ABC's WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS INTRO 1974

[@drk9011]

It is amazing the flood of childhood nostalgia that this intro triggers! Like being transported back to the shag carpet, wood paneling, and TVs with knobs all over again.

[@latsnojokelee6434]

And every once in a while, the tube in the back of the TV exploding, and you had to call the TV repair man to show up and fix it before the next round of good TV was on!

[@misterb6416]

Amen to that.

[@jjxtwo1]

It certainly does make the brain bring back the past. Things that I haven't thought about in a long time. Good memories!

[@PhillipDiPrima]

Agreed

[@argerinejordan4703]

Yes indeed💯

[@chrisutley2859]

The soundtrack to my Saturday afternoons as a kid!

[@chrisutley2859]

I prefer SEASONED, not old!

[@pinedelgado4743]

Mine too, Chris!!!! :) :) :) :) After the PRO BOWLERS TOUR with Chris Schenkel it was always Jim McKay and WWOT for me!!!! ;) ;)

[@viciouslady1340]

Mine too

[@ThatGuyYouKnowUKnow]

I remember this at my grandmother's house as my father and the guys slipped away from the ladies after someone turned on the big console TV that had a record player on the other end.

[@dma69nyc]

Mine, too.

[@pmd467]

Sigh.. My dad died of Cancer a few years ago. This brings back some of my best childhood memories.. I miss you Papa..;-(

[@lard_lad_AU]

Sorry for your loss

[@randallslonaker3413]

Thanks for sharing. Sound like your dad raised you right.

[@seanmontague8880]

My condolences

[@vlera8447]

Whoever composed that music deserved an Emmy

[@MuzixMaker]

Charles Fox. He’s won an Emmy and a Grammy, also nominated for an Oscar. He has an impressive list of music that he composed. Still with us as of Aug 2022, 81 years young.

[@toddinthemiddle]

@@MuzixMaker friend of yours?

[@MuzixMaker]

@@toddinthemiddle nope, Google is my friend.

[@Casey-kd3xp]

There is a new documentary about the composer of WWOS-- Charles Fox-- called "Killing Me Softly With His Songs"-- which chronicles his 50 years of writing music. This is a trailer to the docu, including mention of "Wide world of sports" kzbin.info/www/bejne/hH_Qfaytjb1rpJo

[@bobma6342]

​@@MuzixMakerhe also wrote the theme song to Laverne and Shirley, Happy Days, "I've Got a Name" for Jim Croce Dude wrote a lot

[@blackspider9561]

48 years ago. Life was easy then. I was 10 years old.

[@guydaley]

56 years later and I'll never forget that intro to the Wide World of Sports. And of the course, the agony of defeat tied directly to that poor ski jumper that wiped out - Unforgettable for a lifetime.

[@joeski734]

The must have updated the intro every year, but that poor ski jumper was in every one.

[@jasonbeard4713]

He survived. Vinko Bogataj.

[@CarlosRodriguez-hw3nt]

Poor ski guy still has a headache probably.

[@toddinthemiddle]

Are you from the future?

[@savage22bolt32]

We've been using that line "the agony of defeat" for 50 years among friends when one of us crashes our dirt bike!

[@tracksmith72]

What a great introduction. So many years later, I am still captivated by this intro.

[@brianfischer149]

That brought back alot of memories I'm 55 years old and I was a kid again just for a moment ! Saw that intro alot !!

[@YorkieMom66]

Me too! Brought me right back into a happier time

[@Ljordan093]

Good times!

[@brianserpente4366]

Saturday afternoons 4pm abc I believe pba at 3pm on abc

[@Barbutt]

I expected to see an ice skater jumping barrels…. It was this commercial from 1973. kzbin.info/www/bejne/j2S0faqrjtdlnJY

[@mooner2410]

Same here,friend..

[@toddwacha5108]

Still the best sports anthology show of all time! Always will be!

