30 for 30 is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN.
Series | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
Volume I | 30 | October 6, 2009 | December 11, 2010 | |
ESPN Films Presents | 14 | March 13, 2011 | February 12, 2015 | |
Shorts | TBA | May 15, 2012 | TBA | |
Volume II | 30 | October 2, 2012 | July 30, 2015 | |
Soccer Stories | 8 | April 15, 2014 | July 1, 2014 | |
Volume III | 30 | October 13, 2015 | July 2, 2019 | |
Volume IV | 30 | September 10, 2019 | TBA |
Unless otherwise noted, the following films are all 60 minutes in length (including commercials).
No. overall |
No. in series | Title | Directed by | Original air date | US viewers (millions) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Kings Ransom | Peter Berg | October 6, 2009 | 0.645 [1] | |
The August 9, 1988 trade of
Wayne Gretzky from the
Edmonton Oilers to the
Los Angeles Kings and the effect it had on Gretzky, the fans in
Edmonton, and the popularity of
hockey in
Southern California. | ||||||
2 | 2 | The Band That Wouldn't Die | Barry Levinson | October 13, 2009 | N/A | |
A profile of
Baltimore's love affair with football and the
Colts, focusing on the
Colts Marching Band. After the Colts
decamped for
Indianapolis in 1984, the band stayed behind to help promote
the eventual return of the
NFL to the city in the form of the Ravens. | ||||||
3 | 3 | Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL? | Mike Tollin | October 20, 2009 | N/A | |
Fresh interviews and archival footage track the life and demise of the
United States Football League in the mid-1980s. A highlight is Tollin's interview with
Donald Trump, the former
New Jersey Generals owner whose post-interview comments on the league give this documentary its title.
[2] | ||||||
4 | 4 | Muhammad and Larry | Albert Maysles | October 27, 2009 | N/A | |
A look at the October 1980
Muhammad Ali–
Larry Holmes fight and its impact on both fighters, featuring fresh interviews with participants and previously unseen lead-up footage from both fighters' camps. | ||||||
5 | 5 | Without Bias | Kirk Fraser | November 3, 2009 | N/A | |
The death of
Len Bias from a cocaine-induced heart attack, two days after
Boston selected him as the second overall pick in the
1986 NBA draft, and its impact on casual drug use, especially by the sports community. | ||||||
6 | 6 | The Legend of Jimmy the Greek | Fritz Mitchell | November 10, 2009 | N/A | |
The life of
Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder, from his career as a
Las Vegas
bookmaker to his tenure on
The NFL Today, from which he was fired in 1988. | ||||||
7 | 7 | The U | Billy Corben | December 12, 2009 | 2.368 [3] [4] | |
The racial and cultural evolution of Miami during the 1980s as represented within the
University of Miami football team. (2 hours in length) | ||||||
8 | 8 | Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. the New York Knicks | Dan Klores | March 14, 2010 | N/A | |
The impact of
Reggie Miller of the
Indiana Pacers on the
New York Knicks in the 1990s, specifically focusing on the Pacers/Knicks battles in the 1994 and
1995 NBA playoffs and on Miller's interaction with Knicks fan
Spike Lee. | ||||||
9 | 9 | Guru of Go | Bill Couturié | April 3, 2010 | N/A | |
A profile of
Paul Westhead's coaching tenure at
Loyola Marymount University (1985–1990), where his Lions' team was known for its high-scoring run-and-gun offense, use of talented players such as
Bo Kimble and
Hank Gathers, and a pall cast by Gathers's on-court death in 1990. | ||||||
10 | 10 | No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson | Steve James | April 13, 2010 | N/A | |
The 1993 trial of
Hampton, Virginia, high school athlete
Allen Iverson, convicted for his role in a racially tinged melee, and its impact on both the community and on Iverson's life. (90 minutes in length) | ||||||
11 | 11 | Silly Little Game | Adam Kurland and Lucas Jansen | April 20, 2010 | N/A | |
Meeting at New York City's La Rotisserie Francaise restaurant in 1980, a group of writers and academics develop
Rotisserie Fantasy baseball, only to see it take off in popularity and leave them behind. | ||||||
12 | 12 | Run Ricky Run | Sean Pamphilon and Royce Toni | April 27, 2010 | 0.972 [5] | |
A profile of
Ricky Williams focuses on his brief 2004 departure from the
NFL, when he sought self-redemption amidst media criticism and fresh rumors of marijuana use. | ||||||
13 | 13 | The 16th Man | Clifford Bestall, Lori McCreary, and Morgan Freeman | May 4, 2010 | 0.463 [6] | |
How hosting (and winning) the
1995 Rugby World Cup, combined with
Nelson Mandela's support of the
Springboks national team, affected post-apartheid South Africa. | ||||||
14 | 14 | Straight Outta L.A. | Ice Cube | May 11, 2010 | N/A | |
The relationship between the
Raiders and the minority fan base in Los Angeles during the team's 13 seasons in L.A. (1982–1994) | ||||||
15 | 15 | June 17th, 1994 | Brett Morgen | June 16, 2010 | N/A | |
Quick-cut archival footage captures the various US sporting events on the day in question and the emotions they generated, including the opening of the
World Cup soccer tournament, the
Knicks/
Rockets
NBA Finals,
Arnold Palmer's last round in the
U.S. Open, and the
New York Rangers'
Stanley Cup victory celebration. One event, however, overshadows them all:
O. J. Simpson's run from the police. | ||||||
16 | 16 | The Two Escobars | Jeff Zimbalist and Michael Zimbalist | June 22, 2010 | N/A | |
The lives of soccer player
Andrés Escobar and
drug lord
Pablo Escobar; the intertwining of crime and soccer in their native
Colombia; and the connections between the deaths of both men. (2 hours in length) | ||||||
17 | 17 | The Birth of Big Air | Jeff Tremaine | July 29, 2010 | N/A | |
The life of
Mat Hoffman and his 25-year career of advancing, in creative and promotional avenues,
BMX riding. | ||||||
18 | 18 | Jordan Rides the Bus | Ron Shelton | August 24, 2010 | N/A | |
Motivated by the dream his late father had for him,
Michael Jordan retires from basketball and has a brief career in
minor league baseball. | ||||||
19 | 19 | Little Big Men | Al Szymanski | August 31, 2010 | N/A | |
A look at the
Kirkland National Little League team's success at the
1982 Little League World Series, examining why their title win is considered one of the biggest upsets in the event's history. | ||||||
20 | 20 | One Night in Vegas | Reggie Rock Bythewood | September 7, 2010 | N/A | |
The friendship of boxer
Mike Tyson and rapper
Tupac Shakur and the night of September 7, 1996, when Shakur was murdered after attending the Tyson-
Bruce Seldon fight in Las Vegas. | ||||||
21 | 21 | Unmatched | Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern, with Hannah Storm | September 14, 2010 | N/A | |
22 | 22 | The House of Steinbrenner | Barbara Kopple | September 21, 2010 | N/A | |
The legacy of
George Steinbrenner's ownership of the
New York Yankees. | ||||||
23 | 23 | Into the Wind | Steve Nash and Ezra Holland | September 28, 2010[a] | 0.894 [7] | |
Terry Fox's attempt to run 5,373 kilometres (3,339 mi) across Canada in support of fundraising for cancer research captures the attention of his fellow Canadians and the world. | ||||||
24 | 24 | Four Days in October | Gary Waksman | October 5, 2010 | 1.45 [8] | |
25 | 25 | Once Brothers | Michael Tolajian | October 12, 2010 | N/A | |
The story of Croatian
Dražen Petrović and Serbian
Vlade Divac, NBA players and
Yugoslavian national teammates, and how
upheaval in their homeland adversely and irretrievably affected their friendship. (90 minutes in length) | ||||||
26 | 26 | Tim Richmond: To the Limit | NASCAR Media Group and Rory Karpf | October 19, 2010 | N/A | |
The career of
NASCAR driver
Tim Richmond, his flamboyant lifestyle, and his 1989 death from AIDS. | ||||||
27 | 27 | Fernando Nation | Cruz Angeles | October 26, 2010 | N/A | |
The euphoria created by
Fernando Valenzuela's 1981 arrival with the
Los Angeles Dodgers. | ||||||
28 | 28 | Marion Jones: Press Pause | John Singleton | November 2, 2010 | N/A | |
The successful track and field career of
Marion Jones, her 2007 admission of
performance-enhancing drug use, and subsequent prison sentence. | ||||||
29 | 29 | The Best That Never Was | Jonathan Hock | November 9, 2010 | 2.229 [9] | |
The 1981 recruiting of high school football player
Marcus Dupree by multiple big-time college programs, his resulting injury-prone college and professional career, and how his pursuit by college and
USFL teams changed the recruiting process. (2 hours in length) | ||||||
30 | 30 | Pony Excess | Thaddeus D. Matula | December 11, 2010 | 2.517 [4] | |
The rise, fall, and rebirth of the
SMU Mustangs football program, which received a 1-year "
death penalty" for
major infractions after former SMU player David Stanley blew the whistle on the long-suspected program.
