“No Joy in Mudville” provides an in-depth look into sports on various levels of participation from little league games to college to professional. Sports has become an obession with winning as the only acceptable outcome. The documentary also looks at co-ed sports, injuries, pressure on athletes and coaches, and life after sports.
WRAL-TV participated in the Eighth Decade Consortium comprised of five television stations across the country. The other four stations were WJLA in Washington, D.C., WCVB in Boston, KSTP in Minneapolis, and KOMO in Seattle. Each station produced a segment in the documentary. WRAL produced the first segment, “For Saturday Afternoon Glory” written by WRAL Sports Director Bob Holliday and produced by Chuck Maye.
The program was hosted by WRAL News anchor John Hudson. The opening voice-over was by Bill Leslie. “No Joy in Mudville” aired September 12, 1983. The subject matter is still relevant to this day.