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X Games VIII, to be held in Philadelphia, PA, will be televised by ESPN from August 15-19, 2002. The field of extreme sports has become increasingly popular, at least in part because of ESPN's annual coverage of the event.

Major League Baseball playoffs will be aired by FOX, NBC, and ESPN starting on Sep 30, 1997. TV schedules for NFL broadcasts remain stable except for Sunday night games, which switch from TNT to ESPN. College football and basketball, NBA basketball, golf, and other sports broadcasts are discussed.

Television networks plan to broadcast sports this fall, including the winter Olympics, to which CBS Inc will allocate 116 hours of air time. Plans for showing baseball, football, basketball, golf, tennis, and racing are given.

The 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah will take place under the most intensive security in history, at a cost of $234 million, compared with less than $100 million for the Atlanta games in 1996. Mitt Romney, head of the planning committee for the games, discusses this and other issues.

Television coverage of major league baseball, professional football, college football, NBA basketball, college basketball, NHL hockey, golf, and auto racing is described. Broadcast dates for major events such as the World Series are given.

A number of changes in professional football, such as two expansion teams, will create more parity between elite teams and the rest of the league. There are also changes in TV coverage, with the addition of Joe Montana and Phil Simms to NBC.

Fall programming for professional and college sports is described. They include broadcasts of pro football, college football, figure skating, pro basketball, college basketball, golf, hockey, and boxing. Major events are highlighted.

Lax is responsible for producing the profiles of athletes, appreciated by viewers but attacked as melodramatic by critics. Lax defends the pieces, noting the uncanny likelihood that a top athlete will have a tragic circumstance in his or her background that contributed to success.

Column features pieces on television journalist's Jack Ford and his efforts to land a contract for a high-profile anchor slot position. The newsman left his Weekend Today anchoring spot for a chance to host ABC's Good Morning America, but with little luck. He is testing waters at other networks for deals. Also featured is a piece on the use of the first-down white stripe on selected NFL games.

Four football analysts and sports journalists list three picks each for the most eagerly awaited football matches of the season.

Games between American League and National League baseball may soon be broadcast by cable television networks. Such broadcasts may be a way to boost sagging profits by television broadcasters and owners of baseball teams.

CBS Inc will showcase the games of the 1992 Winter Olympics, and the TV network will spend more than $300 million on the effort. TV journalists Paula Zahn and Tim McCarver will host the coverage. The cable TV network TNT will share broadcasting duties with CBS.

The television coverage of golf has become increasingly popular, so much so that USA, which carries no actual golf competitions, will be airing golf previews and promotions.

Television networks that offer the most money to sport leagues obtain the broadcast rights to the games. During the contract period, the networks do all they can to please the leagues, but this deference has no effect. At contract renewal time, the highest bid is again accepted.

Some of the best new sports television programs and events, scheduled to start in the fall of 2002, are discussed. The shows include 'Jim Brown: All-American,' 'the Oscar De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas fight, and the baseball postseason games.

ESPN and NBC will combine to broadcast the television coverage of the 2002 United States Open. Most courses chosen for U.S. Open play are difficult, especially the roughs. Therefore accuracy becomes essential. The 2002 course is the 'Black Course' at Bethpage State Park in Long Island, NY.

The Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson fight is scheduled to take place on June 8, 2002. Lewis is the 36-year-old champion, while Tyson is the 35-year-old challenger. Part of Tyson's appeal seems to be that he is a convicted rapist, and that he once bit off a portion of an opponent's ear. The pay-per-view cost will be $54.95.

Many television programs and movies that deal with sports seem to fall short of presenting accurate facts. For example, the HBO 61 program, dealing with Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and other New York Yankee situations was historically inaccurate. This, and other programs, are discussed.

Chris Evert, who won the French Open tennis tournament seven times, will be returning to NBC as a broadcast analyst for the event in 1995. Evert learned to play on clay courts and she went on to win 125 consecutive clay matches. The French Open and the planned broadcasting details are discussed.

CBS will air professional boxing matches through the end of Nov 1994, because of the void left by the baseball strike and the lost NFL contract. After November, CBS will air nine installments of ice-skating competitions.

The networks will begin broadcasting figure-skating events in prelude to the 1994 Winter Olympics, which will feature returning stars with re-gained amateur status. Scott Hamilton will host 'Olympic Winterfest' on CBS, then perform in ABC's 'Skates of Gold.'

Golf veteran Arnold Palmer and executives are planning The Golf Channel, which could begin broadcasting on May 1, 1994. Programming could include tournament coverage, game shows, and interactive talk. The channel's start is contingent on financing.

ABC is expanding its live coverage of the 1993 US Open to include full 18-hole coverage of the last two rounds, commentators on the field, and celebrity analysts Peter Jacobsen and Jack Nicklaus. Coverage of the Senior Open will also be expanded.

National Hockey League contests are being broadcast on network TV from Apr 18 to May 16, to determine the potential in attracting viewing audiences. Rule changes will soften the roughness of the sport to make it more appealing to viewers.

University of Miami quarterback Gino Torretta seemed to be the favorite to win the 1992 Heisman Trophy for best college football player of the year, as the televised ceremony was about to air. Other contenders and past winners are mentioned.

Legislators and NFL officials are debating whether television coverage of professional football games should be converted to pay-per view. Initial offerings to viewers would be access to games outside their regions.