In the sport of horse racing, a jockey without medical insurance is the equivalent of a NASCAR driver without a seatbelt. Yet for the men and women who ride 1,200-pound thoroughbreds, a helmet is often the only coverage they have. This is problematic in a sport where serious injuries are always possible, but finding fault has been difficult. Jockey Guild members have accused the association's embattled ex-president, Wayne Gertmanian, of mismanaging funds. But Gertmanian has countered that the blame lies elsewhere. Bryant Gumbel investigates this troubling situation, as jockeys struggle to pay their medical bills and gain the representation of their guild's highest office.
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Free-spirited Darren Daulton spent 14 major league seasons behind home plate and was a three-time all-star, as well as playing for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1993 World Series. Now, the athlete affectionately known as "Dutch" concerns himself with out-of-body experiences, vibrating energy, and the limitations of linear time. Daulton arrived at this metaphysical crossroads after several arrests for drunk driving and domestic abuse, and a three-month stretch behind bars. But the former catcher says he previously had inklings of his otherworldly connections when he played against the Cubs at Wrigley Field and stroked a line drive that he describes as being hit by someone else. In collaboration with Sports Illustrated, correspondent Mary Carillo drops in on Daulton, who resides in Florida, and believes that on Dec. 21, 2012, at 11:11 a.m., he will achieve a "higher level of consciousness."
Lewis Gordon Pugh, a 36-year-old maritime lawyer from London with a penchant for jumping off icebergs, is the only man who has been able to swim long distance in all five oceans. While most people would last only a few minutes at frigid temperatures, he can swim for hours. Pugh achieves this miraculous feat by raising his core body temperature before entering the icy waters - where he has encountered the likes of killer whales, great white sharks, leopard seals and polar bears. Real Sports correspondent Bernard Goldberg visits the latest British adventurer to carry on the spirit of explorers like Sir Edmund Hillary, Captain James Cook and Captain Robert Scott.
Ten months after Real Sports first reported on the improper benefits allegedly offered to student athletes at Ohio State, the NCAA hit the school with a three-year probationary period. The ruling erases four tournament appearances by the Buckeyes basketball team, including a trip to the Final Four in 1999. Correspondent Bernard Goldberg revisits the story that investigated whether prized players and international recruits have received illegal payments, and probed the existence of improper relationships between Ohio State boosters and the basketball team.
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