Patrick Duffy, known for starring in TV's
Dallas at the time of the scandal, narrates. (2 hours in length) |
Other films were previously announced for Volume I of the series but were not included. These films, which began airing in 2011, are a continuation of 30 for 30, dealing with more sports stories that 30 for 30 did not cover. According to 30 for 30 producer Bill Simmons, "We're spinning off the 30 for 30 series next year into something that will probably be called 30 for 30 Presents or something like that... So even though the SMU doc will be the 30th one (right after the Heisman ceremony) don't think the spirit of the series is going away." [10] These additional films include:
No. overall |
No. in series | Title | Directed by | Original air date | US viewers (millions) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
31 | 1 | The Fab Five | Jason Hehir | March 13, 2011 | 2.1 [11] | |
The story of the 1991 Michigan men's basketball recruiting class, called the
Fab Five, one of whom (
Chris Webber) was later involved in
a notorious pay-for-play scandal. | ||||||
32 | 2 | Catching Hell | Alex Gibney | September 27, 2011 | 1.379 [12] | |
The relationship between
Chicago Cubs fans and
Steve Bartman following Game 6 of the
2003 National League Championship Series | ||||||
33 | 3 | Renée | Eric Drath | October 4, 2011 | 0.508 [13] | |
The life of transgender athlete
Renée Richards, who shocked the world with her entry into the
1977
US Open. | ||||||
34 | 4 | The Dotted Line | Morgan Spurlock | October 11, 2011 | 0.939 [14] | |
Sports agents Peter Greenberg and
Eugene Lee are profiled with their clients
Johan Santana,
Jacquian Williams and
Robert Hughes. | ||||||
35 | 5 | Charismatic | Steven Michaels, Joel Surnow, and Jonathan Koch | October 18, 2011 | 0.672 [15] | |
36 | 6 | The Real Rocky | Jeff Feuerzeig | October 25, 2011 | 1.386 [16] | |
A profile of
Chuck Wepner, the original inspiration for
Sylvester Stallone's
Rocky Balboa character, and how
Rocky-like glory eluded Wepner as he took several strange turns in an effort to stay in the spotlight. | ||||||
37 | 7 | Unguarded | Johnathan Hock | November 1, 2011 | 1.377 [17] | |
The story of
Chris Herren, a high school basketball star and
NBA player; his career-long struggles with drug abuse; and his ultimate discovery of redemption and personal fulfillment through the game. | ||||||
38 | 8 | Roll Tide/War Eagle | Martin Khodabakhshian | November 8, 2011 | 1.698 [18] | |
The continuing rivalry between
Auburn University and the University of Alabama, focusing on the history between the two programs, the bad blood between their fans, and how this intense rivalry came to a pinnacle, just when they ended up needing each other most. | ||||||
39 | 9 | The Marinovich Project | Andrew Stephan and John Dorsey | December 10, 2011 | 2.131 [19] | |
A look at the rise and fall of former
USC and
NFL quarterback
Todd Marinovich, focusing primarily on the complex relationship between Marinovich and
his father. | ||||||
40 | 10 | Goose | Kevin Shaw | February 26, 2012 | 0.349 [20] | |
The life of
Reece "Goose" Tatum who played in
Negro league baseball and was an original member of the legendary
Harlem Globetrotters. | ||||||
41 | 11 | The Announcement | Nelson George | March 11, 2012 | 2.047 [21] | |
The events and aftermath of former
Los Angeles Lakers player
Magic Johnson announcing to the world that he tested positive for HIV. | ||||||
42 | 12 | 26 Years: The Dewey Bozella Story | Jose Morales | March 15, 2012 | N/A | |
Life of
Dewey Bozella and his 26 years behind bars, where he found strength and purpose through
boxing (becoming the light heavyweight champion of
Sing Sing prison), and his goal to be proven innocent and box professionally once he was released. | ||||||
43 | 13 | Right to Play | Frank Marshall | June 2, 2012 | N/A | |
The story of Norwegian speed-skating gold medalist
Johann Olav Koss, who founded the non-profit organization
Right to Play, which brings sports to children in third-world and war-torn countries. | ||||||
71 | 14 | The Little Master | Gotham Chopra | February 12, 2015[b] | N/A | |
The life and impact of Indian cricket legend
Sachin Tendulkar, set against the backdrop of the
2011 Cricket World Cup, Tendulkar's final attempt to lead his country to one-day cricket's ultimate prize. Narrated by
Deepak Chopra, the director's father. |
On May 15, 2012, it was announced that the 30 for 30 series would return in October 2012, with 30 all new documentaries. [23] The documentaries were integrated with Grantland.com by podcasts, feature stories and oral histories. [24]
Unless otherwise noted, the following films are all 90 minutes in length (including commercials).
No. overall |
No. in series | Title | Directed by | Original air date | US viewers (millions) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
44 | 1 | Broke | Billy Corben | October 2, 2012[c] | 2.528 [25] | |
An exploration of the road to fortune in sports and the eventual detours (for various reasons) to financial difficulties and bankruptcy, as experienced by top athletes including
Leon Searcy,
Andre Rison,
Keith McCants,
Bernie Kosar, and
Cliff Floyd. | ||||||
45 | 2 | 9.79* | Daniel Gordon | October 9, 2012 | 1.313 [26] | |
A profile of the
Men's 100-meter final at the
1988 Summer Olympics and the lives of the eight men who participated, including
Ben Johnson (whose world record of 9.79 seconds was annulled after he tested positive for
anabolic steroids) and
Carl Lewis (who was awarded the gold medal after Johnson's disqualification). | ||||||
46 | 3 | There's No Place Like Home | Maura Mandt and Josh Swade | October 16, 2012 | 1.007 [27] | |
The story of one fan's obsessive quest to purchase, at a 2010 auction,
James Naismith's original rules of
basketball, perhaps the most important historical document in American sports history, and to bring it "home" to
Lawrence, Kansas, where Naismith taught and coached at the
University of Kansas for 39 years. (70 minutes in length) | ||||||
47 | 4 | Benji | Coodie and Chike | October 23, 2012[c] | 1.488 [28] | |
The life of
Ben Wilson, a well-regarded Chicago high school basketball star, and how his November 1984 murder (one day before the start of his senior season) had a wide-ranging impact. | ||||||
48 | 5 | Ghosts of Ole Miss | Fritz Mitchell | October 30, 2012 | 1.023 [29] | |
Mississippi native
Wright Thompson explores tumultuous events of 1962, when the
University of Mississippi campus both erupted in violence over integration and swelled with pride over its
unbeaten football team, and how those incidents continue to shape the state 50 years later. (60 minutes in length) | ||||||
49 | 6 | You Don't Know Bo | Michael Bonfiglio | December 8, 2012 | 3.600 [30] | |
A profile of
Bo Jackson and how his college and professional feats in two sports (baseball and football) captured the public's imagination and made Jackson a cultural (and
marketing) icon. | ||||||
50 | 7 | Survive and Advance | Jonathan Hock | March 17, 2013 | 1.603 [31] | |
A look at the
NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team's successful and improbable championship runs through the
1983 ACC and the
1983 NCAA tournaments. (2 hrs in length) | ||||||
51 | 8 | Elway to Marino | Ken Rodgers | April 23, 2013 | 1.060 [32] | |
A look at the
1983 NFL Draft and the six
quarterbacks taken in its first round, specifically
John Elway (the first overall pick) and
Dan Marino (the last QB picked in Round 1). The film features the recollections of Martin Demoff, the agent for both Elway and Marino, who shares a personal diary he kept to chronicle teams' interest in his two future-
Hall of Fame clients. This includes the indecision the
Baltimore Colts had with drafting Elway with the first pick or trading it away, and how Marino's selection status plummeted after recording weaker senior year statistics and rumors of recreational drug use. Narrated by
Tom Selleck. | ||||||
52 | 9 | Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau | Sam George | October 1, 2013 | 0.791 [33] | |
A chronicling of the life of
Eddie Aikau, a big wave surfer and lifeguard whose death served as inspiration to an entire spiritual movement. | ||||||
53 | 10 | Free Spirits | Daniel H. Forer | October 8, 2013 | 0.699 [34] | |
The story of the colorful figures who made up the
American Basketball Association's
Spirits of St. Louis, and how Spirits owners
Ozzie and Daniel Silna, with their team about to be left out in the ABA's
merger with the
NBA, managed to negotiate a deal that allowed the brothers' involvement in pro basketball to continue in a most unusual fashion. (60 minutes in length) | ||||||
54 | 11 | No Más | Eric Drath | October 15, 2013 | 1.343 [35] | |
An inside look at the two boxing matches between
Sugar Ray Leonard and
Roberto Durán in the 1980s, with insight from boxing experts, family members and the two fighters themselves. | ||||||
55 | 12 | Big Shot | Kevin Connolly | October 22, 2013 | 1.07 [36] | |
The story of how young businessman
John Spano struck a deal to purchase the
New York Islanders in 1996, only to be later revealed as a fraud and being near financial insolvency. | ||||||
56 | 13 | This Is What They Want | Brian Koppelman and David Levien | October 29, 2013 | 0.866 [37] | |
The story of a 39-year-old
Jimmy Connors and his unexpected and extraordinary underdog run at the 1991
US Open, where he played as a wildcard entrant and reached the semi-finals of the
men's singles draw. | ||||||
57 | 14 | Bernie and Ernie | Jason Hehir | November 5, 2013 | 1.125 [38] | |
A profile of
Bernard King and
Ernie Grunfeld, their decades-long friendship, and their on-court partnership on the
University of Tennessee basketball team, better known as the "Ernie and Bernie Show". | ||||||
58 | 15 | Youngstown Boys | Jeff Zimbalist and Michael Zimbalist | December 14, 2013 | 1.967 [39] | |
The stories of two
Ohio State football figures connected with
Youngstown, Ohio, running back
Maurice Clarett (a native of the city) and coach
Jim Tressel (former head coach at
Youngstown State University), their football exploits at OSU (including a national championship in 2002), and their scandalous exits from the school. (2 hours in length) | ||||||
59 | 16 | The Price of Gold | Nanette Burstein | January 16, 2014 | 1.515 [41] | |
