3. “The Network of the Olympics”: Starring Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents ix
3. Illustrations xi
4. Acknowledgments xiii
5. Introduction: ABC Sports and Network Sports Television 1
6. 1. The “Almost Broadcasting Company” and the Birth of ABC Sports 9
7. 2. ABC’s Wide World of Sports: “The Seedbed of Modern Sports Television” and the Cold War 33
8. 3. “The Network of the Olympics”: Starring Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell 63
9. 4. Monday Night Football, Brian’s Song, and the Roots of the Prime-Time TV Event 97
10. 5. The News from Munich on the “Arledge Broadcasting Company” 126
11. 6. “What in the Wide, Wide World of Sports Is Going On Here?”: TrashSports and Scandal 159
12. 7. “No More Sacred Cows” 193
13. Conclusion: From Wide World of Sports to the Worldwide Leader in Sports 219
14. Appendix 1: Wide World of Sports Inaugural Season Schedule, 1961 231
15. Appendix 2: ABC’s Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year 232
16. Appendix 3: Top Fifteen Television Audiences of All Time as of Roots’ Premiere 234
17. Appendix 4: Top Ten Most-Watched Wide World of Sports Episodes 235
18. Abbreviations 237
19. Notes 239
20. Index 275