Wide World of Sports

Wide World of Sports is perhaps the best-known sports anthology series on American television.

The broadcast debuted April 29, 1961, and was the creation of Roone Arledge, head of ABC Sports. The goal of the show, which ran weekend afternoons, was to showcase sports from around the globe, of the type not normally seen on television. The broadcast was hosted for most of its history by Jim McKay.

The show was introduced by a stirring theme song and accompanying narration by McKay, referring to "the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat". (Defeat pictured in the opening montage by skier Vinco Bogetaj, taking a tumble at the conclusion of a jump.)

During the 1970s and 1980s, a Canadian version was aired by the CTV Television Network. Licensed by ABC, the CTV broadcast included a mix of content from the American show, and segments produced by CTV and its affiliates.

Most recently, the "Wide World of Sports" name has been used as an umbrella title for ABC's weekend sports programming.