Sports Challenge
| Sports Challenge | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Game Show |
| Directed by | Glenn Swanson Jerry Hughes Gary Brown |
| Presented by | Dick Enberg |
| Narrated by |
Johnny Gilbert Art James John Harlan |
| Theme music composer | Patrick Williams |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 8 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Gerry Gross |
| Running time | 30 Minutes |
| Production company(s) | Gerry Gross Productions |
| Distributor | Syndicast Services, inc. (1971-1977) American International Television (1978-1979) |
| Release | |
| Original network | Syndicated (weekly) CBS Weekends (1973) |
| Picture format | NTSC (480i) |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | January 23, 1971 – September, 1979 |
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.
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, solely dependent on whom 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."
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.
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Wikipedia