A profile of a January 6, 1994, incident at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, where an unknown attacker strikes entrant Nancy Kerrigan — an assailant that is later revealed to be a hit man hired by the ex-husband of Kerrigan's rival, Tonya Harding, as part of a plan to prevent Kerrigan from competing in the 1994 Winter Olympics. Note: The Price of Gold originally went by the title Tonya and Nancy during production. [40] | ||||||
60 | 17 | Requiem for the Big East | Ezra Edelman | March 16, 2014 | 1.456 [42] | |
A recollection of the original
Big East Conference, from its simple beginnings and regional rivalries to its national prominence as one of the most successful
college basketball leagues, and how it ended up
fighting for its survival in the 2010s during
conference realignment. | ||||||
61 | 18 | Bad Boys | Zak Levitt | April 17, 2014 | 1.830 [43] | |
A look back at the
Detroit Pistons of the
late 1980s and early 1990s. Narrated by rapper
Kid Rock, a native of nearby
Romeo, Michigan. (2 hours in length) | ||||||
62 | 19 | Slaying the Badger | John Dower | July 22, 2014 | N/A | |
An examination of the competitive nature that
teammates
Greg LeMond and
Bernard Hinault exhibited in the
1986 Tour de France; a film based on
Richard Moore's book of the same name. | ||||||
63 | 20 | Playing for the Mob | Joe Lavine and Cayman Grant | October 7, 2014 | N/A | |
How
Mafia associate
Henry Hill orchestrated
a point-shaving scheme involving
Boston College basketball. Narrated by
Ray Liotta, who portrayed Hill in
Goodfellas. | ||||||
64 | 21 | The Day The Series Stopped | Ryan Fleck | October 14, 2014 | N/A | |
A 25-year retrospective of the
Loma Prieta earthquake, which struck just before the scheduled start of Game 3 of the
1989 World Series. | ||||||
65 | 22 | When The Garden Was Eden | Michael Rapaport | October 21, 2014 | N/A | |
A look back at the
New York Knicks' championship teams of the 1970s. | ||||||
66 | 23 | Brian and The Boz | Thaddeus D. Matula | October 28, 2014 | N/A | |
Former linebacker
Brian Bosworth unveils a storage locker to his son Max that contains memorabilia from his college and brief professional career. The elder Bosworth reflects on his life and career, making note of an
emerging second persona, The Boz, that had begun to subsume his life. | ||||||
67 | 24 | Brothers in Exile | Mario Diaz and MLB Productions | November 4, 2014[d] | N/A | |
The story of
Liván and
Orlando Hernández, half-brothers who fled
Cuba separately and became successful major-league pitchers. | ||||||
68 | 25 | Rand University | Marquis Daisy | November 11, 2014 | N/A | |
An exploration of former NFL receiver
Randy Moss and his humble (and humbling) origins in
Rand, West Virginia. (60 minutes in length) | ||||||
69 | 26 | The U Part 2 | Billy Corben | December 13, 2014 | N/A | |
A sequel to
The U profiles the
Miami Hurricanes football program and its rise from scandal (and calls for
the school to drop the sport) to a national championship, only to see new controversy after booster
Nevin Shapiro is revealed to have given
improper benefits to the program. | ||||||
70 | 27 | Of Miracles and Men | Jonathan Hock | February 8, 2015 | N/A | |
An exploration of the
Miracle on Ice from the point of view of the defeated
Soviet Union team. The film features defenseman
Viacheslav Fetisov returning to
Lake Placid to recollect his team's defeat. | ||||||
72 | 28 | I Hate Christian Laettner | Rory Karpf | March 15, 2015 | 2.319 [45] | |
A look at the life and basketball career of
Christian Laettner and the intense dislike some fans still harbor for the former
Duke University and
NBA star. | ||||||
73 | 29 | Sole Man | Jon Weinbach and Dan Marks | April 16, 2015 | N/A | |
A profile of
Sonny Vaccaro, who rose from steel town roots in Pennsylvania to become an influential force in both basketball and the athletic shoe industry. | ||||||
74 | 30 | Angry Sky | Jeff Tremaine | July 30, 2015[c] | N/A | |
The story of
Nick Piantanida, a New Jersey pet store owner and truck driver whose love of parachuting and skydiving puts him on a quest to break the record for the highest recorded parachute jump. |
In September 2015, it was announced that 30 for 30 would return for a third volume of 30 films, beginning in October 2015. [46]
No. overall |
No. in series | Title | Directed by | Original air date | US viewers (millions) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
75 | 1 | Trojan War | Aaron Rahsaan Thomas | October 13, 2015 | 0.941 [47] | |
A profile of the rise and
fall of
USC Trojans football during
Pete Carroll's coaching tenure in the 2000s. | ||||||
76 | 2 | The Prince of Pennsylvania | Jesse Vile | October 20, 2015 | 0.733 [48] | |
An exploration of the turbulent relationship between Olympic wrestling brothers
Mark and
Dave Schultz and their eccentric benefactor,
John du Pont, culminating in the murder of Dave by du Pont. | ||||||
77 | 3 | The Gospel According to Mac | Jim Podhoretz | November 3, 2015 | 1.012 [49] | |
A look at how
Bill McCartney mixed two religions—
college football and
evangelical Christianity—while serving as head coach of the
Colorado Buffaloes in the 1990s, a tenure that included
a national championship. | ||||||
78 | 4 | Chasing Tyson | Steven Cantor | November 10, 2015 | 1.203 [50] | |
A look at how
Evander Holyfield spent years (1989–91 & 1995–96) trying to arrange
his first fight with
Mike Tyson in an effort to gain the respect he knew he could only gain by defeating Tyson in the ring. | ||||||
79 | 5 | Four Falls of Buffalo | Ken Rodgers | December 12, 2015[e] | 1.490 [52] | |
A profile of the
Buffalo Bills teams of the early 1990s, when the franchise became the first team to play in—and lose—four consecutive
Super Bowls. | ||||||
80 | 6 | The '85 Bears | Jason Hehir | February 4, 2016 | 1.425 [53] | |
A 30-year retrospective on the
1985 Chicago Bears, from how they were assembled to their swaggering, dominant run to
Super Bowl victory. | ||||||
81 | 7 | Fantastic Lies | Marina Zenovich | March 13, 2016 | 1.474 [54] | |
A 10-year retrospective of the
Duke lacrosse case, in which a party thrown by members of
the school's men's lacrosse team led to an accusation of rape—a claim that, though later proven to be
false, ignited both a firestorm that damaged the school's prestige and an investigation that ruined careers. | ||||||
82 | 8 | This Magic Moment | Erin Leyden and Gentry Kirby | April 14, 2016 | 1.509 [56] | |
A profile of the
Orlando Magic teams of the mid-1990s, led by
Shaquille O'Neal and
Penny Hardaway, who gained prominence both on the
NBA
hardwoods and in popular culture, before Shaq's departure to the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency and injury issues for Penny ended the Magic's budding dynasty before it could ever take flight.
[55] | ||||||
83 | 9 | Believeland | Andy Billman | May 14, 2016 | 0.844 [58] | |
A look at the
sports curse that befell
Cleveland since the
NFL's
Browns last brought a major pro sports championship to the
Ohio city in
1964. The film debuted one month before
LeBron James and the
Cavaliers' won the
2016 NBA Finals, after which the film was re-released with an updated ending on June 30, 2016.
[57] | ||||||
84 | 10 | Doc & Darryl | Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio | July 14, 2016[f] | 1.196 [60] | |
The connection between the lives and careers of former
New York Mets
Dwight "Doc" Gooden and
Darryl Strawberry. | ||||||
85 | 11 | Phi Slama Jama | Chip Rives | October 18, 2016 | N/A | |
A profile of the iconic
Houston Cougars men's basketball teams of the 1980s, fronted by
Hakeem Olajuwon and
Clyde Drexler, whose explosive play and highlight-making slam dunks earned the team the nickname
Phi Slama Jama. | ||||||
86 | 12 | Hit It Hard | David Terry Fine and Gabe Spitzer | November 1, 2016 | N/A | |
A look at
John Daly's rise from obscurity to
two
major
golf championship wins and fall back to mediocrity. | ||||||
87 | 13 | Catholics vs. Convicts | Patrick Creadon | December 10, 2016 | 2.109 [61] | |
A look at the notorious
1988 Notre Dame–Miami football game and its personal and cultural impact. Creadon was a senior at Notre Dame when the game took place; his roommate that year was one of the people behind the controversial t-shirt that gave the game, and this film, its name. (2 hours in length) | ||||||
88 | 14 | This Was the XFL | Charlie Ebersol | February 2, 2017 | N/A | |
Two longtime friends,
pro wrestling impresario
Vince McMahon and
NBC Sports president
Dick Ebersol (Charlie Ebersol's father), team to form the
XFL; the film follows the league's rushed development, its innovative approaches to televised football, and its rapid implosion. The ending foreshadows McMahon's plans to launch a
new XFL in 2020 and the Ebersols' upcoming involvement in the competing
Alliance of American Football in 2019. | ||||||
89 | 15 | One and Not Done | Jonathan Hock | April 13, 2017 | N/A | |
The life and career of
John Calipari, one of the most polarizing figures in modern college basketball, weaving his story around that of his
2015–16 Kentucky team. | ||||||
90 | 16 | Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies | Jim Podhoretz | June 13, 2017(Parts 1 & 2) June 14, 2017 (Part 3) | N/A | |
A three-part series, initially airing on consecutive nights, exploring the
Celtics–Lakers rivalry, focusing mainly on the 1980s era of
Larry Bird and
Magic Johnson but also examining the entire history of the
NBA through the rivalry. (Parts 1 & 3: 2 hours in length; Part 2: 1 hour in length) | ||||||
91 | 17 | Mike and the Mad Dog | Daniel H. Forer | July 13, 2017 | 0.657 [62] | |
The careers of
Mike Francesa and
Chris Russo, their stormy 19-year
partnership on New York City radio; and the duo's influence on their Big Apple audience and sports talk radio in general. | ||||||
92 | 18 | George Best: All by Himself | Daniel Gordon | July 20, 2017 | 0.360 [63] | |
George Best, Northern Ireland's legendary star, remains one of the most naturally gifted soccer players ever. Best's skill and exuberance lifted
Manchester United, but his career was essentially over before he turned 29, the result of his battle with alcoholism. | ||||||
93 | 19 | What Carter Lost | Adam Hootnick | August 24, 2017 | N/A | |
In any other year, the 1988 team from
Dallas's
Carter High School would have gone down as one of the greatest in Texas football history, featuring 28 players who received college scholarship offers, eight of whom would eventually play professional football. Fighting off racial prejudice and a grades controversy—not to mention the team that would overshadow them in
book and
film (
Odessa
