Bryant Gumbel’s ‘Real Sports,’ HBO’s longest-running show, will end after 29 seasons

NEW YORK (AP) — Bryant Gumbel’s “Real Sports” newsmagazine was the longest-running show on HBO, and soon it will be no more. The network announced Wednesday that the show will end after its current season, its 29th. The show, which has won 37 Sports Emmys, has looked at social and economic issues beyond the games. Gumbel, who earned a lifetime achievement award at the Sports Emmys earlier this year, said the work has been very gratifying, but he’s decided it’s time to move on. The former ‘Today’ show host is 74 years old. Although HBO has seen some financial cutbacks lately, the network said that had nothing to do with the end of ‘Real Sports.’