The United States' Abby Wambach by Andy Mead/ WireImage.com
• The U.S. women’s soccer team hasn’t had a crossover superstar since Mia, Brandi and Julie retired, but the team’s latest scoring sensation is on the verge of a major breakthrough. Abby Wambach — who came of age at the 2004 Olympics, scoring the gold-medal game-winning goal — is looking for the 100th score of her international career. Only eight other women have ever reached that milestone. Wambach's next chance comes against Brazil — the team that humiliated the Americans in the semifinals of the 2007 Women’s World Cup — this Sunday in Commerce City, Colorado (July 13, 4 pm/ET, ESPN). If she's held scoreless in that game, she gets another chance on Wednesday, also against Brazil, in San Diego (July 16, 10 pm/ET, Fox Soccer Channel)…• Arena Football League is down to its final four. On Saturday the National Conference championship game features the Cleveland Gladiators at Philadelphia Soul (July 12, 1 pm/ET, ESPN). Later, the G...
read more
Steve Nash by John Medina/ WireImage.com
Two time NBA MVP Steve Nash is making his directorial debut for ESPN, contributing a segment to the network's "30 For 30" initiative. Timed to ESPN's 30th anniversary next year, the series will feature 30 hour-long documentaries, commemorating major sporting events of the past three decades.Nash's contribution to the project will be a movie about fellow Canadian Terry Fox, a cancer activist who memorably attempted to run across his country in 1980. Fox, who suffered from bone cancer and had his right leg amputated above the knee, covered more than 3,300 miles before his cancer spread, forcing him to abandon the journey. He died the following year, but not before becoming one of his country's most celebrated citizens. In addition to the Phoenix Suns point guard, other contributors to "30 For 30" include Barbara Kopple, best known for the Dixie Chicks documentary Shut Up & Sing and the 2002 ABC miniseries The Hamptons; and as previously announced, Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing). ...
read more
Two major NFL-related TV announcements came down Monday. Ex-ESPN anchor Dan Patrick is joining NBC's Football Night in America pregame studio show as co-host. He will reteam with his former SportsCenter deskmate Keith Olbermann. "I'm delighted to be reunited with my tag team partner," Olbermann said, and in an homage to a favorite SportsCenter catchphrase, "I can't stop Dan Patrick from working with me again, I can only hope to contain him."Patrick left ESPN last summer after 18 years with the company. He continues to host his eponymous radio show and write a column for Sports Illustrated.Meanwhile, over at Inside the NFL, which is moving to Showtime from HBO, James Brown, Phil Simms and Cris Collinsworth were named cohosts. Brown and Simms will continue their work for CBS (which owns Showtime), as host of The NFL Today and lead game analyst, respectively. Collinsworth is a holdover from the HBO incarnation, and will remain on the Football Night in America panel and as analyst for ...
read more
Rafael Nadal by Cynthia Lum/ WireImage.com
Rafael Nadal's epic five-set victory over Roger Federer in Sunday's Wimbledon men's singles final was a big winner for NBC. The four-hour, 48-minute match scored a 4.6 overnight rating, the highest since 2000. Rain delays dragged the match on into darkness, with Nadal finally pulling out the win, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7 at 9:15 pm local time in London (4:15 pm/ET). Said NBC's John McEnroe, "This has got to be the greatest match we've ever seen. Ever." Federer, who called this, "probably my hardest loss, by far," was aiming to win a fifth sixth straight Wimbledon title. Nadal, the first Spaniard to win the London event since 1966, picked up his fifth Grand Slam title and continued his recent dominance over his Swiss rival. Their career record is now 12-6, in favor of Nadal.UPDATE: In the U.K. the match averaged 7.4 million viewers during BBC1's eight-hour telecast, with a peak of 12.7 million as the match drew to a close.UPDATE No. 2: Final numbers are in, and NBC drew 5.2 mi...
read more
Venus and Serena Williams facing off in a Grand Slam final is usually a ratings ace and Saturday's Wimbledon title match was no exception. Venus' 7-5, 6-4 win over her younger sister pulled a 3.4 overnight rating for NBC's broadcast, which began at 9 am/ET. That's a 21 percent rise from last year and the best overnight number since 2005.With the win Venus earned her fifth Wimbledon title and evened her professional record against Serena at 8-8. (Serena still holds the advantage in Grand Slam finals, 5-2.)UPDATE: Final Nielsen numbers show that 3.7 million viewers watched the match.