Permian)—Carter would claim the state title, only to be rocked to their core when six of their players were involved in an armed robbery that's affected the community's reputation to this day; the grades controversy would ultimately lead the
UIL to strip the team of the title. | ||||||
94 | 20 | Year of the Scab | John Dorsey | September 12, 2017 | N/A | |
During the
1987 players' strike, the
Washington Redskins field a roster of replacement players that goes 3–0 and helps pave the way for the Redskins'
Super Bowl victory. Thirty years on, those players bear the stigma of being dismissed as "scabs" by fans in general and Washington management in particular. | ||||||
95 | 21 | Tommy | Gentry Kirby and Erin Leyden | September 13, 2017[g] | N/A | |
The unlikely rise and sudden fall of boxer
Tommy Morrison. | ||||||
96 | 22 | Nature Boy | Rory Karpf | November 7, 2017 | 1.831 [65] | |
The life and times of
professional wrestling legend
Ric Flair. | ||||||
97 | 23 | The Two Bills | Ken Rodgers | February 1, 2018 | N/A | |
A look at the relationship between NFL coaches
Bill Parcells and
Bill Belichick. Co-produced with
NFL Films. | ||||||
98 | 24 | The Last Days of Knight | Robert Abbott | April 12, 2018[h] [i] | N/A | |
99 | 25 | Seau | Kirby Bradley | September 20, 2018[h] [67] [j] | N/A | |
The life of NFL legend
Junior Seau, from his upbringing in a
Samoan immigrant family, through his path to NFL superstardom and status as a league icon, ending in his untimely death from a seemingly inexplicable suicide in 2012. | ||||||
100 | 26 | 42 to 1 | Ben Houser and Jeremy Schaap | December 11, 2018[67] | N/A | |
A chronicle of
Buster Douglas's
shocking knockout of the then-undefeated
Mike Tyson at the
Tokyo Dome on February 11, 1990. | ||||||
101 | 27 | Deion's Double Play | Ken Rodgers and Erik Powers | January 31, 2019[67] | 1.15 [69] | |
A look at
Pro Football Hall of Famer
Deion Sanders, focusing specifically on a 24-hour span in 1992 when he sandwiched an NFL game between a pair of Major League Baseball postseason games in cities separated by 1,000 miles. | ||||||
102 | 28 | The Dominican Dream | Jonathan Hock | April 30, 2019[70] | 0.347 [71] | |
The highs and lows of
Felipe López, born into a family of
Dominican immigrants to become a star high school and (at
St. John's) collegiate basketball player, and the contentment he finds after a less-than-successful pro career. | ||||||
103 | 29 | Qualified | Jenna Ricker | May 28, 2019[72] | 0.360 [71] | |
How
Janet Guthrie faced scorn, skepticism, and subpar equipment to shock the racing world by becoming the first female driver to qualify for the
Indianapolis 500. | ||||||
104 | 30 | The Good, The Bad, The Hungry | Nicole Lucas Haimes | July 2, 2019[73] | 0.450 [71] | |
A look at one of the biggest rivalries in sports, that of
competitive eaters
Takeru Kobayashi and
Joey Chestnut. |
O.J.: Made in America, which was directed by Ezra Edelman, was billed as a "mini-series event" in the 30 for 30 series. [74] The five-part documentary series examines the life of O. J. Simpson, as well as the broader issues of race and celebrity in the United States as it pertained to Simpson's 1995 criminal trial for the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her acquaintance, Ronald Lyle Goldman. Made in America also focuses on other aspects in Simpson's life, including his success on the football field, his celebrity away from the gridiron, and his later conviction and imprisonment in a robbery case. Part 1 aired on June 11, 2016, with Parts 2–5 airing on June 14, 15, 17 and 18, respectively. [75] [k]
The series received week-long theatrical releases in Los Angeles County and New York City before being broadcast, [74] qualifying it for Oscar consideration. It ultimately received the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 89th Academy Awards. [76]
On January 7, 2019, ESPN announced the next set of 30 For 30 documentaries. [77] In March 2020, ESPN announced that The Last Dance would air earlier on April 19, 2020, due to the high demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. [78]
No. overall |
No. in series | Title | Directed by | Original air date | US viewers (millions) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
105 | 1 | Rodman: For Better or Worse | Todd Kapostasy | September 10, 2019 | 1.07 [69] | |
The unfettered and definitive look at the life and career of
Dennis Rodman. | ||||||
106 | 2 | Chuck & Tito | Micah Brown | October 15, 2019 | 0.609 [79] | |
The hot-and-cold relationship between
MMA fighters
Chuck Liddell and
Tito Ortiz, from the start of
UFC through its rise in popularity and to the present day. | ||||||
107 | 3 | Vick | Stanley Nelson | January 30, 2020(Part 1) February 6, 2020 (Part 2) | 0.941
[80] 0.681 [81] | |
A comprehensive look at
Michael Vick’s saga, including his days as a prep, college, and
NFL star; his ostracism (and prison sentence) for his
involvement in a dog-fighting ring; and his polarizing return to public life. | ||||||
108 | 4 | LANCE [82] | Marina Zenovich | May 24, 2020(Part 1) May 31, 2020 (Part 2) [83] | 0.857
[80] 0.756 [84] | |
Two-part examination of the life, career, and
controversies of
Lance Armstrong, featuring multiple interviews of the cyclist. | ||||||
109 | 5 | Be Water [82] | Bao Nguyen | June 7, 2020[83] | 1.17 [84] | |
An exploration of the life and legacy of
Bruce Lee as an acting and martial arts icon. | ||||||
110 | 6 | Long Gone Summer [82] | AJ Schnack | June 14, 2020[83] | 1.06 [84] | |
111 | 7 | The Life and Trials of Oscar Pistorius [85] | Daniel Gordon | September 27, 2020(Part 1) September 28, 2020 (Part 2) September 29, 2020 (Part 3) September 30, 2020 (Part 4) [86] [l] | N/A | |
The life of South African Paralympic sprinter
Oscar Pistorius, from his childhood during the last days of
apartheid, to worldwide celebrity as the first double-leg amputee to compete in the able-bodied
Olympics, to his
conviction for killing
his girlfriend. | ||||||
112 | 8 | The Infinite Race [87] | Bernardo Ruiz | December 15, 2020 | N/A | |
The story of the
Tarahumara, a
Mexican indigenous community famed for their legendary running ability (and preference to do so barefoot), how they inspired an ultra-running craze across the world, and what's happened as their homes and communities were ravaged by
drug cartels and violence. | ||||||
113 | 9 | Al Davis vs. the NFL [88] | Ken Rodgers | February 4, 2021 | N/A | |
Using
deepfake technology and content from the
NFL Films archives, reconstructions of
Raiders owner
Al Davis and
NFL commissioner
Pete Rozelle tell the story of their contentious rivalry, in particular Davis's desire to move his team from
Oakland to
Los Angeles despite the league's objections. | ||||||
114 | 10 | Breakaway [89] | Rudy Valdez | July 13, 2021 | N/A | |
A look at the decision by
Maya Moore, one of women's basketball's most decorated players, to step away from her sport to advocate for a man she believed to be wrongly imprisoned — a cause that changed her life in unexpected ways. | ||||||
115 | 11 | Once Upon a Time in Queens [90] | Nick Davis | September 14, 2021(Parts 1 & 2) September 15, 2021 (Parts 3 & 4) | .604, .643
[91] .464, .514 [92] | |
An in-depth examination of the
1986 New York Mets. | ||||||
116 | 12 | The Tuck Rule [93] | Ken Rodgers & Nick Mascolo | February 6, 2022 | N/A | |
A look at a January 2002
NFL playoff game where, thanks to a
controversial rule, what appeared to be a fumble by
Patriots quarterback
Tom Brady (after being hit by
Raiders cornerback
Charles Woodson) was instead ruled an incomplete pass — and became a destiny-changing moment. The film features Brady and Woodson, former
Michigan Wolverine teammates, re-watching the game together at Brady's home. | ||||||
117 | 13 | Shark [94] | Jason Hehir & Thomas Odelfelt | April 19, 2022 | N/A | |
A profile of professional golfer
Greg Norman, and how his legendary career was shaped by a stunning collapse (from a 6-shot lead) in the final round of the
1996 Masters. | ||||||
118 | 14 | The Greatest Mixtape Ever [95] | Chris Robinson and Set Free Richardson | May 31, 2022 | N/A | |
A look at the
AND1 Mixtapes and how their commingling of
streetball footage with hip-hop beats impacted the sport of
basketball. | ||||||
119 | 15 | Dream On [96] | Kristen Lappas | June 15, 2022(Parts 1, 2, & 3) | N/A | |
A profile of the
United States women's national basketball team of the mid-1990s, who won gold at the
1996 Olympics and helped change the landscape for women's basketball including the start of
WNBA. | ||||||
120 | 16 | Jeanette Lee Vs. [97] | Ursula Liang | December 13, 2022 | N/A | |
A profile of
Jeanette Lee and her rise to becoming one of professional
billiards' most recognizable players. | ||||||
121 | 17 | Bullies of Baltimore [98] | Ken Rodgers and Jason Weber | February 5, 2023 | N/A | |
How a dominating defense and irrepressible personalities propelled the
2000 Baltimore Ravens to
a Super Bowl victory. The film, produced in cooperation with
NFL Films, is framed by a May 2022 reunion of the team's key figures. (2 hours in length) | ||||||
122 | 18 | The American Gladiators Documentary [99] | Ben Berman | May 30, 2023(Part 1) May 31, 2023 (Part 2) | N/A | |
A look back at
American Gladiators, whose amateur vs. professional competitions (and David vs. Goliath storylines) captivated audiences for 7 years (1989-1996) and is regarded as a forerunner of the competitive reality TV genre. | ||||||
123 | 19 | The Luckiest Guy in the World [100] | Steve James | June 6, 2023(Parts 1 & 2) June 13, 2023 (Parts 3 & 4) | N/A | |
A profile of
Bill Walton and his colorful and divisive life in basketball, broadcasting, and activism. | ||||||
124 | 20 | The Great Heisman Race of 1997 [101] | Gentry Kirby | December 9, 2023 | N/A | |
How the
1997 race for the
Heisman Trophy began with one preseason favorite,
Tennessee's
Peyton Manning, and ended with several players having a legitimate shot at winning the prestigious award (including the eventual recipient,
Michigan's
Charles Woodson). | ||||||
125 | 21 | The Minister of Defense [102] | Ken Rodgers and Courtland Bragg | December 13, 2023 | N/A | |
A look at
Reggie White's complex and sometimes controversial life as both a
Hall of Fame defensive end and an ordained evangelical minster. The film features unseen footage from an interview White recorded before his death in 2004. | ||||||
126 | 22 | I'm Just Here for the Riot [103] | Asia Youngman and Kathleen Jayme | June 4, 2024 | TBD | |
The story of the
Vancouver riot that followed the
Canucks' loss in Game 7 of the
2011 Stanley Cup Final. | ||||||
