I was a young lad at the time, but I remember watching weekend sports with my dad.

What ever happened to the "agony of defeat" guy?

The "agony of defeat skier" refers to Vinko Bogataj, a Slovenian ski jumper whose dramatic crash during a 1970 competition became the iconic visual for the phrase "the agony of defeat" on ABC's Wide World of Sports. While Bogataj was unaware of his accidental fame for decades, he later attended anniversaries of the show and became an unlikely American icon. He sustained injuries, including a broken ankle and a concussion, but was able to continue his life and has since become an accomplished painter.

Yet the sponsors seemed so home-townie, safe, predictable. It ain't your grandfather's sports anymore.

Looks like Irish hurling in all its glory with some poor schmuck running his face into an elbow and getting knocked out.

Just some of his other work: