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After a superstar high school basketball career in Fall River, Mass., Chris Herren dominated the courts at Boston College and Fresno State before playing for the Denver Nuggets, his beloved Boston Celtics and across the world. Despite his success playing basketball, his heavy addiction to drugs worsened (Chris failed drug tests wherever he played) and quickly took over his life, before he ultimately lost control and ended up in a rehab facility.

Ultimately, Chris – the youngest and most talented of three generations of local heroes – has found redemption and personal fulfillment through the game, but only after it led him literally around the world, and down a path of alcohol and drug addiction that nearly killed him.

Now three years sober, Herren’s long struggle with addiction is told in Unguarded, ESPN Films’ new documentary premiering Weds. Nov. 30 on ESPN America.

Through personal interviews with Herren’s family, friends and coaches along with his own words as he travels the country telling his inspiring story, director Jonathan Hock weaves together the rollercoaster of events in Herren’s life over the last 15 years. Events that could have led to his death have instead brought him to a place where he now finds the most peace – coaching basketball.

It’s the way of most sports stories to show how a life’s meaning can be found on the athletic field, how dedication to the game can provide redemption and honor. But sometimes talent is a mixed blessing, and the measure of an individual ultimately can’t be taken by wins and losses.

Chris Herren came from the city of Fall River, Mass., a faded textile town where personal loyalty and a tradition of high school basketball championships had come to fill the void left by the abandoned mills in every neighborhood. Chris’ brother Mike had led Fall River’s Durfee High School to two state titles, and became the only player other than Patrick Ewing to ever make all-state in Massachusetts three years running – Chris would be the third. Like every local hero before him, Mike’s dreams began and ended with winning at Durfee. But Chris was supposed to be different. His talent was beyond anything Fall River had ever seen; he was the chosen one, and on his shoulders fell the hopes of his family, his friends and his entire city.

If Chris’ life had gone according to script, this is where the music swells, he rises to claim his destiny as an NBA All-Star and redeems all the empty days and nights of forgotten Fall River. Indeed, Chris did become a big-time college star and did make it to the NBA. But not before he fell into an abyss of alcohol and drug addiction, a decade-long nightmare in which he would lose everything that ever mattered to him.

But the story of Chris Herren is the story of hope. While we were filming, Chris marked his third anniversary of sobriety. He has reclaimed his family and the love and respect of the community. Ultimately, it was only after Chris lost the game that was supposed to be his salvation that he found his life’s true meaning. Every day may still be a struggle, and he may never be able to claim the kind of final victory that basketball would have provided, but real life isn’t always like that. For most of us, it is a daily struggle. Self-respect and the love of family are the greatest rewards we can claim. And that can be much harder to achieve than hitting the big shot or winning the big game.

I’d like to thank Chris and his family for allowing us to tell their story. For 10 years, it was a nightmare, and because the final message is one of hope, they allowed us into the darkest places we could travel with them, with a rawness and an openness rarely offered. Chris’ philosophy is that you have to give things to get things in life, and my hope is that by telling his story, together we can give hope to those still in life’s dark places, and inspiration to the rest of us as we pursue our own lives’ great gifts, whatever they may be.

Jonathan Hock – director

For details of other new ESPN FIlms, click on the links below:

CATCHING HELL	Finding Steve Bartman
RENEE	The Renee Richards Story
THE DOTTED LINE	Morgan Spurlock’s look at Sports Agents
CHARISMATIC	Horse & Jockey Rags to Riches
UNGUARDED	The Chris Herren story
ROLL TIDE / WAR EAGLE	The Alabama Auburn Rivalry
THE REAL ROCKY	Chuck Wepner – The Bayonne Bleeder who inspired the “Rocky” films
THE MARINOVICH PROJECT	Robo-QBTodd Marinovich –
THE ANNOUNCEMENT	Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson relives the day he announced to the world that he had AIDS.

In June of 1999 an unlikely chestnut colt named Charismatic, with jockey Chris Antley aboard, headed down the stretch at the Belmont Stakes, just seconds away from becoming the first Triple Crown winner in nearly 21 years. Thoroughbred racing was desperate for this story of deliverance – track attendance was in steep decline, starts like Seattle Slew and Secretariat were distant memories, drug abuse and bulimia were becoming issues in the jockey colony, and America’s love affair with the Sport of Kings was waning. Into this void stepped Charismatic and Antley, both thought to be lost causes.

The racing community had such a low opinion of Charismatic that he had been entered into claiming races just months prior to the Triple Crown races. As for Antley, he was considered a washed-up, anorexic, former drug addict who should have stayed retired from racing. Together, along with the expertise of legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas, they became the biggest long shots in 59 years to win the Kentucky Derby, and then followed up with another underdog win at the Preakness. They may have been denied their Hollywood ending, but their story of redemption lives on.

“There are very few places where the human spirit is more visible to the masses than it is when played out on the fields of sport. Some of our most stirring moments have come at the hands of unlikely heroes driven to triumphant heights while battling the fires of competition. Most of those moments conclude with a win or a loss, but once every generation or two an event unfolds that transcends competition and speaks simply to the greatness of which humans are capable. That is what drew us to the improbable journey of a jockey named Chris Antley and a horse named Charismatic.

“In 1998, Antley was a washed-up, anorexic, recovering drug addict. He was out of racing and on a downward spiral that threatened his very life. The horse-racing community had left him behind as had almost everyone else he knew. But Chris, in a moment of inspiration, decided to fight back and mount one of the most unlikely comebacks in sports history. He would need an ally and found one in renowned trainer, D. Wayne Lukas.

“For all of his brilliance, Lukas had reached every milestone in the sport except the elusive Triple Crown. Lukas saw in Antley a forgotten little man with the passion of a young rider on the make. Lukas paired Antley with a chestnut colt named Charismatic, the biggest longshot in 60 years to win the Kentucky Derby. Having also won the Preakness, only the Belmont stood between Lukas and the Triple Crown.