127 | 23 | False Positive [104] | Ismail Al-Amin | June 11, 2024 | TBD | |
The story of then-world record holder in the
400 metre sprint
Butch Reynolds and his 1990 suspension for alleged illegal drug use. | ||||||
128 | 24 | No Scope: The Story of FaZe Clan | TBA | July 1, 2024 | TBD | |
A history of
Call of Duty clan turned
esports organization
FaZe Clan and their numerous tumultuous events throughout their decade-plus existence. | ||||||
129 | 25 | American Son [105] | Jay Caspian Kang | July 29, 2024 | TBD | |
A profile of
Michael Chang, a Taiwanese-American tennis professional, and his
1989 French Open title win, including his upset over
Ivan Lendl. | ||||||
130 | 26 | Dude Perfect: A Very Long Shot [106] | TBA | August 3, 2024 | TBD | |
A look at content creators
Dude Perfect, going over their dramatic rise and the sacrifices they went through in the realm of sports-themed entertainment. |
Down in the Valley, directed by Jason Hehir, explores how Sacramento mayor and former NBA all-star Kevin Johnson played "point guard" in an effort to keep the Kings from relocating to Seattle. The film was originally scheduled to air on October 20, 2015, as part of Volume III, [46] but was delayed to an unspecified date in early October 2015, in light of then-recent articles revisiting allegations of sexual misconduct involving Johnson. [107] It did have a local premiere in Sacramento before its planned broadcast. [108]
30 for 30 Shorts are short films that have been featured on the 30 for 30 website as well as the now-defunct Grantland.com website; they have also been featured on ESPN or its related networks, either on 30 for 30 compilation shows or on SportsCenter. [109] [110]
No. | Title | Directed by | Original release date | Length (mins) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Here Now | Eric Drath | May 15, 2012 | 8:00 | |
An interview with
Pete Rose,
Major League Baseball's all-time hits leader, at
The Forum Shops at
Las Vegas's
Caesars Palace, where he signs autographs and memorabilia while store employees act as barkers to lure shoppers into the store. | |||||
2 | Arnold's Blueprint | Jeff Zimbalist and Michael Zimbalist | September 26, 2012 | 12:30 | |
A look at how a young
Arnold Schwarzenegger's compulsory service in the
Austrian Army played a critical role in his path to international
bodybuilding fame. | |||||
3 | Jake | Jonathan Hock | October 25, 2012 | 11:00 | |
The career of
Alfred Slote, an author of sports-oriented children's books (Jake being his personal favorite) whose interest was not so much the games played but the drama that the characters encountered. | |||||
4 | The Arnold Palmer | Bryan Gordon | November 28, 2012 | 9:15 | |
An exploration into the history, mystery, and industry surrounding "
The Arnold Palmer", the lemonade-and-iced tea beverage created by the same-named
golfing legend that has become a fixture of
nineteenth hole lore and American leisure. | |||||
5 | Ali: The Mission | Amani Martin | January 16, 2013 | 13:45 | |
The efforts of
Muhammad Ali to negotiate with Iraqi dictator
Saddam Hussein for the release of U.S. civilians taken hostage after Iraq's 1990 invasion of
Kuwait. | |||||
6 | Disdain the Mundane | Nelson George | February 13, 2013 | 6:00 | |
The style evolution of
New York Knicks player and broadcaster
Walt Frazier, from his cool-as-ice look in the 1970s to his use of vibrant colors and patterns today. | |||||
7 | Holy Grail: The T206 Honus Wagner | Nick and Colin Barnicle | February 27, 2013 | 14:00 | |
The story of the rare and valuable
T206 Honus Wagner
baseball card—over a century old and valued in the millions of dollars—and the myths and realities that surround it. | |||||
8 | Silver Reunion | Rory Karpf | March 27, 2013 | 12:45 | |
The members of the
1972 USA men's Olympic basketball team gather to deliberate
12 Angry Men-style on whether to finally accept or continue to refuse silver medals from the
1972 Summer Olympics, where they
controversially lost the gold medal game to the
Soviet Union. | |||||
9 | The Irrelevant Giant | Shaun Silva and Don Lepore | April 17, 2013 | 11:30 | |
Bill Parcells recalls his rookie year as a head coach with the
New York Giants in 1983 and the impact of
John Tuggle, a running back the Giants selected with
the final pick in that year's NFL draft. | |||||
10 | Cutthroat | Steven Cantor | May 29, 2013 | 11:15 | |
The struggles of
Clint Malarchuk, the "Cowboy Goalie", from a childhood spent riding horses and suffering from
OCD to the grueling recovery period after his carotid artery was severed by an opponent's skate blade, one of the most gruesome injuries in sports history. | |||||
11 | Tommy and Frank | Richie Keen | July 24, 2013 | 11:30 | |
An intimate, funny, and compelling take on the unique relationship and shared legacy of
Tommy John, the chatty Indiana lefty who won nearly 300 Major League games, and Dr.
Frank Jobe, the unassuming L.A. orthopedist who conceived and performed a
revolutionary elbow operation on John in 1974. | |||||
12 | Wilt Chamberlain: Borscht Belt Bellhop | Caroline Laskow and Ian Rosenberg | August 14, 2013 | 8:45 | |
Rarely seen archival footage and interviews with people who lived and worked with
Wilt Chamberlain give a fascinating glimpse into the basketball star's experiences in the
Borscht Belt during its heyday. | |||||
13 | Arthur & Johnnie | Tate Donovan | August 28, 2013 | 11:30 | |
Johnnie Ashe tells of a personal sacrifice: After finishing a tour of service in the
Vietnam War, Johnnie, a
U.S. Marine, volunteers to serve another tour in place of his older brother,
Army 2nd Lieutenant
Arthur Ashe. Johnnie's selfless move allows Arthur to continue his budding tennis career. | |||||
14 | Collision Course: The Murder of Don Aronow | Billy Corben | September 25, 2013 | 14:15 | |
The intriguing life and tragic death of businessman
Donald Aronow, a prominent name in the world of
powerboat racing. | |||||
15 | The Schedule Makers | Joseph Garner | November 6, 2013 | 12:25 | |
Using only a computer, a pencil and paper, and cooperation, the husband-and-wife duo of Henry and Holly Stephenson spent almost a quarter-century creating
Major League Baseball's season schedule. | |||||
16 | The Great Imposter | Matt Dilmore | November 20, 2013 | 9:45 | |
Beginning with stealing a player's warm-up outfit and posing as a player at the
1979 NBA All-Star Game,
Barry Bremen begins a playful run fulfilling the average sports fan's ultimate fantasy, sneaking into the fields of play to pose as players, golfers, game officials, and even a cheerleader. | |||||
17 | Judging Jewell | Adam Hootnick | January 31, 2014 | 21:45 | |
Security guard
Richard Jewell received praise in the aftermath of a
bombing during the
1996 Summer Olympics in
Atlanta when he helped clear the area and found the bag that contained the pipe bomb. But praise turns into loss of honor when Jewell was wrongfully accused of planting the bomb in the ensuing investigation.
[111] | |||||
18 | The Deal | Nick and Colin Barnicle | February 12, 2014 | 22:30 | |
The battle between the
Boston Red Sox and the
New York Yankees to trade for
Alex Rodriguez during the 2003–2004 baseball offseason. | |||||
19 | Untucked | Danny Pudi | March 12, 2014 | 14:45 | |
Player
Bo Ellis designs a rebellious, nonconformist jersey that would exemplify the
Al McGuire-era
Marquette men's basketball team. | |||||
20 | From Harlem With Love | Matt Ogens | April 23, 2014 | 11:45 | |
How the
Harlem Globetrotters became unlikely ambassadors during the
Cold War when they
played a series of games in
Moscow in 1959. | |||||
21 | Posterized | Andrew Jenks | May 21, 2014 | 13:00 | |
A profile of
Shawn Bradley, a 7-foot-6 center who spent the majority of his NBA career on the wrong end of epic dunks (the kind usually found on posters), and how he went from a bust on the basketball court to a superstar off of it. | |||||
22 | MECCA: The Floor That Made Milwaukee Famous | Chris James Thompson | June 11, 2014 | 14:00 | |
The story behind the iconic, multicolored basketball court
Robert Indiana designed for the
MECCA Arena, home to the
Milwaukee Bucks and
Marquette Warriors until
1988, and how one Bucks fan used his family's credit card to rescue the floor from the scrap heap. | |||||
23 | The High Five | Michael Jacobs | July 23, 2014 | 10:15 | |
When
L.A. Dodger
Dusty Baker hit his 30th home run of the 1977 season, the first man to greet him at home plate was his friend and teammate, rookie
Glenn Burke. Overcome with happiness, Burke did the first thing that came to mind—he put his hand straight in the air and had Baker slap it, thus in fact creating the
high five gesture. | |||||
24 | Kid Danny | Andrew Cohn | August 13, 2014 | 17:45 | |
A team from
The Bronx makes it to the
2001 Little League World Series, only to be disqualified when pitcher
Danny Almonte is revealed to be two years too old to play in Little League. | |||||
25 | Fields of Fear | Alex Gibney | September 16, 2014 | 15:30 | |
A profile of the mental side of sports focuses on
Mackey Sasser, a talented catcher who suddenly couldn't perform the routine task of throwing the ball back to the pitcher, and how confronting boyhood traumas helped in his mental recovery. | |||||
26 | The Great Trade Robbery | Stu Zicherman | October 7, 2014[m] | 12:00 | |
Former
Dallas Cowboys head coach
Jimmy Johnson recalls the team's
October 1989 trade of
Herschel Walker to the
Minnesota Vikings, as well as the roster maneuvers involving the players the Cowboys received in return that laid the foundations for the team's success in the 1990s. | |||||
27 | Our Tough Guy | Molly Schiot | November 12, 2014 | 10:30 | |
A look inside the mindset of legendary
Boston Bruins enforcer
John Wensink, who endeared himself to fans when he infamously challenged the entire
Minnesota North Stars bench to a fight, and the journey his life took following his playing career. | |||||
28 | Robbed | Eric Drath | December 3, 2014 | 16:30 | |
A look at the 1976
Muhammad Ali/
Ken Norton
fight at
Yankee Stadium. The bout's controversial decision is only part of the story, as gang activity and theft in the wake of an
NYPD strike was happening right outside the stadium's gates. | |||||
29 | Student/Athlete | Ken Jeong | January 7, 2015 | 13:15 | |
Growing up in Hawaii,
Reggie Ho always thought he would follow his father's footsteps into medicine, yet he becomes a crucial contributor to
Notre Dame's
undefeated 1988 season as a walk-on player. | |||||
30 | The Sweat Solution | David Beilinson and Neil Amdur | January 21, 2015 | 16:45 | |
Dr.
