Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel Season 20 Episode 2 Kids & Guns; The Fixer; Hockey's Darkest Day

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel is a monthly sports newsmagazine that brings underreported sports stories and unique perspectives to the screen. In season 20 episode 2, the show covers three different stories: Kids & Guns, The Fixer, and Hockey's Darkest Day.

The first segment, Kids & Guns, highlights the growing problem of child accidental shootings in the United States. The segment features a heart-wrenching story of a 13-year-old boy who accidentally killed his 11-year-old friend while playing with his father's gun. Through interviews with the boy's family, as well as gun control advocates and adversaries, the segment examines the impact of gun culture on young children and the need for stricter gun control laws.

In The Fixer, Real Sports explores the world of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in sports. The segment features an interview with Victor Conte, the founder of BALCO, a company known for supplying professional athletes with steroids. Conte, who served time in prison for his role in the BALCO scandal, now works as a consultant for athletes looking to improve their performance without the use of PEDs. Through footage of secretly recorded conversations, the segment also exposes the unethical practices of some sports agents who are willing to help their clients obtain banned substances.

The final segment, Hockey's Darkest Day, recounts the tragic story of the 1970 plane crash that killed 37 members of the Marshall University football team, along with five coaches, two athletic trainers, the College’s athletic director, 25 boosters, and the crew of five on the Southern Airways McDonnell Douglas DC-9 aircraft. The segment also explores the lesser-known story of the 1961 plane crash involving the entire United States World Figure Skating team, which killed all 16 members on board. These two aviation disasters changed the course of sports history and serve as a reminder of the dangers of air travel in sports.

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel season 20 episode 2 provides an in-depth look at several different sports-related issues. From the tragic consequences of gun culture on children to the insidious world of performance-enhancing drugs, and the dangers of air travel in sports, this episode is a powerful reminder of the complexities and challenges facing the world of sports.