Wild World of Wednesday - June 11, 2008

Yes, if you haven’t figured it out – the title of the Wednesday posts around here is a play on the title “Wide World of Sports”. If you’re a lifelong sports fan you have probably heard the intro that starts out with the words, “Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport…” However, the most famous line in the intro is arguably “…the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat...”

The Wide World of Sports show started way back in 1961 and went everywhere in the world possible to bring every sport imaginable to the viewing audience. And yes, those included events that have some cynics claiming that they are not a sport. Barrel jumping, logging, hurling, and many Olympic sports were featured here. Evel Knievel and his daredevil stunts appeared on the show seven different times from 1973-1976. Only two of those stunts ended in a crash and the rest were successful. In the days before ESPN and other sports networks were ubiquitous, this was where certain athletes and sports got their publicity. The show gave audiences new ideas about places they had never been and people doing thing they didn’t normally see.

That voice that you hear in your head when you think of the show was that of Jim McKay, who passed away over the weekend. He was most noted, however, for his broadcast of the 1972 tragedy at the Olympics in Munich where athletes were taken hostage and killed. Younger sports fans, including myself, know this moment where he famously utters, “They’re all gone” from the 2005 film depiction “Munich”. Rest in peace Mr. McKay and thank you for being a part of happy sports memories in my lifetime.