Robert Cade, a renowned kidney specialist at the
University of Florida, leads a research team that develops a drink designed to help replenish body fluids lost by the
school's football team – a "magic elixir" that would later be called
Gatorade. | |||||
31 | An Immortal Man | Josh Koury and Myles Kane | February 25, 2015 | 15:00 | |
A look at the issue of cryogenically preserving
Ted Williams's body. | |||||
32 | Wrestling the Curse | Amanda Spain | February 27, 2015 | 17:00 | |
33 | The Billion Dollar Game | Nick Guthe | March 18, 2015 | 13:45 | |
A recollection of how the
Princeton Tigers, a heavy underdog, nearly defeated top-seeded
Georgetown in the first round of the
1989
NCAA tournament, a game that would forever change March Madness. | |||||
34 | Unhittable: Sidd Finch and the Tibetan Fastball | Peter Sillen | April 1, 2015 | 22:31 | |
For
Sports Illustrated's April 1, 1985, issue,
George Plimpton profiled
Sidd Finch, a highly eccentric
New York Mets prospect who could throw a fastball at an unheard-of 168 mph... and who was a product of Plimpton's imagination. On the 30th anniversary of the
April Fools hoax, the surviving people responsible are profiled, including the Illinois middle-school teacher who posed as Finch for SI. | |||||
35 | The Anti-Mascot | Colin Hanks | May 20, 2015 | 12:00 | |
Aiming to satirize the loveable team mascot craze of the late 1970s and early 1980s, the
1984 San Francisco Giants introduce an "anti-mascot" named "Crazy Crab". With fans encouraged to take the "anti-" literally, Crazy Crab and the actor playing him, Wayne Doba, endure verbal and physical abuse over the course of the Giants' last-place season. | |||||
36 | Ted Turner's Greatest Race | Gary Jobson | June 3, 2015 | 14:15 | |
Already a proven broadcasting and sports executive, as well as an
America's Cup-winning yachtsman,
Ted Turner enters and skippers Tenacious in the 1979
Fastnet yachting race. Here, Turner and Tenacious's crew recall the harrowing race, an event marred by a deadly storm in the
Celtic Sea. | |||||
37 | Spyball | Christina Burchard and Daniel Newman | July 8, 2015 | 18:00 | |
The story of
Moe Berg, a 15-year veteran of
Major League Baseball who went on to become a World War II spy for the United States. | |||||
38 | Brave In the Attempt | Fritz Mitchell | July 28, 2015 | 23:45 | |
How seeing the treatment of
her intellectually disabled sister propelled
Eunice Kennedy Shriver to create the
Special Olympics. | |||||
39 | Delaney | Grant Curtis | August 19, 2015 | 19:45 | |
A profile of
Kansas City Chiefs star
Joe Delaney, whose reputation for helping others lasted until his drowning death in 1983, when he attempted to save the lives of three boys in a
Louisiana pond (though he himself could not swim). | |||||
40 | First Pitch | Angus Wall | September 11, 2015 | 23:30 | |
A look at President
George W. Bush's
ceremonial first pitch at
New York's
Yankee Stadium prior to Game 3 of the
2001 World Series, just seven weeks after the
September 11 attacks in the city. | |||||
41 | The Pittsburgh Drug Trials | Michael Jacobs | September 28, 2015 | 22:36 | |
Though the
1979 Pirates thrilled
Pittsburgh with a
World Series win, many of their stars succumbed to the lure of
cocaine, leading to
baseball's first major drug scandal. | |||||
42 | #BringBackSungWoo | Josh Swade and Josh Shelov | October 7, 2015 | 22:30 | |
A mid-season visit to
Kansas City by South Korean native and avid
Royals fan Lee Sung-woo is followed by a Royals' surge to the 2014 playoffs. With
the team in the
World Series, an attempt is made by two Royals fans to bring their "good-luck charm" from
Seoul back to KC. | |||||
43 | Every Day | Gabe Spitzer | October 28, 2015 | 11:30 | |
The story of Joy Johnson, who took up running at age 59 after raising four children and went on to participate in 25
New York City Marathons. | |||||
44 | Chattanooga Strong [112] | Rebecca Gitlitz | November 9, 2015 | 9:44 | |
The story behind the Chattanooga Heroes Fund, started by
University of Tennessee alum
Peyton Manning to benefit the families of the service members and police officers who were killed or wounded in a
July 2015 shooting incident in
Chattanooga. | |||||
45 | Tose: The Movie | Mike Tollin | November 11, 2015 | 15:30 | |
A look at the life and legacy of late
Philadelphia Eagles owner
Leonard Tose. | |||||
46 | Thicker Than Water | Jennifer Arnold | December 1, 2015 | 14:15 | |
How
diver
Greg Louganis dealt with two different pressures surrounding him at the
1988 Olympics—his attempt to defend his double gold medal performance from
1984 and the discovery of his HIV-positive status prior to the Games. | |||||
47 | Friedman's Shoes | Danny Lee | February 9, 2016 | 12:00 | |
The story of Friedman's, an
Atlanta shoe store that specialized in really big (think size 22), really expensive shoes for the six-foot-something athlete. | |||||
48 | Slick, Nancy, and the Telethon | Michael Husain | February 16, 2016 | 14:30 | |
The story of how the
Indiana Pacers avoided financial ruin by holding a telethon in the summer of 1977. | |||||
49 | The Bad Boy of Bowling | Bryan Storkel | February 23, 2016 | 19:00 | |
A look at the life of
Pete Weber, the self-declared "bad boy of
bowling" and the sport's first rock star. | |||||
50 | I Am Yup'ik | Daniele Anastasion and Nathan Golon | March 1, 2016 | 17:15 | |
A 16-year-old
Yup'ik Eskimo leaves his tiny village and travels across the frozen tundra to compete in an all-Yup'ik basketball tournament and bring pride to his village. | |||||
51 | No Kin to Me | Marc Kinderman | March 8, 2016 | 13:45 | |
The last consolation game in the
NCAA tournament, held in
1981 between
LSU and
Virginia, was overshadowed by the
assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan earlier that day, and also by a postgame comment about Reagan by LSU star
Rudy Macklin that haunted him for years. | |||||
52 | Tiger Hood | Christopher André Marks | April 12, 2016 | 7:15 | |
When Patrick Q. F. Barr found a discarded golf club in the trash, he decided to save it and play street golf in New York City using paper milk cartons stuffed with newspaper, earning him the nickname, "Tiger Hood". | |||||
53 | When The King Held Court | Palmer Holton | April 19, 2016 | 8:30 | |
How
Elvis Presley became a
racquetball enthusiast in the final years of his life, going so far as to build a court at
his mansion and proposing a chain of racquetball centers. | |||||
54 | Gonzo @ The Derby [113] | Michael D. Ratner | May 3, 2016 | 13:00 | |
The lasting legacy of the
1970
Kentucky Derby has nothing to do with the winner,
Dust Commander. Its true impact came from
the assignment that
Scanlan's Monthly gave to a 32-year-old writer from
Louisville named
Hunter S. Thompson. | |||||
55 | A. C. Green: Iron Virgin | Isaac Feder | May 10, 2016 | 8:30 | |
While
A.C. Green is well-known for his basketball talents (winning 3 NBA titles with the "
Showtime"-era
Lakers and playing in a league-record 1,192 consecutive games), he is also known for abiding by his Christian beliefs and remaining celibate throughout his entire NBA career. | |||||
56 | The Shining Star of Losers Everywhere | Mickey Duzyj | May 17, 2016 | 18:30 | |
How Japanese
thoroughbred
Haru Urara, who never won a race in her career, became a symbol of hope to her country and saved her home racetrack from financial ruin. | |||||
57 | We Are | Jay Bulger and Joshua Shelov | May 24, 2016 | 11:00 | |
A look back at the aftermath of the
Penn State child sex abuse scandal, focusing specifically on the removal of
Joe Paterno's statue from the campus and the design of its replacement. | |||||
58 | Eternal Princess | Katie Holmes | May 24, 2016 | 17:45 | |
The successes and struggles of
Nadia Comăneci, from being an accomplished (and perfect-score) Romanian gymnast to life as a United States citizen. | |||||