read more
LeBron James by Andrew Bernstein/NBA Photos
Following the disappointing (some might say embarrassing) bronze-medal performance at the Athens Olympics, the U.S. men's basketball team knew it had to make some changes. The biggest was hiring Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski to reinvent the program. A new docu-series beginning Wednesday night, Road To Redemption, chronicles the squad's journey back to Dream Team status (July 2, 7 pm/ET, ESPN). Expect plenty of product placement for a certain shoe company, but there's also great behind the scenes footage, including Coach K's initial 2006 address to the team. "We’re the guys who are gonna show people how to play, on any surface, in any court, in any location, it is our game," he said to a group that included NBA stars LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Jason Kidd, the sole holdover from the last gold-medal-winning team (2000).The initial outing, the 2006 world championships, produced another bronze medal. But by the time the team swept through the FIBA Americas Championship last summ...
read more
Michael Strahan courtesy Fox Sports
Former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan has signed on to join Fox Sports' Sunday NFL pre-game show. The outspoken Strahan, 36, retired earlier this month following a 15-year career with the Giants, culminating with a Super Bowl title in February. He received offers from several networks but ultimately chose Fox because of his past relationship with the network (Fox covers the NFC, which features the Giants) and because the show, based in Los Angeles, is located near his beach house in nearby Hermosa Beach, Calif."Likeability is an important factor and Michael is more than liked by a lot of people around the country," says Fox Sports president Ed Goren. "He's loved by a lot of football fans. He's the perfect fit for our show."Strahan says getting ready for TV will be an easy transition. "It's a lot like preparing for a football game,” he says. “I'll still have to put in film study, read a lot and know the players and teams and what's going on around the league...
read more
John Henson and John Anderson by Craig Sjodin/ABC
• SportsCenter anchor John Anderson expands his resume as the host of the latest entry into the summer reality sweepstakes, Wipeout (Tuesdays, 8 pm/ET, ABC). The obstacle-course competition puts everyday folks up against bruise-inducing events like Big Balls, Dizzy Dummy and Sucker Punch. Ex-Talk Soup and TV Guide Network host Chris Henson is Anderson's on-air partner.• HBO's Real Sports returns with a (mostly) Olympic-themed episode (June 24, 10 pm/ET). Host Bryant Gumbel takes a typically smug (and borderline xenophobic) look at the demanding Chinese sports schools that are producing scores of potential medalists for the Beijing Games — and some tears among the students (because we Americans never push our kids too hard at sports). Additionally Andrea Kremer cheerleads for the return of softball into the Olympics. The American-dominated sport has its swan song in Beijing, booted by the IOC due to “lack of global appeal” — and three straight gold medal...
read more
Roger Federer by Mary J. Schilpp/WireImage.com
Wimbledon — aka the classiest two weeks in tennis — begins Monday morning with opening round play in London. ESPN2 will have weekday coverage at 7 am/ET throughout the tournament. NBC adds coverage next weekend (June 28 and 29, noon/ET) and then adds weekday broadcasts at 10 am/ET starting Monday, June 30.Roger Federer, regrouping after being slaughtered by Rafael Nadal at the French Open two weeks ago, will be looking for his sixth straight title at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, which would be a modern-era record. The Swiss star is, of course, the No. 1 seed. He begins play on Centre Court, against Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia, Monday at 1 pm London time (8 am/ET).Venus Williams is the defending women's champion, after completing an improbable run at the 2007 title as the No. 23 seed. This year she's seeded seventh, with Serbian Ana Ivanovic earning the top rank following her big win at the French Open. She begins her quest for her first Wimbledon title on...
read more
Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen celebrate their win over the LA Lakers. Photo by Mike Segar/REUTERS
The Boston Celtics won their first NBA title in 22 years, so where are they going to celebrate? No, not Disney World. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen are heading to New York to sit down with David Letterman on Wednesday's Late Show (June 18, 11:35 pm/ET, CBS).The Celtics wrapped things up in Game 6 on Tuesday night with a 131-92 victory at the TD Banknorth Garden, the largest margin of victory ever in an NBA Finals series clinching game.UPDATE: Ratings are in, and the game scored 16.88 million viewers, the most watched Game 6 since 2000. Led by Sunday's Game 5 (17.39 million), the 2008 Finals make up the six most-watched programs in June (to date), averaging 15 million viewers. That's a 61 percent jump from last year's dead-boring Spurs rout of the Cavaliers.
read more
