Reflecting on 25 Years in TV Sports

by Ron Futrell @RonFutrell


The news was not unexpected, but still mildly painful.


The TV station where I had anchored sports and news for 25 years was dropping its sports department. Anchors will now read the sports with the same passion they do a hatchet murder, or a panda being born at the local zoo, and the viewers will get used to it (please pronounce Mark Teixeira's name right.) Perhaps they will.


Certainly, media is changing and some have called this a trend in the business. Consultants (who are usually failed news directors) have told us for years they want to attract females and since they believe women do not like sports, they must lessen the importance of sports, or kill it altogether. You could argue against that premise (which I did) until you were Dodger Blue in the face, but you would never win that argument and eventually management will find somebody who would just shut up and fill the three-minute segment (cut to 2:30 if weather went long.)


The news of removing the sports department did cause me to reflect on more than 2 decades of covering sports in Las Vegas and developing a bond with this community that will never be broken. It's been 4 years since I've done full time news on TV, but I still have people come up to me and think I'm the sports guy. "Hey, good job last night on the sports." I usually smile and say thanks.


I feel fortunate to have covered big-time sports during some great times in Las Vegas. I covered the careers of Randall Cunningham, Andre Agassi, Greg Maddux, Mike Tyson and many others. There were the great boxing events with Hagler, Hearns, Leonard, and Duran. I got to cover the rise of NASCAR and the UFC in Las Vegas, and was green-side for Tiger Woods' first win on the PGA Tour. The first month I was in Las Vegas I covered Kareem Abdul Jabbar setting the all-time NBA scoring record at the Thomas and Mack. Whew! Nice way to break-in back in April 1984. I was no Hunter S. Thompson, but covering the Mint 400 in the glory days of off-road racing was a dirty job long before the days of "Dirty Jobs." I was fortunate to cover World Series', Super Bowls, and NBA Finals.


Certainly, the rise and fall of UNLV basketball was a story that few got to report on up-close. 3 Final Fours in 5 years and then the internal struggle where a university president worked covertly to use the media to remove a coach (Jerry Tarkanian) because he did not have the courage to fire him. Who can forget "Cam Scam" when university officials put a camera in an air conditioning duct in the North Gym to try to catch a violation? I am most proud of covering this story straight up and honestly and my commentaries have stood the test of time. Nothing united this community more than Rebel Basketball, nothing tore it apart worse than the subsequent battles. Those were big, historic stories from 20 years ago that are still being talked about today. Often sports was called upon to lead newscasts because the stories were that big.


What I enjoyed most was the time I spent at local high schools and ball fields covering the youth of this valley and getting to know them through their sports exploits. Sure, it was fun interviewing future NFL star Steven Jackson as he barreled over opponents at Eldorado High, but doing the first, and likely the only interview ever with a Bonanza High tennis player was always rewarding. My former station let me cover grass-roots local sports unlike any other station in town and I will always appreciate that and it had great rewards.


Occasionally we did some serious journalism. There was the time a UNLV Athletic Director was using racist talk in open staff meetings. I uncovered the story and "broke" the story. Other media outlets followed but we reported this story first and did it under the risk of legal action. We were right and we broke a story that needed to be told. 


We made a lot of money with our sports department. I was trusted to produce and host hour-long shows that were highly profitable. We did NASCAR and IRL race shows, Thunder hockey shows, UNLV shows and there was the local sports show we did for 5 years following Monday Night Football, titled Monday Night Quarterback. How about this show from the late 80's that we did from Hawaii introducing a UNLV basketball team in embryo that would later win a National Championship?Aloha Rebels. These were the combined efforts of a lot of people who had passion in the projects. They were a lot of work, and a lot of fun and I believe were the essence of what a good sports department does.

What the future brings with local TV sports is hard to say. If media is one thing, it is chaning. UNLV basketball is making a comeback and Dave Rice is on his way to returning this program to national prominence. Las Vegas will have a major league professional sports team before this decade is out and viewers will want to hear from somebody who knows these sports. I thank my former station for giving me the resources and trusting me to cover sports as it deserved to be. It's also my opinion local TV news viewers (male and female) will seek stations that give them sports with flair, fun and accuracy. I'm guessing consultants don't want to hear me say that anymore.  

