20 points.
Some questions about or pertaining to the clip could contain either multiple choice or contain clues.
Classic Round
Partway through the run, the Classic Round was played after the third round before the Bonus Biography. One final film clip was shown, and the question that followed it was worth 30 points.Bonus Biography
After the 30 point question, the Bonus Biography was played. A silhouette of a famous athlete was shown on-screen, and the teams would have 60 seconds (originally 90) to figure out who it was based on clues given by announcer Gilbert (although Enberg later took over this duty). The team that answered this correctly earned one point for every second left on the clock. At one point in the show's run, if neither team successfully identified the subject, the subject won a new car.Whoever was in the lead after the Bonus Biography won the game and $1,000 worth of Voit (later Rawlings) sporting goods for an announced junior athletic organization. The losing team received $500 worth of sporting goods for the junior athletic organization whom they represented.
Occasionally, the Bonus Biography description would be finished by stating the subject's name prior to the expiration of time. When that happened, a single toss-up question would be asked for the remainder of the points.
Rarely, the Bonus Biography subject would divulge himself prior to taping. In that case, Enberg would ask a question about that subject and read clues to the answer to that question on the clock. The show would also use this procedure (without the clock) to break a tie at the end of the Bonus Biography round.
For at least the first few episodes, each participant also received $1 for every point their team scored; By the middle of the first season, no references to any such cash winnings were made.
The winning team returned the following week to face a new set of challengers, and continued until defeated. The team of Tommy Henrich
Tommy Henrich
Thomas David "Tommy" Henrich , nicknamed "The Clutch" and "Old Reliable", was a Major League Baseball right fielder. He played his entire baseball career for the New York Yankees . He led the American League in triples twice and in runs scored once, also hitting 20 or more home runs four times...
, Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
, and Lefty Gomez
Lefty Gómez
Vernon Louis "Lefty" Gomez was an American left-handed major league pitcher who played in the American League for the New York Yankees between 1930 and 1942. Considered one of the great pitchers of the day, Gomez was a seven-time All-Star and a five-time World Series Champion with the Yankees...
(New York Yankees) set a record for winning the game 8 consecutive times, which was tied once by the team of Duke Snider
Duke Snider
Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider , nicknamed "The Silver Fox" and "The Duke of Flatbush", was a Major League Baseball center fielder and left-handed batter who played for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers , New York Mets , and San Francisco Giants .Snider was elected to the National Baseball Hall of...
, Don Drysdale
Don Drysdale
Donald Scott "Don" Drysdale was a Major League Baseball player and Hall of Fame right-handed pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was one of the dominant starting pitchers of the 1960s, and became a radio and television broadcaster following his playing career...
, and Don Newcombe
Don Newcombe
Donald Newcombe , nicknamed "Newk", is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who played for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers , Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians .Until 2011 when Detroit Tigers Pitcher Justin Verlander did it, Newcombe was the only baseball...
(Brooklyn Dodgers) during the show's final season, in 1979.
"Best Of" reruns
In 1982, Enberg and partners, including Billy Packer and Don McGuire, created "Oh My!" Productions and purchased the Sports Challenge library, plus the right to produce new shows, from Gerry Gross Productions. Oh My entered an agreement with ESPN to air the old shows under the title "The Best of Sports Challenge", with updated openings by Enberg. National rights holders, including MLB and the NFL challenged Oh My's rights, proving that Gross owed them residual fees, and the shows were taken off after a year. However, some "Best Of" printscontinue to circulate among the reruns still airing today.
Merchandising
In 1973, MattelMattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
released the "Sports Challenge Instant Replay" toy, in which the user would insert a small pre-recorded disc to learn information about a certain athlete or activity. The unit was promoted on-air by Enberg and given to all athletes who competed on the show.
Later in the show's run, Scarab released a series of 7" picture discs, which featured Enberg reading statistics about a famous baseball player, then asking a difficult trivia question about the player. About a dozen records were released.
Episode Status
Sports Challenge is believed to be completely intact; Classic Sports Network (now "ESPN Classic"), ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, and ESPN 2 have all aired the series in the past, with The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
(which owns 80% of ESPN) presumably owning any format rights along with the episodes.