North Carolina is not going to like this story from Bernard Goldberg. The latest Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, tonight at 10 p.m. on HBO.

Also, Andrea Kremer has a compelling piece on a former tennis player who became one of the world’s top ultra marathoners as a way to battle debilitating seizures.

Saturday afternoon, NBC showed a terrific documentary, Lokomotiv, on a Russia town’s efforts to rebuild after a plane crash that killed players and coaches in 2011.

Tuesday, the latest edition of HBO’s Real Sports (10 p.m. ET) has a follow-up from Bernard Goldberg that suggests the tragedy could happen again.

Here’s a clip:

The write-up from HBO:

Hockey’s Darkest Day. On Sept. 7, 2011, Russia’s Lokomotiv, one of the premier hockey teams in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), boarded a Soviet-era Yak-42 jet at a Yaroslavl airport to travel to a game in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. A few moments after lift-off, the chartered aircraft crashed about 500 yards from the runway, instantly killing 43 of the 45 passengers, including several NHL and Olympic Games veterans. The model of the aircraft carrying the team had a long history of problems and the charter company has one of the worst air safety records in the world. Now, two years after the worst aviation disaster in professional sports history, REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated revisits the families and officials who were interviewed in HBO’s original segment in 2012 and correspondent Bernard Goldberg learns more about the latest developments in the KHL’s aviation safety protocol. New interviews include Bethann Salei, whose husband Ruslan Salei, a former NHL player, was killed in the 2011 crash and KHL vice president Ilya Kochevrin.

Real Sports always has quality stories, but tonight’s show (HBO, 10 p.m. ET) is especially compelling. It begins with Andrea Kremer’s report on marijuana and the NFL. The piece documents how players use pot to deal with the pain of playing such a brutal sport.

Kremer’s report makes the case that the NFL is wrong for banning marijuana. She shows the players still use it anyway.

From the story:

ANDREA KREMER: Is it something that’s talked about in the locker room?

CHRIS KLUWE: It’s not like, you know, there’s  the smoker’s corner where everyone goes– (laugh) and talks about, you know, “Hey what strain did you smoke last night?” It’s more you know,  guys will be talking and be like, “You know, yeah I got– you know, I smoked a bit last night and, yeah, it—did help me feel better.”  You know in the locker room when guys talked about it, it wasn’t “I’m– I’m gonna go get blazed and tear up the town.”  It was like, “Yeah, I smoked a bit and then I went and passed out on the couch ’cause I felt like crap after practice.”

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While Kremer’s story surely will have Roger Goodell answering questions about marijuana at his press conference next week, Frank Deford’s piece on Boomer Esiason was both heartbreaking and inspiring. Their bound: having children with Cystic Fibrosis.

After watching a screener by myself, I insisted on my wife seeing it.

The show finishes up strong with Bernard Goldberg’s story on the unlikely new owner of the Sacramento Kings.

This new HBO documentary from Peter Berg is one of the most chilling and unsettling films you ever will watch about sports.

State of Play (Wednesday, 9 p.m. ET) documents parents going overboard in trying to turn their children into superstar athletes. Trust me, what you see in the trailer is a just a fraction of the abuse these kids take from their parents.

These parents are so over-the-top, you almost think they must be actors. It doesn’t seem possible that an actual parent would act that way in front of cameras. Do they not know how bad they look?

There is a segment where a parent berates a young football player with his former wife driving the car. It was so difficult to watch that I eventually had to fast-forward through the passage.

Following the film, Berg does a panel discussion that includes Todd Marinovich, who definitely is qualified to talk about the topic.

All in all, I highly recommend you watch this film. Here are the details from HBO:

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HBO Sports and executive producers Peter Berg and Sarah Aubrey team up again for the innovative new documentary film series STATE OF PLAY. Presented by Film 44 in collaboration with Herzog & Company (HCO) and HBO Sports, the show takes on complex and multi-layered themes in sports, exploring their relationship to larger society. Each new edition spotlights a topic or person whose impact on the sports world is undeniable, opening with a brief overview followed by a 40-minute cinéma vérité documentary and concluding with an in-depth, 20-minute roundtable discussion of the issue with the filmmakers, subjects and guest experts. Emmy® nominee Berg (“Friday Night Lights”) serves as moderator of the panel discussion.

STATE OF PLAY: TROPHY KIDS, the first documentary of the series, debuts WEDNESDAY, DEC. 4 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. The film that opens the program features a compelling and engaging examination of the obsession a growing number of parents have with the scholastic athletic competition of their children.

