 From 1980 to 1984, Hanson worked as a Turner Sports executive.In 1982, Hanson, Robert Wussler, and Russ Potts successfully outbid CBS to air what was dubbed "The Game of the Decade" on Turner Network Television—a college basketball game pitting The University of Virginia against the Georgetown Hoyas in a matchup which featured the two biggest stars in college basketball at the time, Ralph Sampson and Patrick Ewing.This was an important step for sports broadcasting on cable television, as high-profile sporting event broadcasts had always been featured on major networks prior to this.