[@tomscott3]

mckay was legend

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

That intro is just spectacular. Great clips, super music. The whole package.

[@westbayk2156]

They had it all. From barrel jumping to Evel Knievel.

[@hockey8784]

Yep awesome stuff every sat afternoon

[@moogyboy6]

This was always such a powerful opening sequence, in all of its many variations over the years. McKay's narration was so poetic..."the human drama of athletic competition" is the purest definition of the appeal of sports. And of course, there was always Bogotaj's famous wipeout...who among us hasn't been in his shoes at least once? Like the whole opening it speaks to your heart.

[@bobkovach1426]

I watch the Olympics today and still hear Jim McKays unmistakable definitive voice. What a legend.

[@ChironAce]

Jim McKay narrated so many sports moments in my childhood.

[@usafvet100]

And Jackie Stewart for auto racing! Boys, you know what this means, if we remember this stuff it means we're getting closer to our sell by date!😂😂😂

[@usafvet100]

Had a schoolboy crush on Nadia Cominice for the Montreal 1976 Olympics! ❤😂

[@davidbrandel1311]

The definitive voice of the Olympics.

[@armorybrunotjr.3204]

Spanning the globe, to bring you the constant variety of sport. The thrill of victory, And the agony of defeat. The human drama of athletic competition. This is ABC's Wide World of Sports. RIP, Jim McKay.

[@kimberlymurray5293]

Yes! That wonderful iconic narrative introduction by Jim McKay always gave me and my brothers chills of anticipation because we knew we were going to see an awesome show! We were never disappointed! Thank you, ABC Sports!

[@michaelshore2609]

@@kimberlymurray5293 written and directed by Stanley Ralph Ross who deserves major props. talk about iconic!

[@georgewaters8592]

This was how I spent many a Saturday afternoon as a kid during the early/mid 1970s...

[@ronrondon9780]

Here Here the greatest sports anthology shows ever

[@Hal09i]

Do you also remember Saturday morning TV and "Schoolhouse Rock" and "In the News"?

[@TheOlmonroe1]

@@Hal09i I purchased the Schoolhouse Rock DVDs about 10 years ago. I know you remember the Saturday Afternoon Special

[@alanmorris7669]

I really do miss the 1970s. When I was a kid, I loved watching this TV show on Saturday with my dad. When "ABC Wide World of Sports" was coming on, I could hardly wait to see Vinko Bogataj the ski jumper, tumble and flip into that crowd of spectators. And everybody loved announcer, Howard Cosell because of his hilarious personality.

[@slappy8941]

I remember sitting with my dad to watch this, and it makes me think of his Aqua Velva aftershave.

[@alanmorris7669]

@@slappy8941 I still use Aqua Velva in remembrance of my dad. Occasionally, I'll even splash on some Brut cologne.

[@Blaqjaqshellaq]

@@slappy8941 "There's something about an Aqua Velva man..."

[@jeffberger6162]

The Announcer was Jim McKay. Howard Costello did commentary for ABCs coverage of Boxing and Football.

[@alanmorris7669]

@@jeffberger6162 I never said that Howard Cosell hosted ABC's "Wide World of Sports." I only said that everybody loved him. Incidentally, his last name is Cosell, not Costello.

[@houstonrebel4449]

Miss those saturday afternoons as a little kid. We didnt kmow how good we had it. But we also didn't know how good we would soon have it with internet and KZbin and all. But It doesn't mean that today is better as for entertainment. Quite the contrary. It only means we can relive the good ol' days. I'd live the 70s all over again if I could even without the internet and everything and without cable and with a snowy TV. The 70s and 60s, entertainment wise, were that good.

[@808v1]

I remember this song from the 80's (early 80's)?...and This Week in Baseball theme song was great too....sort of chokes me up a bit when I hear these now.

