what personal story best explains espn's worldwide
influence?
robin roberts: i was in
kuwait just before the iraq war in
2003. it was selection sunday for the ncaa tournament, the young
troops were going off to war, and they're asking, "who will be the
top seeds, robin?" so i'm getting them the latest updates, and
seeing the sliver of joy i could give them was gratifying - all
they wanted was to talk sports. they'd come up singing "da-da-da,
da-da-da" right out there in the desert.
keith olbermann: my story is from 9/11 - it moved me
tremendously. i was a radio field reporter - i'm a little anemic
and not a good blood donor, but i had to do something. everywhere i
went, cops and firemen acknowledged who i was. the importance of
sports as a whole was never clearer to me. people would lean out of
their apartments, with no
electricity and this waste blowing
around, and say, "hey, keith, thanks for coming down." the sense
that your presence from a former show could cheer up someone, even
briefly, was
invaluable.
charley steiner: i went down to ground zero with sugar ray
leonard - it was still smoldering - to shake hands with the police
and firemen. they were obviously thrilled to have ray there, but i
got the same response from these guys caked in 9/11 soot and
they're humming "da-da-da, da-da-da!" you start to cry.
on a lighter note, i was holidaying on the turks and caicos,
walking on a beach with a friend, and we saw these two kids heading
straight for us. i thought we were going to get rolled. but they
break out laughing and ask, "hey, charley mon, what you doin' here,
mon?" same thing - da-da-da, da-da-da!
of the thousands of sportscenters you did, which stand out?
roberts: for a personally dramatic moment,
tennis great arthur
ashe was a friend, and he passed away on a saturday night. i had to
go on-air sunday, and it was the most painful experience. we
started some highlights, and i had to apologize to the viewers
because for the first time my heart wasn't in it. but we did get to
honor a friend with some wonderful tributes.