Wide World of Sports Quotes

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Source: Wide World of Sports

Speaker: Jim McKay

The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat

Context

This line is spoken by Jim McKay in the show Wide World of Sports (1961). 

This one comes from the intro to Wide World of Sports, one of the longest-running sports shows, like, ever. Now watch this clip and try not to laugh when the skier totally crashes and burns on the whole "agony of defeat" part. (How much did it suck to be that guy? Every week, he had to watch himself eat snow.)

Where you've heard it

Hmm… well, maybe you heard it as the answer to the puzzle on this episode of Wheel of Fortune. If not, watch it, just because watching retro game shows is funny. The quote also gets a shout-out from the Wu-Tang Clan in their song "Triumph." Sorry, but we can't link to that one. This is a family-friendly website, after all...

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

It's from a sports show, so… you know… how pretentious could it be?