[@houstonrebel4449]

@@808v1 One of the few good things about entertainment today is we have internet and we can relive the nostalgia of yesteryear. Unlike before when we didn't even have cable. Most of us anyway. Just 3 channels + PBS. And we were fine with that. But while we were living through it, we didn't realize how great those times would become later in our memory decades later.

[@JimmyDaKoik]

@@houstonrebel4449 3 channels, PBS and where I lived, a couple of UHF channels. Though living far enough away from the city, those UHF channels were always accompanied by tv snow and many antenna or dial adjustments :)

[@billmilano6246]

@Texas Rebel: I feel like it's kind of an existential question as to whether things being less available makes them inherently better, such as Saturday morning cartoons only being available on Saturday morning.

[@houstonrebel4449]

@@billmilano6246 I think it's a combination of several things. One being like you're saying. Every generation feels their generation was better. I was a little kid in the 70s and I was a teenager in the 80s. But I didn't fit in with the 80s. Mostly the 70s and 60s. It's part nostalgia of the decade we grew up in but I just think entertainment was better in the earlier days almost to where I feel like it's a fact, not an opinion. Lol. As I've grown older I've become more fond of entertainment that was way before my time as well. And more and more less of todays. Like I watch TCM a lot. I'm not 'old fashioned'. Just 'old SCHOOL'. There's a difference. Lol.

[@LGKids]

Spanning the globe...When I heard this, I knew My Grandma was sitting in her rocking chair, ready for something good! Peace!

[@kirbycraft9325]

I haven't seen this since I wad a kid. Watching the Winter Olympics, watching the Long Ski Jump, and I've NEVER, NEVER, NEVER FORGOTTEN the guy messing up at the beginning. Amazing what sticks with you when you look back at 50. THANK YOU FOR POSTING GOOD MEMORIES. 👍😉

[@bubhub64]

"The agony of defeat" .....narrated by the legendary Jim McKay.

[@kevinh8736]

Wow! I'm now 52 years of age and used to run out into the living to watch Vinko wipe out on that jump when I was 7 years old. Timeless footage of the biggest Wipeout ever recorded!

[@kimberlymurray5293]

Yeah, that was a spectacular wipeout! I saw an interview with that guy when ABC Wide World of Sports aired for the last time. A lot of viewers wanted to know what happened to Vinko. He said he sustained only minor injuries! What was really hurting was his athletic pride every time that footage aired. He seemed like a pretty good sport about it, though. After all, it did help him become famous!😊

[@kirbycraft9325]

Yea I never liked sports, but as a kid about every Saturday I too would go running to any T.V. I heard playing the song to see Vinko wipe out. Not that I enjoyed seeing him get hurt; it was just something that drew me to see it every time.

[@Zwei4815]

@@kirbycraft9325 The compulsion to tune in every week to see him wipe out is known as "agonosis."

[@TheVampirePredator]

The original “major fail”

[@swami1]

The greatest sports intro ever. I especially loved the shot of George Foreman being carried out of the ring like a conquering hero after he destroyed Joe Frazier. I wish ABC would make ALL Wide World of Sports broadcasts available-in their entirety-to the public.

[@brianoneill7186]

A lot of the old episodes were erased, because early videotape was re-used, due to the expense.

[@swami1]

@@brianoneill7186 I know. That’s a shame.

[@Namath1000]

I agree it would be nice to go see them again. I don't think, though, that in hindsight, they're eager to promote again some of the more dangerous things they did like the motorcycle jumping stunts of Evil Kneivel and others and that stupid (and very fake) stunt where they'd try to catch bullets in their teeth.

[@jessewilson9782]

The skier took a nasty spill down that hill 😳 they pay per view came along and that was it for wide world of sports program damm.

[@BrandonKohout]

Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!

