National Sports Report
Encyclopedia
The National Sports Report was a "sportscast" that aired on United States television channel Fox Sports Net
.
, when FSN was launched, as Fox Sports News. The show aired twice a night, at 6 and 10 p.m. It was the national network's equivalent to SportsCenter
. The tagline leading into all commercial breaks for the first year or so was "Fox Sports News rolls on."
By 1998
, the show was renamed National Sports Report and the shows were cut to a half-hour each. The Sunday night program was briefly renamed The Keith Olbermann
Evening News. The hour-long show was anchored by Olbermann, the former ESPN sportscaster, with Alex Flanagan
as a reporter.
Kevin Frazier
(now at Entertainment Tonight
) was famous for refusing to say the name of tennis
phenom Anna Kournikova
on-air because she had never won a singles
tournament. Instead, he used nicknames like "Miss Thang" or "From Russia With Love
" (as in the James Bond
movie). Frazier wanted to make a point that she was overrated and received too much publicity for her lack of talent.
On April 1, 2001, Olbermann reported that Michael Jordan
had decided to come out of retirement and return to NBA basketball
with the Washington Wizards
. Although the story was presented as an April Fool's joke, Jordan would sign with the Wizards the following September.
, many markets paired the NSR with a series of "regional sports reports." In fact, all regions (except North) had their own reports in 2001, originating at the following studios:
The Southwest Sports Report was originally broadcast from two studios, with the other in Houston
. This occurred because co-host Spencer Tillman
apparently did not want to uproot his family from Houston.
, the NSR was cancelled outright and only the regional reports remained. FSN would not "replace" the show until FSN Final Score
debuted on July 3, 2006.
Only a few of the regional reports exist today. In 2002, Cablevision
, which owns many of the FSN affiliates, removed the New York, Chicago, Bay Area, and Ohio reports from the air. The New England Sports Report remained, but as a talk show
(called New England Sports Tonight) instead of a newscast. In many of the remaining markets, including West and Northwest, it has been replaced by FSN Live. Most of these programs are pre- and postgame shows of the teams shown on FSN, but some of these are also talk shows; for example, shows on FSN Rocky Mountain
called The Barbershop and Raw Sports with Dino Costa.
Fox Sports Net
The Fox Sports Regional Networks, or simply Fox Sports Net , are a collection of cable TV regional sports networks in the United States owned and operated by News Corporation.- Beginnings :...
.
Brief history
The program began in 19961996 in television
The year 1996 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1996.For the American TV schedule, see: 1996-97 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
, when FSN was launched, as Fox Sports News. The show aired twice a night, at 6 and 10 p.m. It was the national network's equivalent to SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
. The tagline leading into all commercial breaks for the first year or so was "Fox Sports News rolls on."
By 1998
1998 in television
The year 1998 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1998.For the American TV schedule, see: 1998–99 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
, the show was renamed National Sports Report and the shows were cut to a half-hour each. The Sunday night program was briefly renamed The Keith Olbermann
Keith Olbermann
Keith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
Evening News. The hour-long show was anchored by Olbermann, the former ESPN sportscaster, with Alex Flanagan
Alex Flanagan
Alex Flanagan is an American sportscaster who is a graduate of the University of Arizona and Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Arizona...
as a reporter.
Kevin Frazier
Kevin Frazier
Kevin Timothy Frazier is currently host of The Insider. Formerly, Frazier worked as an anchor at Fox Sports Net, later ESPN, where he hosted SportsCenter as well as a multitude of NBA themed programming and from 2004–2011, was a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight as well as...
(now at Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
) was famous for refusing to say the name of tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
phenom Anna Kournikova
Anna Kournikova
Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova is a Russian retired professional tennis player. Her beauty and celebrity status made her one of the best known tennis stars worldwide, despite the fact that she never won a WTA singles title. At the peak of her fame, fans looking for images of Kournikova made her name...
on-air because she had never won a singles
Singles (tennis)
Traditionally, tennis is played between two people in a singles match, or two pairs in a doubles match.-Standard types of match:Singles involves two players competing against each other, usually two men or two women, although games between a man and a woman may be played on an informal...
tournament. Instead, he used nicknames like "Miss Thang" or "From Russia With Love
From Russia with Love (film)
From Russia with Love is the second in the James Bond spy film series, and the second to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1963, the film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1957 novel of the...
" (as in the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
movie). Frazier wanted to make a point that she was overrated and received too much publicity for her lack of talent.
On April 1, 2001, Olbermann reported that Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
had decided to come out of retirement and return to NBA basketball
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
with the Washington Wizards
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
. Although the story was presented as an April Fool's joke, Jordan would sign with the Wizards the following September.
Regional sports reports
By 20002000 in television
The year 2000 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2000.For the American TV schedule, see: 2000-01 United States network television schedule.-Event:-Debuts:-1940s:...
, many markets paired the NSR with a series of "regional sports reports." In fact, all regions (except North) had their own reports in 2001, originating at the following studios:
- New York: New York
- Boston: New EnglandCSN New EnglandComcast SportsNet New England is a regional cable sports television network based in Burlington, Massachusetts that operates in Massachusetts, eastern and central Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island...