“Chris Antley and Charismatic had the lead heading down the stretch at the 1999 Belmont Stakes. With a quarter of mile to go, Charismatic looked like the first Triple Crown winner in nearly 20 years. But at the eighth pole something broke. Antley knew it immediately and made a seemingly unthinkable choice. He eased up and gently coaxed the injured colt across the line having sacrificed the triple crown and ultimately his career. Moments later, Chris Antley sat in the dirt cradling Charismatic’s foreleg in full view of 125,000 fans. Antley’s actions saved the horse’s life.

“Lukas blamed Antley for the horse’s loss and decried the “canonization” of the jockey by the press for saving the horse’s life. Eighteen months later, Antley would be dead from a drug overdose, but not before showing the world his true greatness.”

Steve Michaels – director

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For details of other new ESPN Films, click on the links below:

CATCHING HELL	Finding Steve Bartman
RENEE	The Renee Richards Story
THE DOTTED LINE	Morgan Spurlock’s look at Sports Agents
CHARISMATIC	Horse & Jockey Rags to Riches
UNGUARDED	The Chris Herren story
ROLL TIDE / WAR EAGLE	The Alabama Auburn Rivalry
THE REAL ROCKY	Chuck Wepner – The Bayonne Bleeder who inspired the “Rocky” films
THE MARINOVICH PROJECT	Robo-QBTodd Marinovich –
THE ANNOUNCEMENT	Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson relives the day he announced to the world that he had AIDS.

Agents … they are some of the most hated people in professional sports. Long thought to be nothing but greedy and ruthless hustlers, agents are the ultimate backroom operators. When there is some high-stakes contract negotiation between millionaire players and billionaire owners, you can bet in the center of it, is an agent. But what do we really know about them?

With The Dotted Line, acclaimed director Morgan Spurlock pulls back the curtain on the ultra-secretive sports agent industry to expose what these guys really do in the trenches. We follow top agents in the NFL, the NBA, and MLB to explore the turbulent and emotional ups and downs of recruiting, marketing and negotiating record-breaking contracts for their top-tier clients.

The film also explores recent NCAA agent scandals and the complex issues that can arise when college athletes turn pro.

“The Dotted Line is a film about the world of sports agents. In the film, you will have someone who is the pinnacle of agents, a Peter Greenberg, who is one of the best of the best in baseball, or a Eugene Lee who is at the beginning stages of becoming an agent, and will be a powerhouse in terms of being an agent. The film shows you that there are real people behind the people. That is what a lot of the public doesn’t realize. And once you reach a certain level, you are not just one guy, there are like ten guys. That may be an agent, that may be a lawyer, that may be a manager. And in the instance of some of the guys that we profile, that person is usually all for you. They can combine all of their expertise and help athletes navigate the minefield that is professional sports.”

Morgan Spurlock, director of The Dotted Line

Are these guys really the sleazeballs people think they are? Or are they skilled businessmen, simply acting in the best interests of their clients? The Dotted Line paints a well-rounded portrait of a fascinating and complex industry.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned over the years is that agents are an easy scapegoat. It’s easy to point a finger at the shark in the suit who hustles through talent like a Ron Jeremy double feature. Take Rod Tidwell in Jerry McGuire. Rod was lazy, gifted, and skating through the pros, waiting to ‘get his.’ Sports and entertainment are filled with Rod Tidwells, but the truth is that there are Tidwells on both sides of the desk. What I’ve discovered over the years is that the harder you work, the more an agent will work for you, even a Tidwell. But the more you sit around waiting for the phone to ring, the more you’ll be staring at a silent phone wondering why your agent isn’t doing more.”

Morgan Spurlock on Grantland.com

For details of other new ESPN Films, click on the links below:

CATCHING HELL	Finding Steve Bartman
RENEE	The Renee Richards Story
THE DOTTED LINE	Morgan Spurlock’s look at Sports Agents
CHARISMATIC	Horse & Jockey Rags to Riches
UNGUARDED	The Chris Herren story

Between 1953 and 1960 Richard Raskind played five times in the Men’s U.S. Open championships and never got beyond the second round. Almost two decades later, in 1977, this determined tennis player still had a dream and decided to have another crack at the U.S. Open. Playing in the Open for the next five years, the 45-year-old went one better than earlier appearances in the fifties and reached the third round in 1979. The person who stood in the way that day in New York was none other than … Chrissie Evert.

ESPN Films Renée tells the incredible story of how a male player disappeared from the competitive tennis circuit and, quite literally, resurfaced some 15 or so years later as a female tennis. Under the name of Renée Richards . the ‘former’ Richard Raskind returned to the world stage and created headlines the world over.

Having been denied entry to the US Open in 1975 after refusing to take a sex chromosome test, Richards, took her fight to the Supreme Court and overturned the initial ruling.

The film tells the story of Renée Richard’s battle to enter the 1977 US Open as the first transgender tennis player. Simultaneously, it follows her today as she struggles to cope with a life of contradictions and personal conflict. Through interviews with tennis legends, family, friends and experts from the transgender field; a story of perseverance, breakthrough and hardship unfolds.

“I remember hearing as a little boy that Renée Richards was playing in the U.S. Open. My parents were tennis fans, and we lived in New York, so the Open was a big deal. What made it stranger was that just four years earlier, my sister had gone to see Dr. Richard Raskind for an eye problem. Now, somehow that same person was strutting onto the main court of the U.S. Open in a skirt as a woman named Renée Richards.
However strange the incident appeared, my parents spoke in hushed voices about it, and the subject quickly disappeared from our family’s dinner table conversation. But I never forgot about it, and, from time to time, I would wonder about Renée Richards. Why did Dr. Raskind become a woman? How did they let Renée play tennis? And what happened to her after she disappeared from everyone’s dinner table conversations?
When I started to research Renée’s life further, I found out she had a son who is almost the same age as myself. “Wow,” I thought again. Having a father who had a sex change, and then played tennis on the main court of the U.S. Open. What was that like? So began my journey into this story. I got in touch with Renée, and she agreed to let me into her remarkable life.”