Other HBO playdates: Dec. 4 (5:20 a.m.), 6 (11:30 p.m.), 8 (7:30 a.m.), 10 (3:15 p.m.), 13 (8:30 a.m., 7:30 p.m.), 14 (11:00 p.m.), 21 (4:30 p.m.), 26 (4:00 p.m., 5:25 a.m.) and 30 (12:30 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Dec. 6 (5:15 p.m.), 12 (1:00 a.m.), 16 (2:45 p.m., 8:00 p.m.), 19 (9:50 a.m., 11:00 p.m.) and 22 (10:35 a.m.)

The program will also be available on HBO ON DEMAND and HBO GO.

Immediately following the documentary segment of STATE OF PLAY: TROPHY KIDS, which focuses on four parents and five children, Berg hosts a thought-provoking roundtable discussion on the challenges of raising a child in today’s competitive sports environment.  Roundtable guests include sports psychologist Dr. Larry Lauer and former NFL quarterback Todd Marinovich, whose athletic journey, shaped by an ambitious father, led to the starting quarterback position at college football powerhouse USC and a first-round draft selection by the Oakland Raiders in 1991.

“I couldn’t be more excited to partner with HBO to give a voice to passionate, sports documentary filmmakers who have poured their own blood, sweat and tears into their work,” says Peter Berg.

Congratulations to Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on its 200th show tonight. That’s no small feat in an age where you’re fortunate to get 10 shows.

Real Sports launched in 1995 and shows no sign of letting up. It has consistently delivered among the best in sports journalism on a variety of subjects, conventional and more often not. That holds true for the 200th show.

Here is preview of Bernard Goldberg’s report on the upcoming Olympics in Sochi. “A festival of corruption,” according to a Russian critic.

Here’s the rundown for Tuesday’s show:

Now in its 19th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL, TV’s most honored sports journalism series and the only sports program recognized with a prestigious 2012 George Foster Peabody Award, presents more enterprising features and reporting when the show’s landmark 200th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, NOV. 19 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates: Nov. 19 (2:45 a.m.), 22 (10:0 a.m., 5:30 p.m.), 24 (8:00 a.m.), 27 (1:30 p.m.) and 30 (11:00 a.m., 1:00 a.m.), and Dec. 4 (12:30 a.m.), 6 (7:30 p.m.) and 9 (4:30 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Nov. 20 (11:15 p.m.), 26 (1:10 p.m., 9:00 p.m.) and 29 (7:30 p.m., 1:50 a.m.), and Dec. 3 (9:45 a.m., 6:20 p.m.) and 7 (2:15 p.m.)

HBO On Demand^® availability: Nov. 25-Dec. 16

Segments include:

*Putin’s Olympics. With fewer than 100 days until the opening ceremonies for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, controversy looms large in the host city of Sochi, Russia. Seven years ago, Russian president Vladimir Putin captured the rights to the 2014 Winter Olympics after promising to spend $12 billion to hold the Games in this sub-tropical seaside resort town in the southern part of the country, which is the warmest location in Russia. Today, however, the latest reported estimate of the Games’ cost is $50 billion, which makes the Sochi Olympics the most expensive in history, allegedly due in part to bribery and cronyism. REAL SPORTS correspondent Bernard Goldberg travels to Sochi for a behind-the-scenes look at the preparations and speaks to individuals who allege there are massive corruption schemes tied to these Games.

Producers: Josh Fine, Tim Walker.

*Shaw Time. On June 26, 1993, the mother, father and sister of former NBA journeyman Brian Shaw were killed in a car accident. (Shaw was later awarded custody of his 11-month-old niece and namesake, Brianna, the only survivor of the crash.) At his side during this rough time was former teammate and best friend Reggie Lewis, but tragedy struck again a month after the accident when Lewis died from cardiac arrest. Now, more than 20 years after that fateful summer, Shaw, 47, is enjoying his first season as Denver Nuggets head coach, following successful stints as an assistant for the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Bernard Goldberg meets with the Oakland native, who details how the heartache he felt and the lessons he learned guided him to where he is today.

Producer: Chapman Downes.

*Live Mascots. Most, if not all, big-time college sports programs are represented by a symbol of the team’s moniker. Some universities even go to great lengths to have a live animal represent school pride. REAL SPORTS host Bryant Gumbel explores the wild world of live animal mascots and their role in collegiate sports programs. From million-dollar habitats to enduring adulation, these mascots are accustomed to a life more akin to royalty and superstar athletes than zoo animals. Gumbel meets several of the most distinguished live animal mascots, including Ralphie the Buffalo from the University of Colorado, Tom the Tiger from the University of Memphis and the dog Reveille from Texas A&M University.