[@russs7574]

Back in the day Wide World of Sports carried EVERYTHING.....Heavyweight championship bouts, the Calgary Stampede, cliff diving from Acapulco, the Penn Relays, NASCAR, the Grey Cup, the Hall of Fame Game from Cooperstown, the Triple Crown horse races, world championships of figure skating and gymnastics, Irish hurling, the World 9 Ball Championships, the Figure 8 stock car championships from Islip, NY. You name it, it was on Wide World of Sports at one time or another. And what a wealth of talent on that show....Jim McKay, Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford, Bill Fleming, Chris Schenkel, Curt Gowdy, Keith Jackson, Chris Economaki (reporting from pit row), and so many others. The two things I will always remember Wide World of Sports for....1) The "agony of defeat" ski jumper, and 2) Howard Cosell and "Down goes Frazier!! Down goes Frazier!! Down goes Frazier!!" At the 10 second mark....Janet Lynn was such a sweetheart back in the day.

[@malufet]

This intro popped in my head for no reason. Searched for it here and not disappointed. Really nostalgic.

[@brantdanger]

Same here.

[@Iambriangregory]

ARGUABLY THIS IS THE GREATEST INTRO TO A TV PROGRAM IN HISTORY THE PICTURES ,THE TIMING THE WRITING, THE THRILL OF VICTORY THE AGONY DEFEAT ....,.I MEAN THIS IS ALMOST ON THE LEVEL OF HISTORIC ENTERTAINMENT QUOTATION LEVEL NOTHING LIKE IT EVER BEFORE OR EVER SINCE IN MY OPINION!

[@joemartinez988]

Yep this one and another intro......The Six Million Dollar Man!

[@Iambriangregory]

MY DEAR JOE JOE, it's good that we agree on the wild world of sports but why you going to throw a curveball out there and mix in the intro to the 6 million dollar man with this iconic intro? JOE JOE JOE SMH SMH. First of all it's apple and oranges you're talking about the dramatic recreational world events versus a fictional character one that I personally don't like, of all the shows you could have picked Joe why? It was one of the cheesiest phoniest shows ever! just the idea of this so-called advanced man who the best they could do to portray him running fast was showing slow motion or speeding up the film it looked ridiculous Joe why did you pick that show? Joe if you're going to talk about intros to a TV being exciting it didn't dawn on you to think about Hawaii Five-O with Jack lord? You didn't think about mission impossible with Greg Morris? You didn't think about the Twilight zone? The genius intro and show itself? JOE JOE JOE you've disappointed us! get back to where you were ,the agony of defeat and just leave it at that and please throw the 6 million dollar man promotion in the garbage my dear Joe please don't ever do that to us again mixing that cheese in with the gourmet entertainment of the wild world of sports!

[@rayflaherty3441]

@@Iambriangregory Why you gotta shout brah?

[@Iambriangregory]

@rayflaherty3441 hello Einstein how are you ? smart people like you want to get smarter I can tell so I'm going to make you smarter..... first of all Einstein there's no volume on the screen so that means there's no decibels coming out of your phone when you read so when you see a large font the only thing you need to do Einstein is to read it absorb it and learn from it you got that? you don't have to waste your time and my time complaining about a font because maybe your Grandma can read it easier Einstein .so in the future learn to shut your mouth on this subject because you embarrassed yourself in front of the whole internet you got that Einstein? duh .....now if you have the brains that you claim to have the only thing you need to do is thank me and then we know you really got the point if you don't answer your silence will be deafening as you know you've been exposed

[@maninthewilderness3208]

Such a great Saturday afternoon show. Sadly TV has changed for the worse.

[@JeffMarshallfan]

For several years there was a Sunday edition as well. Late 1970s.

[@stephaniegormley9982]

They swapped out the 'thrill of victory" image every few years. But the 'agony of defeat' guy never changed.

[@wuhan10]

Don't forget the CBS Sports Spectacular which aired in the 70's.

[@tylerdurden639]

Used to watch this show religiously as a kid. The song gives me goosebumps now.

[@1986SSMONTECARLO]

@ 0:33 I Watered up and got Goosebumps thinking about how GREAT everything was back in the '70s...What an Era!!!....:70s BEST!!!