Eric Drath, Director of Renée

ESPN Films Renée premieres on ESPN America on Weds Oct 19th at 7:30pm UK / 20:30 CET with further repeats through October and November (see TV schedule for times in your region).

For details of other new ESPN Films, click on the links below:

CATCHING HELL	Finding Steve Bartman
RENEE	The Renee Richards Story
THE DOTTED LINE	Morgan Spurlock’s look at Sports Agents
CHARISMATIC	Horse & Jockey Rags to Riches
UNGUARDED	The Chris Herren story

In the eighth inning of Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS, Steve Bartman reached for a foul pop fly and tipped the ball away from Cubs left fielder Moises Alou, which caused an outpuring of anger and rage of biblical proportions from fellow Cubs fans and the media.

Undeniably Bartman’s actions – and he was not the only pair of hands and arms that prevented Alou from making the catch – cost the Cubs an important out at a crucial late stage of a playoff game. But the Cubs players were the ones who lost that game and Game 7 – and their shot at the World Series – in typically self-destructive fashion.

Cubs fan COLIN JARMAN relives that infamous day in Cubbies history when one man derailed a dream shared by millions and brought a new dimension to the phrase “Fan Interference.”

Steve Bartman is right up their in the annals of Cubs folklore – front and center – with the likes of Ernie Banks, Ron Santo and Ryne Sandberg. But he never hit a ball, threw a ball or even caught a ball for the Cubs. He is famous for not catching a fly ball in the stands at Wrigley Field on that cold October night in 2003.

Watching on TV, I was already celebrating a certain Cubs victory that would send us to the World Series for the first time since 1945. All that pent up frustration we Cubs fans had built up over that vast span of error-ridden, losing seasons from June swoons to Fall failings erupted in a mass venting of spleens. I had been a Cubs fan since 1986, and in the intervening years, had learned of the various curses that had been blamed for keeping our underachieving team from reaching let alone winning a World Series for over five decades. But, the legends of Billy Goats and Black Cats were not of my era and like many Cubs fans we needed our own scapegoat to claim as our own.

And on that fateful night, Steve Bartman stood up and took one for the team.

And now Bartman – after years of seclusion from other Cubs fans and hiding, sometimes running, from the media – has the ultimate honor: an ESPN Film documenting his infamy. CATCHING HELL, directed by Alex Gibney, brilliantly depicts how a simple act by a simple fan reaching out can have complex and far-reaching effects beyond his or our understanding.

How a fan’s instinctive reaction can generate such distinctive fan overeaction.

Now airing on ESPN America on 30th Sept (repeated during October) this critically-acclaimed film follows in the same vein as Fernando Nation, The House of Steinbrenner, Silly Little Game and many others.

As how to how far over the top Cubs fans went in villifying one of their own, you only have to watch and listen to Mike Golic in a classic full-on rant during ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike Show in the Morning below …

With their ace pitcher going strong, the Cubs led the Marlins 3-0, only five outs short of a pennant. And then the sky fell. Or a foul ball fell from the sky, tearing the cosmic fabric, when a home team fan, Steve Bartman, reaching for a foul pop fly, tipped the ball away from the outstretched glove of leaping Cubs left fielder Moises Alou, who seemed certain to make a spectacular catch.

As the TV cameras focused on the isolated fan, frozen in his seat and staring straight ahead as if in a trance, Cubs fans felt the familiar sense of doom and dread, one that quickly turned to anger as the Marlins then staged a lightning eight-run rally. Even though sure-handed shortstop Alex Gonzalez booted a routine inning-ending double-play ball and the Cubs still had a Game 7 left to try to win it and the mild-mannered Bartman made a sincere public apology, the fans focused their disappointment and rage on Bartman. He fulfilled the ancient need for a scapegoat to explain the inexplicable to Chicago – why, on the threshold of victory, the door was once more slammed in its face, capping a near-century of losing and frustration.

In a shift from addressing social big-picture topics such as the Enron scandal, the fall of Eliot Spitzer and the detainment of innocent political prisoners, Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney explores the unsettling phenomena of scapegoating in sports with intimate looks at Bartman and Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner. The parallel stories are told in a suspense-filled style, made particularly chilling for Bartman. With never-before-seen footage of Game 6 from inside the stands of Wrigley Field, we see, step by step, how the Friendly Confines turned into a dark place as Cubs fans tried to hold Bartman to account for their collective nightmare.

COLIN JARMAN is the editor of the ESPNAmerica.com website and has been a Cubs fans since 1986.

For details of other new ESPN Films, click on the links below:

CATCHING HELL	Finding Steve Bartman
RENEE	The Renee Richards Story
THE DOTTED LINE	Morgan Spurlock’s look at Sports Agents
CHARISMATIC	Horse & Jockey Rags to Riches
UNGUARDED	The Chris Herren story

In the state of Alabama, all it takes are two words to distinguish friend from foe: “Roll Tide” or “War Eagle.”

There are many great rivalries in sports: Yankees-Red Sox, Michigan-Ohio State, North Carolina-Duke. But they don’t compare to the venomous and consuming in-state college football rivalry in the Heart of Dixie. The century-old rivalry between the Universities of Alabama and Auburn, simply known as the Iron Bowl, dates all the way back to 1893. In a state where there are no professional sports teams, college football takes center stage. The 118-year-old rivalry is considered by many as not just college football’s fiercest rivalry, but rather the most heated rivalry in all of American sports.

