I Think This Show Will Make It

From the May 8, 1961 issue of Sports Illustrated:

"The American Broadcasting Company put on the first of its World of Sports television shows last Saturday. The creditable production of the Penn and Drake relays (Jim McKay was a good commentator -- he was considerably less lurid than at the Masters golf tournament) will be followed by 19 telecasts to be shown over 140 stations until September 9. Saturday's show was live and on tape from Philadelphia and Des Moines. But ABC plans to put international spice into Saturday afternoon's routine sports television.

"McKay will call the play between Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City in Saturday's British Soccer Cup final, which will be taped. Included in the tentative ABC schedule are: a U. S. vs. U.S.S.R. track meet in Moscow; the Japanese all-star baseball game from Nagoya, Japan; the British Open Golf Championship; a classic day of golf, showing the St. Andrews course; the Canada Cup matches from Puerto Rico; world championship professional tennis from Mexico City; segments of the Le Mans International Grand Prix sports car race; and assorted events originating in the United States, showing track and field, stock car racing, the Indianapolis time trials -- even the Cheyenne rodeo. ABC plans to use additional commentators who are experts in their field, i.e., Arnold Palmer on golf, Jack Kramer on tennis and Sterling Moss on auto racing.

"American television has been making a good thing of sports financially for a long time, but has confined itself primarily to domestic events. Awareness of the potential in important foreign sports events is realistic and overdue. We wish ABC the best of luck and hope McKay will continue to allow the picture and play -- not the announcer -- to provide the excitement."

For the record, Spurs beat Leicester 2-0 to win the English F.A. Cup (not the "British Soccer Cup," as Scottish teams are not eligible), and become the first team to win the League and Cup Double since 1897. The 1961 Spurs team is one of the legendary teams in English history.

On the other hand, Jim McKay seems to have taken SI's advice to heart.

I have only two more comments:

1. Harlem Globetrotters
2. Arm-wrestling