MINNEAPOLIS _ Beginning in 1965 and continuing through 1986, "The American Sportsman" was broadcast on ABC, hosted by Curt Gowdy.
Gowdy was an outdoorsman and broadcast journalist who stumbled across the show's concept when ABC sent him to Argentina to fish with world famous angler Joe Brooks. The segment was slotted in an episode of ABC's "Wide World of Sports."
"The public reaction was so strong a new series was born," Gowdy, who died in 2006 at the age of 86, later recalled.
At its core, "The American Sportsman" was a call to adventure that reflected and validated the interests of its viewers, while also transporting them, vicariously, to places they might never visit. In those respects, the show was a film version of American outdoor storytelling that began around campfires in the 1700s.
So much has happened in the centuries since, particularly in the past 50 years, that Gowdy might not recognize the outdoors broadcasting "industry."
Now, as many Minnesotans settle in for a long winter of more "watching" than "doing," they'll see changes among hunting and fishing shows.
Some hosts are handing their "star" duties to sons or daughters. And more outdoors viewing options than ever are available online.