WATCH on ESPN America: Mon 9th Jan 9:00pm UK / 21:30 CET – 60 mins.
Check local listings for repeat showings

Martin Khodabakhshian’s ESPN Film “Roll Tide/War Eagle” examines the rivalry that defines the two storied schools. The documentary mainly focuses on the past two years, in which the Iron Bowl rose to an unprecedented level of intensity and humility on both sides.

The 2009-10 season was a year that the Crimson Tide faithful had long-awaited. When Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2007, he was believed to be the right man to wake up the sleeping giant. From 1958 to 1982, legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant helped make Alabama football the powerhouse that it is today. He captured six national championships in his tenure, but the Tide failed to be a consistent winner after Bryant’s retirement. Gene Stalling led Alabama to its first championship since the “Bear” in 1992, but it would take years of mediocrity to rejuvenate ‘Bama.

Saban was a proven winner and outstanding recruiter. He led LSU to a national title in 2003 before leaving to coach the Miami Dolphins. In 2009, Alabama finally became the force that many deemed inevitable under Saban. The Crimson Tide capped a perfect regular season with a 26-21 win over rival Auburn and went on to defeat Florida and Texas en route to a national championship. Running back Mark Ingram also won the first-ever Heisman Trophy for Alabama. With virtually the entire team returning in 2010, Alabama looked like an easy pick to be a back-to-back champion.

However, Auburn would have something to say about that, led by the most polarizing figure in college football history: Cam Newton.

2010 was the year that changed the Iron Bowl rivalry forever. Alabama began the season ranked #1 in nearly every poll, while Auburn was modestly rated at #23 in the Coaches’ Poll. As Alabama dropped two tough road games to South Carolina and LSU, the Auburn Tigers kept on winning. It often seemed as if Newton magically appeared in blue and orange to lead Auburn to the Promised Land, but Auburn’s dream season was not devoid of controversy.

When word broke of Newton’s father, Cecil, auctioning off Cam’s services to teams, Auburn naturally went under immense scrutiny. Week-after-week there was a new development to the saga as “Scam Newton” became a commonly used pseudonym amongst opposing fans. Despite all the distractions, Newton did not stop winning. In the most anticipated Iron Bowl showdown, Newton led Auburn back from a 24-point deficit, shocking Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium with a 28-27 Tiger win. A Heisman Trophy and national title would come shortly after for Newton and Auburn.

The Auburn win was so demoralizing to the Tide faithful that one fan by the name of Harvey Updyke would take the rivalry way too far.

Football may be treated similarly to a religion in the South, but at the end of the day, the lives and safety of others trump sports rivalries. Even amidst the rivalry’s most hostile times, the Alabama and Auburn fanbases can put aside its differences and be there for one another when help is needed the most.

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Perhaps the greatest thing about sports, and being a producer, is that just when you think you’ve seen it all, something surprises you. Being in sports television and production for 16 years, I thought I had seen and understood what makes a great rivalry in sports: The storylines, the twists and turns, the characters involved, triumph and tragedy. When I was presented with the opportunity to produce my second film, “Roll Tide/War Eagle,” it struck me immediately as a director’s dream in regards to the story arc and storylines. I mean, you really couldn’t make this stuff up.

Joe Tessitore, the voice of “Friday Night Fights” and ESPN college football, had a vision: What has happened in the past two years within the already storied in-state football rivalry between the University of Alabama and Auburn University has all the makings of a Hollywood script. The only difference was: This story is real. The super power and the underdog, NCAA scandals and on-going investigations, unfathomable comebacks, crazed fans, poisoned trees, shocking reveals, historic and deadly tornadoes that lead to a redemptive twist. Tessitore reached out to former ESPN The Magazine senior writer Bruce Feldman and together they pitched a film that, to me, was a special opportunity to unleash a new way of documentary storytelling: blending artful storytelling with unforgettable moments in time, and pushing the envelope in production while keeping the integrity of tradition and history.

I did not fully grasp the rivalry until I spent three weeks in the state of Alabama and several other states, interviewing people who played, coached and rooted for this rivalry. Bo Jackson, Charles Barkley, Shaun Alexander, Cam Newton, Mark Ingram, Nick Saban, Gen Chizik, Gay Talese and Paul Finebaum, just to name a few. And just when I thought I had an idea of how venomous, consuming and passionate it is, I was surprised. Again.

Martin Khodabakhshian – director

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For details of other recent ESPN FIlms, click on the links below:

CATCHING HELL	Finding Steve Bartman
RENEE	The Renee Richards Story
THE DOTTED LINE	Morgan Spurlock’s look at Sports Agents
CHARISMATIC	Horse & Jockey Rags to Riches
UNGUARDED	The Chris Herren story
ROLL TIDE / WAR EAGLE	The Alabama Auburn Rivalry
THE REAL ROCKY	Chuck Wepner – The Bayonne Bleeder who inspired the “Rocky” films

ESPN America editor Colin M Jarman reviews a moving film tribute to one the great boxers of all-time:  Smokin’ Joe Frazier. Premieres on June 28th.

Growing up in the 1970s, as a sports mad kid, waiting for the latest pay-per-view fight between the greatest triumvirate of heavyweights – Frazier, Foreman & Ali [pictured above in 1994] – was anticipated almost as much as Christmas Day. Back then Boxing Day meant a whole different thing.

All three great world champions had been Olympic gold medalists and all three had lifted boxing to its highest level of competition, drama and courage. These were the days of savage fifteen-rounders and no standing eight count; when boxing legends really were legendary boxers.

