BIG MOMENTS IN TV SPORTS
The marriage of television and pro sports has been a fruitful one, bursting with great events. A sampler of unforgettable milestones:
1939 First sports telecast: NBC broadcasts Columbia-Princeton baseball game; radio's days are numbered
1967 NFL's Packers snatch championship from Cowboys in tense final seconds of "Ice Bowl." Broadcast rights jump
1972 Munich Olympics' violence rivets worldwide audience
1974 Evel Kneivel's Snake River Canyon "jump" bellyflops, but millions tune in. P.T. Barnum was right
1975 Muhammad Ali outfoxes power-punching Joe Frazier in the Thrilla in Manila. Era of big TV fight is born
1980 Amateur U.S. hockey team beats seasoned Soviets 4-3 in one of the Olympics' greatest upsets
1994 Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan Olympic figure-skating showdown is third most-watched event ever
1996 After his father's murder, Michael Jordan leads Chicago Bulls to NBA championship, then collapses on court in tears
1997 Tiger Woods' record Masters win prompts millions under 50 to try golf
1998 Mark McGwire hits 62nd