Old 'NFL Primetime' episodes, O.J.'s car chase and vintage WWE can fill the void during this time of social distancing.
Sports fans are trying to fill the void left by games everywhere being shut down for the unforeseeable future.
While many bloggers and people on Twitter have called for sports networks to re-air classic games, I'm here to focus on some of the more offbeat, non-game action sports-related programming that ESPN, FS1, NBC Sports, CBS Sports Network and others could air to get us through this entertainment drought.
There may be one or two things on this list that are available to stream right now, but not everybody has access to or pays for those services. These shows should air on actual television. After you read my list, email me (Jimmy.Traina@si.com) or
send me a tweet and let me know what you want to see.1. Knicks-Rockets + The O.J. Simpson Car Chase (Unedited): NBC Sports should could fill a few hours of programming by replaying Game 5 of the 1994 NBA Finals in real time and then the aftermath of NBC News' coverage of the O.J. car chase. During different points of the night starting in the third quarter, NBC cut away completely from the game, went split screen and put the game in a tiny box in the corner of the screen in order to cover the infamous Bronco chase and O.J.'s return to his house. It remains one of the most surreal nights in sports history.
2. The Baseball Bunch: If you grew up a sports fan in the '80s, The Baseball Bunch hosted by Johnny Bench was a weekend staple. It was an educational baseball show that featured current players giving instructions to young kids, the San Diego Chicken creating havoc and, of course, highlights. It's the perfect piece of nostalgia-soaked, family-friendly sports programming.
3. NFL PrimeTime: ESPN should start with the first-ever episode from 1987, featuring Chris Berman, Tom Jackson and Pete Axthelm, and play two or three episodes per night, in order, on one of their channels.
4. Sports Night: The sitcom only aired on ABC for two seasons in the late '90s, but the show, which put a spin on ESPN's SportsCenter, is still regarded as one of the greatest sports shows of all-time.
5. Prime Time Wrestling: Hosted by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon, this is the best show ever produced by the WWF/WWE. In between airing taped matches from around the country, Heenan and Monsoon do bits and argue like an old married couple. They had a chemistry that would rival any comedy duo.
6. Nancy-Tonya: Along the lines of the Knicks-Rockets game/O.J. Bronco chase, CBS Sports Network should show us, in real time, its coverage from Jan. 6, 1994, when Nancy Kerrigan was mysteriously taken out via a clubbing to the knee the night before the U.S. Figure Skating Championship's ladies' singles competition ahead of the Lillehammer Olympics.
7. The Sports Writers on TV: The first and best debate show in sports television history: four old guys in a dark basement, smoking cigars, surrounded by newspapers, debating four or five sports topics per episode.
8. Friday Night Lights: The best scripted sports show ever, period. NBC Sports should be giving us a fix of Coach Taylor, Tami Taylor, Riggins, Saracen and the entire (fictional) town of Dillon every night.
9. Old-school NFL Today: Before there was PrimeTime, the NFL's top studio show featured Brent Musburger hosting CBS' NFL pregame show. Betting was very taboo back then, so Brent and handicapper Jimmy The Greek had to work around point spreads by giving score predictions.
10. First and Ten: I promise I'm not obsessed with O.J. Simpson, but this '80s HBO sitcom that featured Delta Burke as owner of a professional football team and Simpson aired from 1984 to 1991. Here's all you need to know from the show's Wikipedia page: "It was one of cable's first attempts to lure the lucrative sitcom audience away from the 'Big Three,' by taking advantage of their freedom to include occasional cursing and nudity."
BONUS: Mike the Mad Dog: The New York radio show aired on the YES Network from 2002 to 2008. New York sports fans would happily engage in social distancing if they could watch old episodes of this legendary show from its heyday.
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