Between 1971 and ’76, Smokin’ Joe Frazier fought Muhammad Ali three times, including “The Thrilla in Manila” and “The Fight of the Century” in Madison Square Garden – he lost twice. He fought George Foreman twice in two memorably brutal encounters – losing both. These would be his only losses as a pro (32-4-1 27 KOs).

Of his first fight with Frazier, in Kingston, Jamaica, Foreman has said, “People remember me knocking Joe down six times [in the first two rounds], but they forget that he kept getting up. He kept getting up!”

Joe retired from boxing in 1981. He went on to train his son, Marvis, who faced Larry Holmes in 1983 losing by TKO for the heavyweight title, and then lost to Mike Tyson by knockout in 1986.

Without Joe Frazier the myth of Muhammad Ali would be demonstrably diluted and definitely duller. Smokin’ Joe Frazier was not just one of the great boxers of the twentieth century but one of the great sporting figures. But, not great enough for some folk …

“The fictional Rocky Balboa has a statue in Philly …
but not the real Smokin’ Joe Frazier.”

How has the memory of one of the greatest and most feared heavyweight boxers in the world been overshadowed by a movie caricature? A film that used parts of Joe’s own training regime (remember the iconic ‘punching meat carcasses’ scene?) and a film that even had Joe appear in a cameo.

Joe Frazier knew the answer. And he used that feeling of being overlooked and undervalued to drive him to even greater achievements outside of the ring in helping save others who had also been overlooked and undervalued in their daily lives.

They say Philadelphia is the capital of boxing and Joe Frazier’s gym is the White House.

For over forty years, since the last of his million dollar bouts with Ali, Foreman and others, Joe’s commitment to his adopted Philadelphia neighborhood kept his landmark gym alive. Now, tragically, it has to close unless it can be saved by a preservation order as a historic building.

While Joe’s Gym remains to be saved for posterity, Joe’s life and career have been saved for ever thanks to a deeply-moving documentary film Joe Frazier: When The Smoke Clears. Produced by Riverhorse, in Manchester, England, this fine film, directed by Mike Todd, relives Joe’s rise to the undisputed heavyweight crown and his legendary fights with Ali and Foreman.

Filmed in the years leading up to his untimely passing, in November of last year, and told through the voice of son Marvis, this film reveals the story of the real Joe Frazier: from his roots in the Gullah community of rural South Carolina to becoming one of the most famous athletes of the 20th century.

Over four years in the making, Joe Frazier: When the Smoke Clears brings the sport of boxing alive, revealing its unique relationship with the Civil Rights movement and the raw consequences of a fighter’s life.

The film has a strong contemporary narrative but the story of Joe’s gym is interwoven with a sense of perspective and history, giving weight and context to what’s happening in Joe’s life and in North Philadelphia. It covers all the major events of Joe’s life and career.

But this is no ordinary biography. Joe’s early struggles lead us back to the story of the gym he runs today – part teen center part senior center. Philadelphia, with over 400 murders last year, is one of the most violent cities in America.

The film brings to life the ongoing relevance to the socio-economic issues highlighted in the era of Frazier/Ali. We see how Joe and Marvis – an ordained preacher – [pictured right in 2009] reach out to the community and the many people they have touched.

Throughout the film, key witnesses and participants share their views: from Larry Merchant and Angelo Dundee, to contemporary fighters Larry Holmes, Bernard Hopkins and George Foreman.

 

For show times in your region, check the local listings TV Schedule for the ESPN America premiere on June 28th and repeat showing.

ESPN America is proud to bring our viewers in Europe and the Middle East the second volume of the ESPN Films 30 for 30, an unprecedented documentary series featuring thirty films from some of today’s finest storytellers.

 

 

Click on Film Titles for more information and review + video trailers.

1. Broke by Billy Corben
More money, more problems. Broke digs into the psychology of men whose competitive nature carried them to victory on the field yet seemed to ruin them off the field.

 

2. There’s No Place Like Home by Maura Mandt and Josh Swade
A story of the most important document in sports history — James Naismith’s original rules of basketball — and the quest to return it home.

 

3. Benji by by Coodie and Chike
In 1984, 17-year-old Ben Wilson was America’s most talented basketball prospect until the sweet-natured boy was senselessly murdered.

 

4. Ghost of Ole Miss by Fritz Mitchell
In 1962, the University of Mississippi erupted in violence over integration while swelling with pride over an unbeaten football team.

 

5. You Don’t Know Bo by Michael Bonfiglio
Bo Jackson hit 500-foot home runs and ran over linebackers. A look at the man and the myths that captured our collective imagination.

 

 

In its thirty years of existence, ESPN has been an integral part of an ever-changing sports landscape. To celebrate 30 years of growth, both globally and in the United States, ESPN presents 30 for 30, a fascinating documentary series spotlighting 30 top filmmakers telling intimate stories that form part of the greater mosaic that is global sports over the past 30 years.

Each storyteller – among them famed directors such as Academy Award winner Barry Levinson, documentarians Albert Maysles and Barbara Koppel, and Hollywood names like Frank Marshall and Ron Shelton – turns their lens on trends, issues and athletes, some well-known within U.S. borders and others famous on the international stage as well, bringing their personal viewpoint to the bigger picture of what sports has meant to American and world culture from 1979 to today.

30 for 30 airs throughout the year on ESPN America. Be sure to catch every one of these memorable documentaries, as new light is shone on some of the greatest sporting stories of a generation.