[@toddinthemiddle]

Yeah? Not the being broke part 😢

[@ClockCutter]

@@toddinthemiddle Phfft. Wages were never higher than in the 70s. Normal, union Joes were buying homes in their 20s, with their wives still at home, and then often sending their children to college. My father managed this. A college education was a near guarantee of a very comfortable, secure life.

[@Banichi04]

The ‘70s were a great time to be a kid.

[@dagripleymusic]

In thought about this when I heard a sports guy on the radio say nobody watched the 2022 Winter Olympics. I searched..and I found! Thank You! I'm going to look up Franz Klammer's Gold Medal Downhill run...Badass....

[@careyedwardsjr4988]

Seeing this old intro clip of abc wide,world of sports.Bring back alot of memories as a kid growing,up in the 70's and 80's.Life life was normal and simple back in those days.Life wasn't perfect it wasn't paradise but much better,times to be living.Now life these days is just flatout sick wicked,and scary you no.

[@savage22bolt32]

Thanks for posting this, I'm sharing with my high school buds (class of 72). We've been using that line "the agony of defeat" for 50 years among ourselves when one of us crashes a dirt bike!

[@bobbywise2313]

Before cable or streaming service we had maybe 4 or five channels. I grew up in Fort Worth so ABC was channel 8. I watched this every Saturday. While I always hoped boxing would be on, I enjoyed all the crazy sports like cliff diving, rock climbing and lumberjack competition. It had everything. Wow, do I miss those childhood Saturdays. It was Bugs Bunny in the morning and Wide World of Sports in the afternoon. This intro is simply iconic. When we hear the words "agony of defeat" we all have the exact same imagine in our heads. I am talking about anyone who grew up in the 70's or 80's

[@christopherthorkon3997]

Jim McKay was one in a million.

[@CarbageMan]

He was, indeed, synonymous with sports in the US.

[@ericsamuelson5656]

Since we're dealing with the caronavirus situation, ABC should air reruns of Wide World of Sports. Do it for Jim McKay & Howard Cosell.

[@andyspencer4040]

. . . and Chris Schenkel!

[@rg1whiteywins598]

Marvelous idea.

[@randycrew]

Excellent idea... as much as I don’t like ABC... back then as a kid I loved watching Wide World of Sports... to this day... to this moment, every time I see the intro I get a chill! The human spirit beFORE it ran amuck...

[@dagnabbit6187]

@Eric Sa Sorry to be a downer but I doubt if it will happen. Baby Boomers like myself won’t admit it but we are not immune to being forgotten with time passages either although there are Mills doing reaction channels to the music of the music from my era . I am flattered and lucky that younger people who have never heard the classics by Artists like , Boston, Steely Dan , Jethro Tull are getting listened to .

[@russs7574]

Cosell has one of the all-time iconic sports calls with "Down goes Frazier."

[@Bill-uo6cm]

Sitting on my couch and watching that intro when I was a kid always motivated me to get off my couch and find some friends in the neighborhood to play sports.

[@tomloft2000]

this intro changed slightly over the years.one thing that didn't change was the ski jumper going over the edge.

[@Joe_Okey]

The immortal Vinko Bogataj.

[@artistmac]

@@Joe_Okey A comedian at the time said, "He probably made thousands of perfect jumps, but that's the one he'll be remembered for."

[@Joe_Okey]

Bogataj was unaware of his celebrity, and so was surprised to be asked to attend the 20th anniversary celebration for Wide World of Sports in 1981. He received the loudest ovation of any athlete introduced at the gala, and attendees such as Muhammad Ali asked him for his autograph.

[@jimimcglone4965]

Lmao 🤣

[@swami1]

Yes. The boxing sequence changed from Ali/Norton to Ali/Frazier 2.