- Pittsburgh: PittsburghFSN PittsburghRoot Sports Pittsburgh is a regional sports network owned and operated by DirecTV Sports Networks. The channel first aired in the Pittsburgh metro area on April 24, 1986 as KBL with the season opener of the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Mets from Three Rivers Stadium and expanded close to its modern day...
, MidwestFSN MidwestFox Sports Midwest is a regional sports network that operates in eastern and central Missouri , central & southern Illinois, Southern Indiana, Nebraska, and Iowa.-History:... - Atlanta: SouthFSN SouthFox Sports South is a regional sports network that airs sports programming in the Southern United States. It is part of the larger Fox Sports Net group of regional sports networks...
, ArizonaFSN ArizonaFox Sports Arizona is a regional sports network that serves the state of Arizona. It was originally launched as Prime Sports Arizona on September 1, 1996 as an affiliate of the Prime Network... - Dallas: SouthwestFSN SouthwestFox Sports Southwest is a regional sports network that operates in all or parts of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arkansas...
- Chicago: ChicagoFSN ChicagoFox Sports Net Chicago was a regional sports network based in Chicago, Illinois. The network carried the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago White Sox, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Chicago Bulls, the Chicago Fire, the Arena Football League's Chicago Rush, local and national collegiate sports, including those...
, Bay AreaCSN Bay AreaComcast SportsNet Bay Area is a regional sports network that serves cable outlets throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as other parts of Northern California, Central California, Southern Oregon, and Nevada.-History:...
, and Ohio - Denver: Rocky MountainFSN Rocky MountainRoot Sports Rocky Mountain is a regional sports network based in Denver, Colorado. The network is part of the DirecTV Sports Networks and is an affiliate of Fox Sports Net...
- Los Angeles: West & West 2 (now Prime Ticket)
- Seattle: NorthwestFSN NorthwestRoot Sports Northwest is a United States regional sports network available in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska...
, Detroit
The Southwest Sports Report was originally broadcast from two studios, with the other in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. This occurred because co-host Spencer Tillman
Spencer Tillman
Spencer Tillman is a former professional American football player who played running back for eight seasons for the Houston Oilers and San Francisco 49ers.-College Football:...
apparently did not want to uproot his family from Houston.
Cancellation
In 20022002 in television
The year 2002 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2002.For the American TV schedule, see: 2002–03 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:...
, the NSR was cancelled outright and only the regional reports remained. FSN would not "replace" the show until FSN Final Score
FSN Final Score
Final Score was the nightly sports news program that aired across the United States on Fox Sports Net....
debuted on July 3, 2006.
Only a few of the regional reports exist today. In 2002, Cablevision
Cablevision (US)
Cablevision Systems Corporation is an American cable television company with systems serving areas surrounding New York City. It is the 8th largest cable provider in the USA, with most customers residing in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and parts of Pennsylvania...
, which owns many of the FSN affiliates, removed the New York, Chicago, Bay Area, and Ohio reports from the air. The New England Sports Report remained, but as a talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
(called New England Sports Tonight) instead of a newscast. In many of the remaining markets, including West and Northwest, it has been replaced by FSN Live. Most of these programs are pre- and postgame shows of the teams shown on FSN, but some of these are also talk shows; for example, shows on FSN Rocky Mountain
FSN Rocky Mountain
Root Sports Rocky Mountain is a regional sports network based in Denver, Colorado. The network is part of the DirecTV Sports Networks and is an affiliate of Fox Sports Net...
called The Barbershop and Raw Sports with Dino Costa.
Anchors
- Kevin FrazierKevin FrazierKevin Timothy Frazier is currently host of The Insider. Formerly, Frazier worked as an anchor at Fox Sports Net, later ESPN, where he hosted SportsCenter as well as a multitude of NBA themed programming and from 2004–2011, was a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight as well as...
- Kevin Garcia
- Brad Goode
- Steve LyonsSteve Lyons (baseball)Stephen John Lyons is a former Major League Baseball player and a television sportscaster. He is of French and Irish descent, and currently resides in Hermosa Beach, California....
- Chris MyersChris MyersChristopher Patrick "Chris" Myers ) is an American sportscaster.-Biography:With more than 20 years in broadcasting, Chris Myers has covered premiere events, including the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, NCAA Final Four, The Masters and U.S...
- Keith OlbermannKeith OlbermannKeith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
- Chris RoseChris RoseChristopher Rose is an American sportscaster.-Early life and career:Rose attended University School in Hunting Valley during high school. Rose attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and graduated in 1993...
- Randy Sparage
- Van Earl WrightVan Earl WrightVan Earl Wright is an American sportscaster with over 20 years of national and local experience.A graduate of the University of South Carolina, Wright is known for a homespun delivery which reflects his Southern roots. His signature greeting is "Hel-looooo, everybody."Until the summer of 2007, he...
- Jeanne ZelaskoJeanne ZelaskoJeanne Zelasko is a journalist and sportscaster who took over as the pre-game host of Fox's MLB games in 2001 after the departure of Keith Olbermann until October 2008. She also covered pre-game for MLB 2K6, MLB 2K7, and MLB 2K8 alongside Steve Physioc...