59 | The Guerrilla Fighter | Gaspar González | July 27, 2016 | 17:30 | |
The story of
Alexis Argüello, legendary in
Nicaragua as both a political figure and one of the greatest boxers of the 20th century. | |||||
60 | What the Hell Happened to Jai Alai | Ryan Suffern | August 2, 2016 | 15:00 | |
How
jai alai went from drawing crowds of thousands in Miami in the 1970s and 1980s to being fortunate to draw 100 to a match today. | |||||
61 | The Throwback | Erin Leyden | December 3, 2016 | 11:00 | |
A look back at the college career of
Gordie Lockbaum, who became a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist in the 1980s at
Division I-AA
Holy Cross as a figurative throwback to
an earlier era of football, sometimes participating in more than 80% of his team's plays (offense and defense) in a given game. | |||||
62 | The Counterfeiter | Brian Biegel | May 17, 2017 | 22:30 | |
The story of Greg Marino, master forger and target of a 1990s FBI investigation known as
Operation Bullpen. | |||||
63 | Strike Team | Willie Ebersol | September 12, 2017 | 24:30 | |
How a team of
U.S. Marshals lured more than 100 fugitives to arrest through an offer of free
Washington Redskins game tickets. | |||||
64 | 24 Strong [114] | Unknown | September 28, 2017 | 24:00 | |
The legacy of
Tennessee high school football player
Zaevion Dobson, who sacrificed his life while shielding three girls from a drive-by shooting. | |||||
65 | The Amazing Adventures of Wally and The Worm | Colin Hanks | December 15, 2017 | 15:30 | |
Wally Blasé is assigned to oversee
Chicago Bull
Dennis Rodman's knee rehab. What followed was 10 days of jet-setting, brushes with celebrity, a lifelong friendship between Blasé and Rodman – and the Bulls'
5th NBA title. | |||||
66 | Locked In | Alison Ellwood | August 3, 2018 | 38:00 | |
The story of
Victoria Arlen, who was endowed with both athletic talent and a loving family until being "
locked" into a vegetative state and unable to communicate. With the help of family and therapy, Victoria would come out of her "prison" to become a medal-winning swimmer at the
2012 Paralympics and, after recovering the use of her legs, a contestant on
Dancing with the Stars. | |||||
67 | Sonic Break | Stevan Riley | September 23, 2018[67] | 21:45 | |
The anxiety experienced by
Felix Baumgartner during the lead-up to his
ultimately successful attempt to become the first human to break the sound barrier without the benefit of engine power. | |||||
68 | Mack Wrestles | Taylor Hess and Erin Sanger | September 22, 2019 | 25:45 | |
The story of
Mack Beggs and his desire to compete in boys' wrestling in
Texas, even though state interscholastic officials, who recognized him as female (Beggs is a trans male), forced him to compete in girls' competitions. | |||||
69 | Subject to Review | Theo Anthony | December 22, 2019 | 36:45 | |
A look at the history, development, and implementation of the photographic computer-modeled review system of tennis line calls, and the intersection of technology and our perceptions of the physical world. | |||||
70 | Deerfoot of the Diamond | Lance Edmands | September 27, 2022 | 30:30 | |
A look at the issues surrounding the Cleveland baseball team's name change from
Indians to "
Guardians" as well as the rise and fall of the
Penobscot player who inspired the earlier derogatory nickname,
Louis Sockalexis. | |||||
TBA | The Other Side [115] | Vanessa Roth | TBA | N/A | |
Common goals of teamwork and dedication to a shared purpose unite a youth soccer team, composed of 9 children each from
Palestine and Israel, many of whom come face-to-face with the other nationality for the first time in their lives. |
On a number of occasions, the 30 for 30 format has been used to promote sports films and television:
On April 17, 2019, YouTube Premium released a 30 for 30 featurette for the second season of its web-based series, Cobra Kai, a comedic reboot of The Karate Kid featuring the main cast members and select ESPN personalities analyzing the 1984 match between Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. [116] [117] It was nominated for a Clio Award. [118]
On March 21, 2021, ahead of the premiere of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, Disney+ and ESPN collaborated on a promotional featurette in partnership with Cheerios on the Minnesota Pee-Wee hockey state championship game between the original Ducks and the Hawks, shown in the original Mighty Ducks film from 1992. Among those who provide commentary are Fulton Reed ( Elden Henson), Lester Averman ( Matt Doherty) and Connie Moreau ( Marguerite Moreau) from the original Ducks – who all also went on to appear in Game Changers – Sofi Hanson-Bhatt ( Swayam Bhatia) and Evan Morrow ( Brady Noon) from Game Changers protagonist team the Don't Bothers, United States women's hockey forward and Olympic gold medalist Meghan Duggan and ESPN hockey analysts and SportsCenter anchors Linda Cohn, John Buccigross and Steve Levy. [119]
On January 11, 2014, it was announced that a soccer-only 30 for 30 series, featuring two-feature-length films and six 30-minute films, would be aired in April 2014, featuring "compelling narratives from around the international soccer landscape". Additionally, a 10-part vignette series, titled Coraçao, aired during ESPN's 2014 FIFA World Cup coverage and examined the history and culture of host country Brazil. [120]
No. | Title | Directed by | Original air date | US viewers (millions) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Hillsborough | Daniel Gordon | April 15, 2014[n] | 0.527 [121] | |
A look at the April 15, 1989
tragedy at
Hillsborough Stadium in
Sheffield, England, where overcrowding in the stadium's standing-room-only areas led to a
crushing stampede that killed 96 people and injured 766. The film examines the ongoing efforts of victims' families to seek exoneration of their loved ones, who were blamed in part by local authorities in an attempt to conceal police and security inadequacies. (2 hours in length) | |||||
2 | Maradona '86 | Sam Blair | April 22, 2014 | < 0.033 [122] | |
A look at
Diego Maradona's spectacular individual performance during the
1986 FIFA World Cup. (30 minutes in length) | |||||
3 | The Opposition | Ezra Edelman and Jeffrey Plunkett | April 22, 2014 | < 0.033 [122] | |
Chile hosts a decisive
World Cup qualifier at
Santiago's
National Stadium just weeks after it had been transformed into a concentration camp and killing field for opponents of
Augusto Pinochet (who had just gained power in a
military coup). Though FIFA investigates the matter, the game goes on, with the Chilean team winning in a
walkover after their opponents from the Soviet Union boycott in protest over the stadium's use. (30 minutes in length) | |||||
4 | Ceasefire Massacre | Alex Gibney and Trevor Birney | April 29, 2014 | < 0.038 [123] | |
June 18, 1994, and fans of
Ireland's national team are euphoric over their team's
World Cup opener against
Italy at
Giants Stadium. Joy turns to horror, however, at a bar in
Loughinisland,
Northern Ireland, where a Protestant terror group
kills six men who were watching the game. The tragedy is a low point in
the Northern Ireland conflict, as well as a turning point, as it would ultimately contribute to paramilitaries on both sides calling ceasefires just weeks later. (30 minutes in length) | |||||
5 | The Myth of Garrincha | Marcos Horacio Azevedo | April 29, 2014 | < 0.038 [123] | |
Examining the legend of
Mané Garrincha, who overcame bent legs to lead
Brazil to two World Cup wins through his amusing style of play, and the efforts of his family and fans to give him a proper burial in
Rio de Janeiro after his death in 1983. The Myth of Garrincha originally went by the title Garrincha: Crippled Angel during production.
