George Michael Was the Original ESPN for Me

Younger sports fans may find this hard to believe, but there was once a day when ESPN did not exist (or when your parents refused to get cable television, as was the case with me).  In the mid-1980s, that meant you had to get your national sports highlights from the one and only George Michael, host and executive producer of The George Michael Sports Machine, syndicated nationally on NBC.

George was the guy who brought us the plays of the week for 30 minutes each and every Sunday night.  And I’m not talking about just the NBA, MLB, NFL and NHL.  No, George brought us the weird and the wacky…the stuff you would never, ever see in an era before YouTube.  George was the guy who would show you belly-flop competitions, crazy bull-riding accidents, miraculous full-court shots by high school basketball players, a woman shooting a bow and arrow with her toe…you name it, George had it in his “Plays of the Year.”

George was also known for his style when setting up each clip.  After verbally describing an upcoming story, George would push an over-sized button, which activated what appeared to be a computerized reel-based sports computer.  I remember when I was 15, this seemed pretty cool, but the sports machine slowly drifted into cheesy and eventually to classic.  George Michael was always true to himself and his style, and I’ve always appreciated that about him.  Rest in peace, George!