1. Kings Ransom
2. The Band that Wouldn’t Die
3. Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?
4. Muhammad and Larry
5. Without Bias
6. The Legend of Jimmy the Greek
7. The U [Miami Univ]
8. Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks
9. Guru of Go
10. No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson
11. Silly Little Game
12. Run Ricky Run
13. The 16th Man
14. Straight Outta L.A.
15. June 17, 1994
16. The Two Escobars
17. The Birth of Big Air
18. Jordan Rides the Bus
19. Little Big Men
20. One Night in Vegas
21. Unmatched
22. The House of Steinbrenner
23. Into the Wind
24. Four Days In October
25. Once Brothers
26. Tim Richmond: To the Limit
27. Fernando Nation
28. Marion Jones: Press Pause
29. The Best That Never Was
30. Pony Excess

Question: Who is the only man on the planet to fight Muhammad Ali, Andre the Giant and a real grizzly bear (and inspire a movie franchise worth a billion dollars)?
Answer: New Jersey’s own Chuck Wepner, aka ‘The Bayonne Bleeder.’

ESPN FILMS: The Real Rocky premieres on ESPN America on Tues, Feb 21st.
Check local listings for times and repeat showings.

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The “Real Rocky” is Chuck Wepner – a liquor salesman from Bayonne, N.J., who drives a Cadillac with “Champ” vanity plates. A former New Jersey state heavyweight boxing champion, he was christened with the nickname “The Bayonne Bleeder” for the abuse he suffered at the hands of Sonny Liston. In 1975, Wepner fought Muhammad Ali for the world heavyweight title. In the 15th round, Ali knocked out Wepner after breaking his nose and opening cuts over both eyes.

Sylvester Stallone wrote a screenplay, and starred in and won three Academy Awards (including best picture) for the film “Rocky,” based on Wepner’s gutsy challenge. Wepner was left out of the “Rocky” glory, and his career took turn after strange turn as he worked to stay in the spotlight. He went on to fight Andre the Giant as “The Assassin” and boxed a 900-pound Kodiak bear. Twice.

Using too-good-to-be-true footage, Jeff Feuerzeig and Mike Tollin explores the colorful life and bloodied career of this unique New Jersey character in their one-hour ESPN film.

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DIRECTOR’S CUT

I’ve been a Chuck Wepner fan ever since 1975, when I was 10 years old and my father took my brother and me to Sports Night at the Raritan High School gymnasium in Hazlet, N.J. to see Chuck – aka “The Bayonne Bleeder” – just months before he was set to go up against Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight title. There were no figures who loomed larger in the 10-year-old imagination of mid-’70s suburbia than Evel Knievel, Andre the Giant and, especially, Muhammad Ali – “The Greatest” – and here was a 6-foot-5 behemoth in a full-length fur coat, pimp hat and ridiculous amount of jewelry leading us in a chant of “Who’s gonna beat Ali? … WEPNER!” Even better, the bloody 16mm fight films he projected proved his nickname was more than mere hype. The place exploded. And in that instant, Chuck Wepner became a real-life mythological figure – as real to me as the Jersey Devil that haunted the local pine barrens.
This film is very much about myth – the myth of Narcissus. When Chuck Wepner stood on line like an average schmoe and paid for his own movie ticket and sat in a dark theater in 1976 watching Sylvester Stallone’s “Rocky,” a film and character that were directly inspired by his truly heroic fight with Ali, he could not distinguish the mirror image from the real person, and like the hero in the Greek myth, he fell in love with his own reflection up there on the silver screen. And who could blame him? He was Rocky. Stallone even said so. If, as certain cultures believe, to capture someone’s image is to steal their soul, Chuck had his soul hijacked.
I believe documentary is a blank canvas – in which all kinds of disparate ideas and stylistic techniques can co-exist as long as they serve the story. As with my previous films “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” and “The Dude,” about Jeff “The Dude” Dowd, who inspired “The Big Lebowski,” I worked hard to come up with a unique visual palette and sound design approach to tell the Wepner story. It was important to me to capture Chuck’s interview in extreme close-up and lush Super 16mm black and white because it made it arresting.
Being in so tight made every story feel like I could see the synapses firing in his brain as I cut to the visual evidence “in his mind.” And if it seems like you’re noshing at the Carnegie Deli in Woody Allen’s “Broadway Danny Rose” during the Greek Chorus Sportwriters Round Table sprinkled throughout the film – well, there’s a good reason. This setup provided an opportunity to riff on Chuck’s career while creating a fitting homage to one of my favorite films. There’s probably a bit of Roy Lichtenstein’s pop art slammed together with Jamie Reid’s Sex Pistols ransom note album cover design on display in the Wepner newspaper clippings. And while I’m showing my hand here, I might as well point out the heightened sound effects owe as much to Walter Murch in “American Graffiti” or “Apocalypse Now” as to Howard Stern’s sound effects guru “Earth Dog” Fred Norris. When it comes to style, I believe you are what you eat.
A documentary film can set out to accomplish many things, but in this case, ultimately, it’s an honest attempt to settle the score for a fellow New Jersey underdog and to help him take back what is rightfully his. Because sometimes, even a giant needs somebody to watch his back. That’s the Jersey way.
Jeff Feuerzeig

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The credits roll. The house lights go up. The audience bursts into applause.
Finally, 35 years after he inspired a billion-dollar cinematic franchise, Chuck Wepner is a movie star. For one night, anyway.
“The Real Rocky” is a TV documentary, but a few nights before its premiere on ESPN [in the USA], it finds its way to the big screen as part of the Philadelphia Film Festival. Wepner sits in the back row next to his wife, Linda, watching the finished product for the first time. The location for the screening, some two miles from the art museum steps that Rocky Balboa famously scaled, is not accidental. The director of the documentary, Jeff Feuerzeig, calls Philly “the scene of the crime.”
“In my opinion, Sylvester Stallone hijacked Chuck Wepner’s soul,” Feuerzeig said. “This film is my attempt to help Chuck get his soul back.”
Whether Stallone hijacked his soul is a matter of opinion. Whether Sly hijacked elements of his story is not. But now Wepner’s version of the story is being told on small and big screens alike.
And there’s not much more Wepner could ask for than an attentive audience to which he can keep telling his stories.
Eric Raskin on ESPN.com (Oct 25, 2011)

