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      University of California Press

      Oakland, California

      © 2018 by Travis Vogan

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Names: Vogan, Travis, author.

      Title: ABC Sports : the rise and fall of network sports television / Travis Vogan.

      Description: Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2018] | Includes bibliographical references and index. |

      Identifiers: LCCN 2018017673 (print) | LCCN 2018021121 (ebook) | ISBN 9780520966260 (ebook) | ISBN 9780520292956 (cloth : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780520292963 (pbk. : alk. paper)

      Subjects: LCSH: ABC Sports. | Television broadcasting of sports—United States—20th century.

      Classification: LCC GV742.3 (ebook) | LCC GV742.3 .v6155 2018 (print) | DDC 070.449796—dc23

      LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018017673

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       For Caitlin

      Contents

       List of Illustrations

       Acknowledgments

       Introduction: ABC Sports and Network Sports Television

      1 •The “Almost Broadcasting Company” and the Birth of ABC Sports

      2 •ABC’s Wide World of Sports: “The Seedbed of Modern Sports Television” and the Cold War

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

      4 •Monday Night Football, Brian’s Song, and the Roots of the Prime-Time TV Event

      5 •The News from Munich on the “Arledge Broadcasting Company”

      6 •“What in the Wide, Wide World of Sports Is Going On Here?”: TrashSports and Scandal

      7 •“No More Sacred Cows”: The End of ABC Sports’ Golden Age

       Conclusion: From Wide World of Sports to the Worldwide Leader in Sports

       Appendix 1: Wide World of Sports Inaugural Season Schedule, 1961

       Appendix 2: ABC’s Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year

       Appendix 3: Top Fifteen Television Audiences of All Time as of Roots’ Premiere

       Appendix 4: Top Ten Most-Watched Wide World of Sports Episodes

       Abbreviations

       Notes

       Index

Illustrations

      1. New York Times advertisement for ABC’s coverage of the 1961 US-USSR track meet

      2. LeRoy Neiman sketch of Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell, 1970

      3. University of Buffalo marching band’s politically loaded halftime performance, 1970

      4. University of Buffalo student protest against ABC, 1970

      5. Burt Reynolds on a 1974 installment of Monday Night Football

      6. LeRoy Neiman sketch of Mark Spitz drying his hair, 1972 Munich Olympics

      7. LeRoy Neiman sketch of ABC cameras covering the 1972 Munich hostage crisis

      8. A 1977 ABC Sports holiday card designed by LeRoy Neiman

      9. LeRoy Neiman sketch of Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs prior to Battle of the Sexes

      10. LeRoy Neiman sketch of Billie Jean King tending to her appearance before Battle of the Sexes

      11. Monday Night Football–themed stamp issued by the US Postal Service, 1999

Acknowledgments

      It is humbling to reflect on a years-long project—one that winds up as a book that displays only my name on the cover—and realize how many others contributed. Some pitched in directly and with very specific favors and tips; some asked good questions in the midst of chatting about other topics; and some were just encouraging. Despite the size and nature of these contributions, I can say with total confidence that I could not have completed this project entirely on my own. I appreciate the support and promise to pay it forward.

      But I do want to single out some folks and organizations that took the time to help out. First of all, I have to give a giant thanks to sports broadcasting legend and model Hawkeye Ken Aagaard for connecting me with some of the sources who helped me piece together this history. The book would not be nearly as good without their memories and voices, and Ken got the ball rolling by vouching for me. Thanks to Jack Gallivan, Roger Goodman, Rick Kaplan, Dennis Lewin, Robert Lipsyte, Williams Liss, John Martin, Geoff Mason, Sean McManus,

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