Plot Synopsis

The show first aired as a two-hour special in 1973 then as a series (or series of specials) from 1974-1984 on ABC, 1985-1990 on NBC, 1991-1994 on ABC, and 1998-2002 on ABC. Each week ten athletes from various professional sports -- baseball, football, basketball, hockey, soccer -- and various olympic events -- decathlon, pole vault, long jump -- competed against each other with the chance to win some cash and a plot of land in Rotonda, Florida. But they mostly played for pride and bragging rights. Each competitor selected seven of ten events (excluding that person's specialty event), such as tennis, swimming, weight lifting, bowling, golf, 100-yard dash, and obstacle course, racking up points. The player with the most points at the end was declared the winner, and Renaldo Nehemiah won "Superstars" four different times. World-champion boxer Joe Frasier provided one of the most enduring images of the original "Superstars" since he nearly drowned in the 50-meter swimming event.