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Chuck Wepner is the man at the very bloody core of the “Rocky” films because he was the cut, bleeding and heroic no-hoper that sent Stallone down the Rocky road. Wepner, a brave fringe contender with hundreds of stitches across his brows, lost a world heavyweight title fight to Muhammad Ali in 1975, dropped Ali in the ninth and was rescued by the referee with just 19 seconds left in the 15th and final round. That is true, even if it reads like fiction. Stallone was watching at a cinema and went home and wrote the Rocky story in three days. “When the man who was considered an absolute pushover knocked the unbeatable champion down – I saw how the crowd reacted and I said to myself: ‘This is what it is all about’,” said Stallone.
ESPN UK’s boxing analyst Steve Bunce in The Independent (Dec 27, 2011)

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For details of other recent ESPN FIlms, click on the links below:

CATCHING HELL	Finding Steve Bartman
RENEE	The Renee Richards Story
THE DOTTED LINE	Morgan Spurlock’s look at Sports Agents
CHARISMATIC	Horse & Jockey Rags to Riches
UNGUARDED	The Chris Herren story
ROLL TIDE / WAR EAGLE	The Alabama Auburn Rivalry
THE REAL ROCKY	Chuck Wepner – The Bayonne Bleeder who inspired the “Rocky” films
THE MARINOVICH PROJECT	Robo-QBTodd Marinovich –
THE ANNOUNCEMENT	Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson relives the day he announced to the world that he had AIDS.

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Click here to read the “BEST and WORST BOXING MOVIES”, with Nat Coombs’ review of his ‘BOX’ Office classic contenders and bums.

Check local listings for times and repeat showings.

In the early 1990s I was living in Newport Beach (south of Los Angeles) and enjoying the College Football and NFL seasons. Back then USC and UCLA were both competitive college programs, while L.A. had not one but two NFL teams: the Rams (where I found myself working out most days) and the Raiders. So there was a lot of attention being paid to all four ‘local’ teams.

Even though the two NFL teams boasted athletic superstars in running backs Eric Dickerson and Bo Jackson, the chatter around the Rams’ weight room was all about a local high school quarterback nicknamed “Robo QB.”

A lot of the rumors and speculation that this young wonder kid generated were never fully substantiated at the time – and there was plenty of water cooler gossip.

Reports had quickly circulated that this red-haired kid – who had burnt up the local Orange County high school record books – had never eaten a fast food burger or drank a cola in his life. He even took his own sugar-free cake to other kids’ birthday parties.

This documentary rips open the astonishing inside story that now sounds and looks even more unbelievable than we had dared believe back then.

As a high school phenom in Orange County, the highly-recruited QB enjoyed a successful first full season at Southern Cal – leading the 9-2-1 Trojans to a Rose Bowl victory and earning himself College Freshman of the Year honors.

But all was not well. During his next season at USC. He was doing drugs on a daily basis, he bawled out his coach live on national TV during the Sun Bowl, and he was arrested for cocaine possession.

With such a bad boy rep, there was only one NFL team (or owner) who’d even consider drafting him. The Raiders’ Al Davis had such high hopes for his perfect QB that he took him 24th overall – ahead of a certain Brett Favre!

Within a few months, Todd Marinovich was washed up and out of the NFL by the age of 23! This is his story.

THE MARINOVICH PROJECT tells the unvarnished story of Todd’s unique childhood, his ascent to sporting stardom, the dark descent that followed and the complicated father-son bond throughout, ultimately answering the question: “What went wrong with Todd Marinovich?”

Colin M Jarman – Editor of ESPNAmerica.com

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A FATHER’S VIEW

Todd’s father, Marv Marinovich, was a USC and pro football player who developed ground-breaking strength and conditioning techniques, much of which is still the basis for the NFL combine today. He began molding his son since birth, including stretching exercises for Todd in his crib as well as a strict diet, which then progressed to many childhood hours spent running and working out. Eventually becoming nearly perfect on the field. But along with the pursuit of perfection came increasingly intense pressure, testing a relationship with his dad that leaned more toward coach-player than father-son.

“Some guys think the most important thing in life is their jobs, the stock market, whatever. To me, it was my kids. The question I asked myself was, How well could a kid develop if you provided him with the perfect environment? A common phrase used when talking about gifted athletes is to say that they were ‘born talented.’ But what if a person, from the minute they were born, was ‘bred’ to be the ultimate athlete? Todd Marinovich knows that feeling all too well.”
Marv Marinovich – father & coach

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DIRECTOR’S CUT

“Marinovich. For our generation of sports fans, the name conjures an epic saga in a single word. Over time, the name has become shorthand for one of sport’s most cautionary tales.20 years ago, he walked off the NFL stage and into oblivion. We wanted to find him. For six months we tried to track him down and were greeted with radio silence. Then one day the phone rang. “Don’t you know I’m a recluse…”

Thus began our own crazy journey.

Since he was a boy, Todd Marinovich has been pushed toward the spotlight – first by a father looking to build him up, then by the media eager to tear them both down. Our job was to convince sports most infamous recluse to turn the spotlight on himself and reveal the real person behind his own notorious persona.

Todd’s initial hesitation was understandable. He had been branded a failure and his father, a monster. Even as we started filming, we looked at this story through the lens of the myth we had been sold for decades: part Frankenstein, part Icarus, totally messed up.

