The “Showtime” era of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s probably saved professional basketball and created the NBA as we know it today. The sport was quickly falling out of the mainstream of American sports conscience. CBS was delaying the broadcast of games, and was thinking about dropping coverage altogether. Basketball was just boring. We took a look at the first episode of the 10-part HBO series Winning Time. This episode details the Jerry Buss’s purchase of the team, and the drafting of Earvin “Magic” Johnson. We continue to ponder the question, “What makes a sport commercial (and exciting) enough for TV?” We kick it off by talking about the Slap Fighting Championship, and other competitions at the Arnold Sports Festival this past weekend. Will we ever go back? Listener resources: More about Winning Time here. Have a question for us? Hit us up on social media and use the hashtag #onegoodquestion. Check out our gym (Third Street Barbell) at ThirdStreetBarbell.com and subscribe for updates about our apparel line at 3sb.co! Local memberships and international fresh fits! Get early access to our NEXT DROP! Check out our brand new podcast website: 50percentfacts.com Join our Discord for free! Hosted by Mike Farr (@silentmikke) and Jim McDonald (@thejimmcd). Produced by Jim McDonald Production assistance by Sam McDonald. Theme by Aaron Moore. Branding by Joseph Manzo (@jmanzo523)  

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/50-facts-with-silent-mike-jim-mcd--5538735/support.