[@kimberlymurray5293]

This is the show that introduced me and my brothers to the thrill of power lifting. We used to watch this huge Russian guy named Alexi lift barbells of unimaginable weight over his head and hold it until his whole body was trembling! Sometimes we also watched body builders pose off for Mr. Universe contests. Amazing athletes pushing the boundaries of human capability. Awesomeness! Great memories!

[@ronflatter1235]

Vasily Alekseyev.

[@StephenKern-xl6xr]

Watching this brings back a flood of memories of Saturday afternoons from my youth. Thanks for posting!

[@JoshuaFagan]

I never watched this as a kid, as I'm a 1999 baby, but that phrase "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" is so burned into our collective sports consciousness even today. I'm glad to realize this is where it came from!

[@jefftheparodyguy5166]

I remember seeing this every weekend growing up. This encapsulates how much our society has changed, and not for the good. They would never show someone wiping out on downhill skis and escaping death, let alone saying “the agony of defeat” while showing it. Whoever came up with this intro and the slogan was genius

[@hugejohnson5011]

I wouldn't have been able to see Evel Knievel without Wide World of Sports! Thank you ABC TV! You helped to make my childhood awesome! Even my dad would watch Evel with me!

[@larryward569]

Such good memories! In East Texas I think ABC’s WWOS came on around 5 pm and with so little going on in my little town of Kilgore I can remember sitting glued to our living room TV knowing that every week there was going to be something different and exciting to watch. It was such a great time in my life and as the years go by I have come to appreciate that time period more and more. With all the unrest in our country I wish the young people of today would have had the same upbringing and values with the somewhat simple but meaningful things that I experienced. If they did maybe things would be different. But thank you for posting this great sports theme! For some reason it randomly came into my brain to look it up and I was very happy to find it!

[@se9f282]

My family never missed this show on Saturdays. Mom oved the Mexican cliff divers, the rest of us loved the winter sports.

[@larsskiipole9872]

I miss ABCWWOS. nothing compares these days.

[@larrywebb5217]

64 years old, i remember every word. If i could turn back the hands of time...

[@steveperry1344]

i'm watching this with the audio off so i don't bother my wife watching her television program but i know all the jim mckay dialog and music in my head. it's amazing to me some of the things you can remember and what a great show it was, we watched it on most saturdays and it came on about 4 or 5 in the afternoon. 'the constant variety of sport'.

[@deecutrona8152]

This is the soundtrack of my childhood. I remember listening and watching this like it was yesterday.

[@karlfortuin5794]

It's the agony of defeat....great catch phrase still use in in 2022...

[@dbnx1701]

Every Saturday afternoon when I was a kid I knew it was time to go out and play when I heard, and the agony of defeat.

[@t24mack]

We didn’t have any technology but man what great times were had back then

[@keithgreenwade2398]

"...The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat!..." How time flies.

[@porgy]

The best opening ever. I'm so glad I grew up with this show as a kid. You got to see all kinds of sporting events from around the world. What's on tv for kids now?

[@ShiftingDrifter]

Ahh Saturday TV! First cartoons in the morning followed by the Cisco Kid after lunch, then Roller Derby in the mid afternoon followed up by ABC's Wide World of Sports. lol...

[@jbosshard1]

Watched it every Saturday. Indelibly imprinted on my young psyche. Jim McKay!

[@michaelshore2609]

ALL HAIL STANLEY RALPH ROSS WHO WROTE AND DIRECTED THIS. as someone's made a living in TV writing for 40 years now, trust me: IT DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS. Music by Charles Fox, who also brought us "Love American Style" among others.

[@pinedelgado4743]

I'll always remember THIS intro from my childhood (turning seven in 1974) with the indomitable Pele being his ever-so-jubilant self after scoring that well-deserved goal in the 1970 FIFA World Cup!!! Thanks lots, Ron!!!! :) :)

[@Hal09i]

Man, takes me back. Let's warm up the Curtis-Mathis 25 inch console and watch Jim McKay...