Thrillseekers Unlimited, 20th Anniversary

Las Vegas, NV – THRILLSEEKERS UNLIMITED, Nevada’s ORIGINAL Stunt & Action Sports Company celebrates its monumental 20 year Anniversary!!

Thrillseekers Unlimited, owned and operated by action sports pioneer and professional Stunt Coordinator/ Stuntman, Rich Hopkins is proud to announce the 20 year anniversary of this stellar company. Established in June of 1992, Thrillseekers has employed some of the greatest extreme athletes and professional stunt people in the world. Covering all aspects through film and television work, world record stunts, and outstanding live shows, no job has ever been to BIG for Thrillseekers Unlimited!

Thrillseekers Unlimited, with their vast experience and talent have created and produced outstanding stunts for more than 200 Films, TV Shows, Commercials, Music Videos as well and  Corporate/Live Shows. Thrillseekers Unlimited has been called upon repeatedly to provide their expertise and talent for all stunt needs on countless productions and events. Services include: Extreme Sports/Stunt Engineering, Professional Rigging, 2^nd Unit Directing, Stunt Coordinating and most important safety control for the assurance of a perfect outcome. This includes providing all Equipment, Athletes & Stunt People, security measures, EMT’s and safety personnel. Thrillseekers has the reputation of being fully insurable and bondable and boasts a 100% industry wide Safety Record. 

Thrillseekers Unlimited has several feature films slated for this year including; The Glass Circle, Chupacabra Unleashed, Paradi$e, Killing the Hoffand Haunted High. Hopkins is very proud of these accomplishments and the opportunity provided to the film industry overall and states “Thrillseekers Unlimited is handling all aspects of direction for stunts and action.” He goes on to share, “I am even co-producing a few of the projects myself.”  Hopkinsshares that so far only two of the productions are being filmed in Nevada because we have not yet secured State Film Tax Incentives. Hopkins has been a diligent advocate in contributing his time and efforts to bring that change to fruition for Nevada and adamantly states that, “I have several projects ready to go, as we continue the fight for our incentive program, my intention is to allow the opportunity for myself and so many others to shoot here in our own Hometown!”

About Rich Hopkins & Thrillseekers | www.thrillseekersunlimited.com

Originally from San Diego, In 1987 Hopkins moved north to further his career and knowledge in the film and TV industry in Los Angeles.  Hopkins started at the bottom just like everyone else; first as an actor, then realizing that with his extensive action sports background he had found his passion; STUNTS! After five years of “getting his feet wet” in the business, he moved to Las Vegas in 1991, and a year later started the Nevada based, Thrillseekers Unlimited, creating a reputation as the LEADER in the Stunt & Extreme Sports Entertainment market in Nevada since 1992. 

Rich Hopkins and Thrillseekers have been featured in numerous national TV & print media stories. You will find coverage on Hopkins & Thrillseekers in multiple magazines such as Newsweek and Wall Street Journal as well as TV shows to include NBC’s Today Show and ESPN’s X-Games.  Hopkins works with many “A List” celebrities and major players in the film, TV and music industry and has brought with him mass media exposure to Las Vegas over the years. He Jokes, “After all these years, I am still waiting for MY Key to the City”.

For more detailed information on how Thrillseekers Unlimited can provide you the ultimate story about Extreme Sports and Stunts in the entertainment industry, visit our website for promotional materials, media coverage and client list. You will also find Rich Hopkins list of credits at the following link on IMDB -www.imdb.com/name/nm1049044

For interview and media opportunities contact: Thrillseekers Unlimited - 702-699-5550 or Shawn Lane / Cheyenne Marketing –Shawn@CheyenneMarketing.com

BYU to leave MWC in 2011

Brigham Young University will be leaving the Mountain West Conference in 2011 and going to the Western Athletic Conference in every sport EXCEPT football.

BYU will compete as an Independent school in football and participate in the WAC in the non-football sports.

This move will badly weaken the MWC, of which UNLV is a member. In 2011 the MWC will lose both BYU and Utah which is headed to the Pac 10----or Pac 12 by the time the Utes arrive on the scene.

Plenty of changes going on right now in the college landscape.

For more, check out this story from the SL Tribune:

Salt Lake Tribune