[120] (30 minutes in length) | |||||
6 | Mysteries of the Rimet Trophy | Brett Ratner | May 6, 2014 | < 0.031 [124] | |
The
Jules Rimet Trophy, awarded to the World Cup winners from 1930 to 1970, is a prize shrouded in mystery, as the whereabouts of the original trophy is unknown. This film focuses on the trophy's first brush with crime—a
Nazi plan to steal the Rimet Trophy from Italy during World War II—and
Ottorino Barassi, an Italian soccer official who attempted to protect the valued prize. (30 minutes in length) | |||||
7 | Barbosa: The Man Who Made All of Brazil Cry | Loch Phillipps | May 6, 2014 | < 0.031 [124] | |
How Brazilian goalkeeper
Moacir Barbosa went from national hero to pariah after allowing
Uruguay's
cup-winning goal in the
1950 World Cup. (30 minutes in length) | |||||
8 | White, Blue and White | Camilo Antolini | July 1, 2014[125] | N/A | |
After leading their national team to victory in the
1978 FIFA World Cup,
Argentines
Ossie Ardiles and
Ricky Villa join
Tottenham Hotspur, becoming cult heroes in England after leading Spurs to the
1981 FA Cup Final. Things radically change, however, when a conflicted Ardiles leaves Spurs and returns to
Buenos Aires after Argentine troops descend on the British-ruled
Falkland Islands, asserting sovereignty over the territory and resulting in the
Falklands War. |
No. | Title | Directed by | Original release date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Coraçao [120] | Jonathan Hock | TBA | |
A 10-part vignette series exploring the music, dance and history of Brazil, revealing what lies behind Brazil's legend (something most Americans know little about) and exploring how soccer is truly the expression of the soul of its people. |
On September 7, 2016, it was announced that ESPN Films and ESPN Audio would produce 30 for 30 Podcasts, reporting on new sports stories using a narrative podcasting approach. [126] The podcast was launched in June 2017, with the first season produced and hosted by Jody Avirgan and a team of in-house producers. Future season have featured both single-episode and serialized, season-long subject matter, produced "in collaboration with outside reporters, documentarians, and ESPN talent." The 30 for 30 theme music was re-worked for the podcast series by Hrishikesh Hirway, who is a musician, composer and the host of the Song Exploder podcast. [127]
The first season was released in mid-2017 and was produced and hosted by Jody Avirgan and a team of in-house producers. [127] It featured the following episodes: [128]
No. overall |
No. in series | Title | Length (mins.) | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | The Trials of Dan and Dave | 52:00 | June 27, 2017[129] | |
The stories of
Dan O'Brien and
Dave Johnson, American decathletes who competed for a spot in the
1992 Summer Olympics and who were subjects of a $25 million
Reebok
ad campaign. | |||||
2 | 2 | Yankees Suck | 49:00 | July 4, 2017[130] | |
How a vulgar chant and a bootleg t-shirt became a significant part of the
Yankees–Red Sox rivalry. | |||||
3 | 3 | On the Ice | 42:00 | July 11, 2017[131] | |
A look at the first all-women expedition to the North Pole in 1997. | |||||
4 | 4 | A Queen of Sorts | 46:00 | July 18, 2017[132] | |
5 | 5 | The Fighter Inside | 46:00 | July 25, 2017[133] | |
With a warden's assistance, professional boxer
James Scott rises through the sport's ranks while serving a prison term for a 1975 armed robbery. |
Season two launched in November 2017 and features the following episodes: [134]
No. overall |
No. in series | Title | Length (mins.) | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 | 1 | Hoodies Up | 31:00 | November 14, 2017 | |
Five weeks after the shooting death of
Trayvon Martin, the
Miami Heat pose in hoodies for a photo that spurs conversations about gun violence and race, as well as a new era of athlete activism. | |||||
7 | 2 | No Rules: The Birth of UFC | 53:00 | November 21, 2017 | |
A look at
Art Davie and
Rorion Gracie's founding of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship, as well as the
mixed martial arts organization's
first championship event. | |||||
8 | 3 | The Lights of Wrigleyville | 49:00 | November 28, 2017 | |
How the fight to install lights at
Wrigley Field pitted residents in the ballpark's
neighborhood against the
Chicago Cubs'
corporate owners. | |||||
9 | 4 | Madden's Game | 38:00 | December 5, 2017 | |
Seeing video games as a
football teaching tool,
John Madden teams with
Electronic Arts on what would become an enduring name in the gaming and sports industries,
Madden NFL. | |||||
10 | 5 | Project Space Jump [134] | TBD | TBD | |
A look at
Felix Baumgartner's record-breaking 2012
free fall from the edge of space and the technical and psychological problems that surrounded it. |
Season three, subtitled Bikram, consists of five episodes that released in May 2018. Reported and produced by Julia Lowrie Henderson, it explores the life of Bikram Choudhury, who has been lauded as an innovator and guru of yoga but has also had a history of dark behavior, including bankruptcy, and sexual assault and harassment allegations. [135] [136]
No. overall |
No. in series | Title | Length (mins.) | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
11 | 1 | Bikram Part 1: Arrival | 41:00 | May 22, 2018 | |
After arriving in Los Angeles in the 1970s,
Bikram Choudhury establishes the foundation for his yoga empire through his rags-to-riches origin story and connections with the rich and famous. | |||||
12 | 2 | Bikram Part 2: Process | 37:00 | May 22, 2018 | |
Bikram's
hot yoga training puts pupils through intense suffering and begins to reveal his complex character. | |||||
13 | 3 | Bikram Part 3: Power | 37:00 | May 22, 2018 | |
A review of Bikram's hardball approach to claiming ownership over
his brand of yoga, as well as a separation of truths from falsehoods in his life story. | |||||
14 | 4 | Bikram Part 4: Truth | 45:00 | May 22, 2018 | |
As Bikram's darkest behaviors begin to emerge, the community devoted to his yoga is forced to face the truth about its leader. | |||||
15 | 5 | Bikram Part 5: Reckoning | 33:00 | May 22, 2018 | |
Members of the
Bikram yoga community wrestle with the guru's reputation and their own complicity in his behavior. |
Season Four launched in October 2018 and features the following episodes: [137] [138] [139]
No. overall |
No. in series | Title | Length (mins.) | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
16 | 1 | Juiced | 41:45 | October 16, 2018 | |
After his exit from baseball, a vengeful
Jose Canseco writes
a tell-all memoir about fellow players' use of steroids – an exposé that leads to a
congressional hearing. | |||||
17 | 2 | All In: Sparking the Poker Boom | 49:41 | October 23, 2018 | |
How the
2003 World Series of Poker overcame organizational and competition odds and helped generate
a increased interest in
the game. | |||||
18 | 3 | Six Who Sat | 42:29 | October 30, 2018 | |
Two iconic protests (at the 1968
Boston Marathon and the 1972
New York City Marathon) generate a movement that would see women competing with men in long-distance running events. | |||||
19 | 4 | The Loophole | 43:15 | November 6, 2018 | |
How
Hideo Nomo successfully overcame legal and cultural barriers to play in
Major League Baseball. | |||||
20 | 5 | Rickey Won't Quit | 41:27 | November 13, 2018 | |
Still yearning to continue his baseball playing career at 46 and not seeing offers from MLB, former
Oakland Athletics legend
Rickey Henderson instead joins an independent league. | |||||
21 | 6 | Back Pass | 49:42 | May 12, 2019 | |
Members of the 1999
United States women's national soccer team use their newfound fame to help launch the first women's pro soccer league, the
WUSA, but management tensions jeopardize the venture. |
The fifth season, subtitled The Sterling Affairs and released in August 2019, explored former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and his subsequent ban for life by commissioner Adam Silver from the National Basketball Association after the exposure of his racist comments. Ramona Shelburne served as reporter and host for the season, which was produced in part with ESPN's The Undefeated website. [140] [141]
No. overall |
No. in series | Title | Length (mins.) | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
22 | 1 | The Sterling Affairs Part 1: That Tape | 36:00 | August 20, 2019 | |
The season begins with what would spark
Donald Sterling's downfall: Audio, secretly recorded by his mistress and leaked to the media, in which he expresses racist comments. | |||||
23 | 2 | The Sterling Affairs Part 2: The Opposite of Showtime | 49:00 | August 20, 2019 | |
Jerry Buss relies on Sterling's real estate savvy to purchase the
Lakers. It helps propel that team to
"Showtime" success but leaves Sterling, owner of the floundering
Clippers, envious. | |||||
24 | 3 | The Sterling Affairs Part 3: Property | 49:50 | August 20, 2019 | |
Donald and Shelly Sterling escape poverty to build an LA real estate and basketball empire, but it allows Donald to engage, without consequence, in womanizing and housing discrimination. | |||||
25 | 4 | The Sterling Affairs Part 4: Fallout | 42:52 | August 20, 2019 | |
The release of the audio tape results in an exercising of power by NBA players – and leads
Adam Silver, in his first major test as NBA commissioner, to banish Sterling from the league. | |||||
26 | 5 | The Sterling Affairs Part 5: Not Fit | 48:49 | August 20, 2019 | |
After the NBA banishes Donald Sterling, wife Shelly makes legal maneuvers to declare him mentally unfit, seize control of the Clippers, and sell the franchise. |
Season six released in November and December 2019, include the following episodes: [142]
No. overall |
No. in series | Title | Length (mins.) | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
27 | 1 | The Spy Who Signed Me | 45:12 | November 12, 2019 | |
American-born
WNBA stars
Diana Taurasi and
Sue Bird enjoy the riches of playing women's pro basketball in Russia, but are forced to reckon with the dark past of the
team owner who ensured their lavish life,
Shabtai Kalmanovich. | |||||
28 | 2 | Out of the Woods | 45:14 | November 19, 2019 | |
Biathlete
Kari Swenson recalls her July 1984 kidnapping and her mental and physical recovery process to return to competition. | |||||
29 | 3 | The Fall of the Condor | 47:59 | November 26, 2019 | |
How captain and star goalie
Roberto Rojas drove his
Chilean national soccer team to be "more bandits than the bandits," especially when up against rival
Brazil, in the qualifying process for the
1990 FIFA World Cup. The events of
El Maracanazo are covered. | |||||
30 | 4 | Cursed and Blessed | 45:32 | December 3, 2019 | |
The history of the
Superdome, from the stadium's cursed reputation before and
during
Hurricane Katrina to its status as the symbol of a
rebuilding
New Orleans. |
Season seven features the seven-part miniseries Heavy Medals, focusing on women's gymnastics coaches Béla & Márta Karolyi and their controversial training methods. All seven episodes of the season were released on July 14, 2020, and are reported by Bonnie D. Ford and Alyssa Roenigk. [143] [144]
No. overall |
No. in series | Title | Length (mins.) | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
31 | 1 | Heavy Medals Part 1: Made in Romania | 41:35 | July 14, 2020 | |
After turning fellow Romanian
Nadia Comaneci into a global symbol of gymnastic excellence,
Béla &
Márta Karolyi defect to the U.S. in a desire to seek greater ambitions. | |||||
32 | 2 | Heavy Medals Part 2: American Hustle | 44:28 | July 14, 2020 | |
After
Mary Lou Retton gains Nadia-like Olympic perfection, she and the Karolyis become household names, prompting Béla to harness that success for his own cause. | |||||
33 | 3 | Heavy Medals Part 3: The Béla Show | 34:58 | July 14, 2020 | |
After his champion fails at the 1992 Olympics, Béla steps away from the spotlight – but becomes the focus of abuse allegations. | |||||
34 | 4 | Heavy Medals Part 4: Home Games | 33:55 | July 14, 2020 | |
The talent of
Dominique Moceanu pulls the Karolyis back into coaching, but it's long-overshadowed veteran
Kerri Strug who brings them new
Olympic success. | |||||
35 | 5 | Heavy Medals Part 5: The Karolyi Way | 38:49 | July 14, 2020 | |
With the 2000 Olympics in sight and its team languishing in mediocrity,
USA Gymnastics turns to Béla to oversee the training and team selection process. | |||||
36 | 6 | Heavy Medals Part 6: The Rise of Martha | 41:58 | July 14, 2020 | |
Márta emerges from under her husband's shadow to become a gymnastics force in her own right, but her approach leads to a discarding of injured athletes – and a culture of silence. | |||||
37 | 7 | Heavy Medals Part 7: The Unraveling | 50:56 | July 14, 2020 | |
As Márta's own coaching success is established,
scandal rocks the gymnastics world and calls the Karolyis' demanding legacy into question. |
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