[@jacobolson6145]

It’s thanks to this that my dad in the 70s watched f1 as a kid and now I’m a huge f1 fan in America cause of it

[@quasimodo5405]

One of the best Them intros in TV history. It STILL gives me goosebumps and Joy listening to it.

[@johncephus88]

What good memories that intro brings back! On the agony of defeat, my dad used to say “that poor guy busts his a$$ every week” (bahahaha). I suppose that was the 1970’s version of a dad joke!!

[@tombrad9950]

Best sports entro of all time it has change a little over the years but the agony of defeat you just can't remove.

[@worldtraveler134]

Every Saturday like clock work! 70's was the Era

[@christieschneider8786]

The music for the intro would make a great ringtone as well.

[@etanbarbosa1260]

Thx this clip is rare.

[@EvanG529]

"What in the wide, wide world of sport is a-going on here?"

[@jeffreybanks0519]

I always felt so bad for the 'agony of defeat' skier so many times seeing this as a kid in the 1970s...

[@WinslowLeach1974]

What in the wide, wide world of sports is a goin' on here? (awesome clip, many memories)

[@douglasskaalrud6865]

Steven Fallon “ I hired you people to get a little track laid, not to jump around like a bunch of...........”

[@whateverlolawants]

You know! De Camptown Ladies!

[@kirkvandegrift3015]

Hey! Where the white women at?

[@russs7574]

@@whateverlolawants The shot where Cleavon Little rides past the Count Basie Orchestra is priceless. Oh, and..... QUICKSAND!!!!!!!

[@jmadratz]

I miss this simpler time with just 3 networks and your local UHF channels. I loved Saturday afternoons with Wide World of Sports

[@russs7574]

Saturday Afternoon (If the weather precluded backyard baseball) in the Pittsburgh area...Roller Derby (featuring the Bay Bombers with Charlie O'Connell and Joan Weston), the NBC Game of the Week, followed by Wide World of Sports, followed by Studio Wrestling (a local presentation....and being in Pittsburgh, it was always a 50-50 shot that Bruno Sammartino would be on the card.). And if it was winter, it was the Pro Bowlers Tour instead of the Game of the Week.

[@algomaone121]

The hapless ski jumper lives on in epic, iconic television history, forever reliving the agony of his defeat!

[@elizabethrose3667]

So funny the commonality we all had growing up in the 70’s and 80’s. If we all got together talked about our childhood tv, swimming, skating, climbing trees, tag, neighborhood kickball or softball, riding bikes…I had a Harley 50 when I was 7, then I had a Vespa then a Yamaha 100. I learn to shoot. Chores a lot of chores..fear of your father. Kool aid bologna ( I still cannot eat bologna) Does anyone remember on the radio plays a dumb song interviewing jaws? My dad and I liked Wonder Woman for different reasons.😂 Have a good day! Peeps. Sorry this took me back to my childhood memories came flooding back.

[@robkenner5456]

This was my show on Saturdays!!!! The music and Jim McKay's dialogue especially .... the agony of defeat. I used to watch Evel Knievel's jumps on this show. Truly classic

[@tsntana]

The thrill of victory. And the agony of the feet.

[@zyrover]

I remember this so well as a kid growing up in the 70s. Life seemed so much better back then.

[@JohnDoeXYZ]

I must have seen this hundreds of times as a kid. It meant the cartoon shows were over for the day.

[@jonwyrick3186]

I absolutyly watched every saturday i was 14. 1974 64 now. Thankyou God for the Adventurous Life. I had already been on a ski team and went sking every weekend to Artic Vally. Hill burg And Alyeska..in 1973 The World cup was at Aly..Amazing. ✌ Jonathan in Anchorage Alaska

[@davidbrandel1311]

There was no better commentator than Jim McKay. He could make bocce ball interesting. And of course he was the voice of the Olympics.

[@thegreenerthemeaner]

That dude taking the tumble on the Ski jump, that was always memorable. The Cliff Diving was also fun to watch.

