Each has four stories, all of which are about society and sports, famous athletes, or problems afflicting sports. The show also has investigative reports, interviews, and interesting stories that don't necessarily occur in the professional leagues. This show goes beyond traditional sports reporting, like box scores and statistics, and presents exclusive stories that other networks don't usually cover. As of 2018, the show has been honored with 32 Sports Emmy Awards and won Peabody Awards in 2012 and 2015. Real Sports was the inspiration for two other HBO shows: On the Record with Bob Costas and Costas Now.
In 2004, guided by human rights activistAnsar Burney, an HBO team used a hidden camera to document slavery and torture in secret desert camps where boys under the age of five were trained to race camels, a national sport in the United Arab Emirates. This half-hour investigative report exposed a carefully hidden child slavery ring that bought or kidnapped hundreds of young boys in Pakistan and Bangladesh. These boys were then forced to become camel jockeys in the UAE. The report also questioned the sincerity of U.S. diplomacy in pressuring an ally, the UAE, to comply with its own stated policy of banning the use of children under 15 from camel racing. The documentary won a Sports Emmy Award in 2004 for "Outstanding Sports Journalism" and the 2006 Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award for outstanding broadcast journalism. It also brought world attention to the plight of child camel jockeys in the Middle East and helped Ansar Burney Trust to convince the governments of Qatar and the UAE to end the use of children in this sport.
During the summer of 2013, Jon Frankel's interview with Kelly Slater spawned an HBO Sports video of Jack Johnson and Kelly Slater performing "Home ".
Controversial remarks
In February 2006, Gumbel made remarks regarding the Winter Olympics and the lack of African-American participation. On the August 15, 2006 episode of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Gumbel made the following remarks about former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and National Football League Players Association president Gene Upshaw and directed these comments to new commissioner Roger Goodell: In response, Tagliabue said, "What Gumbel said about Gene Upshaw and our owners is about as irresponsible as anything I've heard in a long time." Gumbel replied with, "It's a lot like covering any story You see what is in front of you and you report on it." On the October 18, 2011 episode, Gumbel invoked slavery in his criticism of NBA Commissioner David Stern over the league's lockout.