Producer: Jason Samuels.

Jim Harbaugh definitely will be getting a call from HBO and NFL Films during the off-season.

From Taylor Price of 49ers.com:

Jim Harbaugh likes to keep things close to the vest.

But that doesn’t mean the 49ers coach is against his team being featured on NFL Films’ “Hard Knocks” reality show.

“If that’s something we were in position to do, then we’d certainly do it,” the 49ers coach said on Wednesday.

And more.

He also understands that the popularity of the show will keep it around for a long time.

“There’s going to be teams that are going to be on ‘Hard Knocks’ and that seems like a popular thing and something people want to see,” Harbaugh said. “So, I don’t see it going away. You could stamp your feet and say I don’t want to do it, but I don’t know how productive that is for anybody concerned.”

Harbaugh said the 49ers haven’t been “tempted” to do the show during his three seasons with the club.

But he did admit to watching the reality show.

“I find it quite entertaining,” Harbaugh said.

Harbaugh definitely would be entertaining on Hard Knocks. However, don’t pencil in the 49ers just yet.

Under the new criteria, teams that make the playoffs two years in a row can’t be forced to do the show.

As I wrote earlier this week, HBO is airing a new documentary, Glickman, on Monday at 9 p.m. ET. It is a terrific film about one of the legendary voices in sports history. And there’s much more to the story that involves encounters with Antisemitism.

An old friend, Mike Leiderman, shared a story of a wonderful experience he had with Marty Glickman. Mike is a long-time Chicago journalist, sportscaster and producer. He runs his own media firm, Leiderman Productions.

Leiderman, though, grew up in New York. At the age of 12, he attended a memorable Knicks game.

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The quick story: My uncle Joe had a contact somehow and I got to sit next to Marty when he did a Knicks-Minneapolis Lakers game from the old 69th Regiment Armory in NY in the mid ’50s. I must have been 12 or 13. I knew it was a big deal, but didn’t realize how big it was. John and Jim Paxson’s dad played for the Lakers and the Knicks stunk – the Kenny Sears, Willie Naulls, Carl Braun, Richie Guerin Ray Felix Knicks.

Still, they were my home team and I was right next to them. Marty was an absolute prince. He set up a chair for me courtside, between him and his broadcast partner, Les Keiter (another legend in NY – he did the “re-creates” of Giants’ games in NY after they moved to San Francisco. “Here comes Willie around third. Here comes the ball and — HE BEAT THE BALL!! HE BEAT THE BALL!!)

But I digress.

The broadcast table was right next to the team benches and my little pre-bar mitzvah ears heard words from the coaches I was familiar with, but knew never to use around my parents. The coach – I think it was a guy named Vince Boryla – would curse at his players during each time out. Some of it must have carried into the microphones, especially since there was what I called “an underflow crowd” in the stands that afternoon. (In those NBA days, the Knicks would have to play at the Armory several times a season when Madison Square Garden was booked for the circus or rally or whatever. I still smell the horses in the Armory)  Finally, after one particular tirade, I remember Marty saying – in his usual understated tone: “Since our broadcast position is right next to the benches. you can hear lots of color coming from the huddles. (Pause) Sometimes too much color.”

Beautiful.

As the game went on, I thrilled to Marty’s calls, although I must admit I was equally taken by being so close to the action.  Marty, meanwhile, couldn’t have been nicer to a kid he didn’t know from Adam. Afterwards, I thanked him profusely in my early teen falsetto and told him I’d learned so much and hoped to be a sports play by play announcer one day.  “You should have told me that earlier,” he said with a wink. “I would have let you call the 3rd quarter.”  To this day, I believe he would have.

I was able to touch base with Marty several times as an adult; he was Gail Sierens’ coach when she debuted as the first female NFL play by play voice in Kansas City for a Chiefs-Seahawks game. (I covered for Entertainment Tonight.) Again, I introduced myself and whether Marty remembered our interaction decades before, he acted happy to hear about it.  Shortly before his death, he spoke at Spertus and talked about the 1936 Olympics and how he and Sam Stoller were dropped from the USA relay team at the last minute because of their being Jewish – not by Hitler, but by Avery Brundage and his band of anti-Semites on the US delegation. (Brundage was its head in Berlin before moving on to pollute the entire Olympic movement years later.)  The US Olympic Committee (or was it the IOC? doubt that) did give Marty his Gold Medal shortly before he died – as an apology. He told me it meant a lot to him, though.

Like I said, I can’t wait for the documentary.  I’ve been talking about him in my speeches for decades. He was special – a shaper of the craft and a great influence on me as well as all those “famous” voices.