[@moogyboy6]

I have to say that of all the "Wide World" openings I've seen here, this version has a particularly good selection of clips. Lots of action, good variety, and that shot of the soccer guys scoring the goal and celebrating is just sublime. ABC nailed it with this one.

[@LanceD188]

"And the agony of defeat" That skier must of had PTSD every time this came on TV.

[@jmc5209]

I remember as a kid watching the skier's failed jump live with my Dad.After that episode,he became the new "agony of defeat"clip, replacing Cale Yarborough's 1965 Nascar flying track exit.

[@allegory7638]

I was 9 then, the Wide World of Sports was so good, never missed the agony of defeat intro.

[@chiplewis7793]

Man!!! I remember everything of that intro at age 63 in a vague way..EXCEPT the agony of defeat segment. That part has never been or will it ever be VAGUE.. awesome clip, thank you!!

[@marleyking2886]

Great intro! Classic! I loved watching sports back then! 2024

[@tonyleach9805]

Those were the days my friend

[@williamhicks7736]

Greatest opening to a show EVER…. Perfectly captures the exaltation of the sportsman …

[@Roymac01]

00:17 Poor Vinko Bogataj gets immortalized forever. He's almost 74 years old now. So I guess he pulled through.

[@rhyancoleman6462]

Thank God he's still alive.

[@johniboz1]

If you don't think of the "agony of sports" when seeing someone skiing then your a young pup!

[@jimburow706]

Never missed it! Would love to see it again

[@douglasskaalrud6865]

I remember seeing the Tyrell P-34 for the first time on Wide World of Sports. Don’t remember who was driving it but what an intriguing F-1 racer.

[@tsntana]

1:00 Olga Korbut performing the now forbidden Korbut Flip.

[@agoogleuser4443]

That was so awesome. I couldn't get enough of her in the 72 Olympics when I was a young girl.

[@russs7574]

@@agoogleuser4443 Same time frame....one of my first "tween" crushes was on Janet Lynn.

[@agoogleuser4443]

@@russs7574 I liked her too. Good skater for the day. She wasn't as graceful as Peggy Fleming but more athletic than she was.

[@mooner2410]

I want to go back to those days..Do it again..

[@BaronSemediLive]

My older brother would watch this religiously when we were kid's. I hated them but now look upon it with fond memories.

[@charliepickard7798]

Vinko Bogataj, the agony of defeat, etched into my mind

[@LordZontar]

Watched this sometimes when I was a kid on Saturday afternoons but often enough to where it was part of my childhood world. I grew up seeing the Agony of Defeat guy take that spill countless times.

[@SilentKnight43]

Gawd that brings back great childhood memories. And isn't that the greatest opening soundtrack to a show in history? Majestic and epic and Jim McKay's voice doing the narration during the build-up.

[@shanke300]

My fav sports show of all time. The music is just gold standard.

[@daboys1215]

Sports has changed a lot over the years. One thing that will always remain is the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

[@scottbaldock8353]

From weight lifting to cliff diving you never knew what it would be the next week.

[@davidcoates7615]

Barrel jumping on ice skates or jumping cars on a motorcycle (Evel Knievel)😀

[@cmreap]

Over the years, they had a lot of different clips for "The Thrill of Victory", but I think that poor Yugoslav ski jumper was always the "Agony of Defeat"

[@seethree6478]

Not sure I would want to be 15 again, but I would sure like to be able to watch WWS again with my Dad one more time...😎❤️😎

[@vicsaunders]

I saw the actual crash on that ski jumping competition that led to that becoming "the agony of defeat."

[@seethree6478]

I did too. When it happened live, it was by no means certain the guy was going to survive. Wild memory, eg?

[@seethree6478]

*eh*

[@HenriLefebvre-ls2xz]

As For Me, It’s Great That Many Memories Brought This One Back To Life.! 😁❤️

[@booklover1745]

A memory from my childhood in the 70s.

[@fish9905]

Crazy how simple life was