SVG Summit 2024: When Sports Became News A Look at the Munich Massacre Through the Golden Globe-Nominated Film September 5 Actor John Magaro and Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famers Geoffrey Mason, Sean McManus, and Lesley Visser share stories By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Friday, December 20, 2024 - 9:56 am
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Story Highlights
On September 5, 1972, the sports broadcasting world was changed forever, as the team at ABC Sports found themselves at the center of an unimaginable world tragedy, which unfolded only yards away from their German Broadcast Center.
With most of the nation gathered to celebrate the Summer Olympic Games in Munich, Roone Arledge and his production team were instead faced with the horror of an unraveling hostage situation at the Olympic Village. The brave decisions, unprecedented pictures and humanity in storytelling are forever woven into the historic fabric of our industry.
Now the basis of a motion picture, September 5, SVG honored this live merger of news and sports with a look-back at that event and take you behind-the-scenes of this thrilling new film.
WATCH: September 5 | Official Trailer
This conversation features:
John Magaro, September 5, Actor
Geoffrey Mason, ABC Sports, Former Executive Producer / Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame
Sean McManus, CBS Sports, Retired Chairman / Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame
This session was hosted at the 2024 SVG Summit on December 17 and was moderated by iconic reporter and Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Lesley Visser.
READ MORE: Behind the Scenes of September 5 How the Acclaimed Film Re-Creates ABC Sports' Historic Live Coverage of the Munich Massacre
A young ABC Sports producer at the time, Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Geoffrey Mason and his colleagues were thrust into a dynamic and dramatic situation when the events of the Munich Massacre unfolded at the 1972 Olympics. Now the subject of this Golden Globe-nominated feature film, Mason reflects on how he got involved in this retelling of the day from the unique perspective of a sports broadcasting control room:
In the film, actor John Magaro plays the role of upstart producer Geoffrey Mason as the ABC Sports control room navigates broadcasting the events of the Munich Massacre. Magaro shared what he wanted to capture in embodying Mason and how he wanted to be a part of a story that honored the legacies of those involved in a horrible day:
When a hostage situation turned ABC Sports' coverage of the 1972 Munich Olympics into a hard news situation, ABC executives wanted to turn the story over to its news division. The iconic Roone Arledge didn't let it happen. Mason and the retired chairman of CBS Sports Sean McManus the son of broadcaster Jim McKay, who was on-air reporting during the Munich Massacre shared what that negotiation was like and if they still agree with that decision today:
While preparing for his role in the film, actor John Magaro visited the control room of CBS Sports on NFL Sundays to ensure he researched an authentic recreation of a live sports control room environment. Magaro shared what he learned from those visits, why it wasn't nearly as loud as he expected it to be, and how it helps shape the film's feel:
Watch the full discussion now on SVG PLAY:
This session includes an introduction from Robert Carzoli, Program Productions, Chairman.
SVG PLAY is your home for all Sports Video Group live-event and long-form video content. SVG members and sponsors have simple access to all SVG event panels, case studies, keynotes, and more - all in one place. To visit SVG PLAY, CLICK HERE.
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SVG Summit 2024: When Sports Became News A Look at the Munich Massacre Through the Golden Globe-Nominated Film September 5 Actor John Magaro and Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famers Geoffrey Mason, Sean McManus, and Lesley Visser share stories By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