What we found was a real life love story between a father and a son. It’s a story that has never been told. We are honored that Todd and his father Marv entrusted us to tell it.”
John Dorsey and Andrew Stephan – co-directors

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ESPN FILMS LIBRARY

For details of other recent ESPN Films, click on the links below:

CATCHING HELL	Finding Steve Bartman
RENEE	The Renee Richards Story
THE DOTTED LINE	Morgan Spurlock’s look at Sports Agents
CHARISMATIC	Horse & Jockey Rags to Riches
UNGUARDED	The Chris Herren story
ROLL TIDE / WAR EAGLE	The Alabama Auburn Rivalry
THE REAL ROCKY	Chuck Wepner – The Bayonne Bleeder who inspired the “Rocky” films
THE MARINOVICH PROJECT	Robo-QBTodd Marinovich –
THE ANNOUNCEMENT	Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson relives the day he announced to the world that he had AIDS.

The documentary, GOOSE, tells the story of Reece “Goose” Tatum, arguably one of the most influential athletes of all time, yet unknown to many basketball fans today. The film takes a look at Tatum, the leader of the Harlem Globetrotters from 1942-1954, who despite the segregated era, became the most well-known and highest paid athlete in the world. He possessed a rare combination of basketball talent and comedic genius and is credited with introducing the no-look pass and the no-look hook shot, as well as pioneering the concept of free agency when he walked away from the team at the peak of his fame.

The film includes guest interviews with Julius Erving, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Bill Cosby and Ernie Banks. It is narrated by Anthony Mackie (star of the The Hurt Locker & 8 Mile).

Premiered on ESPN America on Weds, April 4th. Check local listings for repeat showings.

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The story of Reece “Goose” Tatum, arguably one of the most influential athletes of all time, yet unknown to most basketball fans today, will come to life in a documentary called GOOSE. The film will debut on ESPN on February 26 at 9:30 PM EST as part of the networks’ Black History Month programming. Produced by Mannie Jackson, chairman of Boxcar Entertainment, in association with TeamWorks Media, GOOSE will celebrate the basketball legend, who was posthumously elected to theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2011.

Jackson, former chairman and owner of the Harlem Globetrotters, is the driving force behind educating the world about the man nicknamed “Goose.” “This is an important untold story about human conditions, greatness and an American hero. The impact of this athlete and celebrity is still very much felt today,” said Jackson.

As the leader of the Harlem Globetrotters, the most skilled squad in the world, Goose was more than just the architect of some of basketball’s most iconic shots. A true sports icon, he possessed a rare combination of basketball talent and comedic genius, which made him a household name around the world. In 1948 and 1949, Goose was a key part of the famous Globetrotters team that beat George Mikan and the world champion Minneapolis Lakers in a seminal moment in basketball history. His impact on the game has transcended generations, as the no-look pass and the no-look hook shot, which he introduced to the game, have become staples in basketball.

With beginnings in Negro League Baseball prior to his basketball career, Goose went on to become one of the most dynamic athletes of his time and the highest paid athlete in the world. In a segregated society, Goose reached across color lines to appeal to fans of all races. At the peak of his international fame and fortune, he did the unthinkable when he left the Globetrotters, pioneering the concept of free agency and establishing himself as an entrepreneur by owning two sports teams.

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“My vision was to share with the world one of the greatest sports stories never told; in fact, one of the greatest stories never told – until now. Reece “Goose” Tatum is an American icon. Goose inspired an entire generation. Not simply because of the way he changed the game on the court, while achieving global fame of epic proportions. But because of his groundbreaking entrepreneurial success and creation of wealth, and his role as the pioneer of free agency. Goose’s legacy, in the face of the most challenging human conditions, provides a beacon of hope to legions of individuals, at every socio-economic level.”

Mannie Jackson, Chairman, Boxcar Entertainment – Creator and Executive Producer, GOOSE

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For details of other recent ESPN FIlms, click on the links below:

CATCHING HELL	Finding Steve Bartman
RENEE	The Renee Richards Story
THE DOTTED LINE	Morgan Spurlock’s look at Sports Agents
CHARISMATIC	Horse & Jockey Rags to Riches
UNGUARDED	The Chris Herren story
ROLL TIDE / WAR EAGLE	The Alabama Auburn Rivalry
THE REAL ROCKY	Chuck Wepner – The Bayonne Bleeder who inspired the “Rocky” films
THE MARINOVICH PROJECT	Robo-QBTodd Marinovich –
THE ANNOUNCEMENT	Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson relives the day he announced to the world that he had AIDS.

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ESPN FILMS presents THE FAB FIVE
starring Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson

Directed by Jason Hehir
Produced by Three Tier Entertainment

How five college freshmen ignited a basketball revolution.

ESPN Films’ The Fab Five is a two-hour documentary about one of the most famous – and infamous – teams in college basketball history.

Arriving on the campus of the University of Michigan in the fall of 1991, five freshmen – Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson – electrified the college game, whilst bringing a new brand of braggadocio to the masses with their baggy shorts, black socks and brash talk.

The quintessential quintet started as a unit for two years taking the Wolverines to back-to-back NCAA championship games. Known as much for their off-court style and swagger as their on-court skill and showmanship, the Fab Five quickly became the most controversial team ever witnessed in college basketball. However, the team’s impressive playing record was to be overshadowed years later by a number of incriminating improprieties and headline-making activities that plagued the players during their NBA careers.

Now, in their own inflammatory words, the original Fab Five relive their college days: the recruitment process that got them to Ann Arbor, the cultural impact they made, the two runs to the NCAA title game, the Webber ‘timeout’ that cost them the 1993 championship and the scandal that eventually tarnished their accomplishments.

Forget what you remember or may have heard about the Fab Five – this film will show them in an entirely new light.

As Jimmy King observes of his teammates, “Five black kids from the inner city at a university that prides themselves on being very traditional.”

The Fab Five, the latest production from ESPN Films, becomes ESPN’s highest rated documentary in the US, according to the Nielsen Company.

QUOTES ABOUT THE FAB FIVE and the ESPN FILM

ESPN NBA analyst and Fab Five member Jalen Rose on producing the film for ESPN: “We really went in-depth about everything: the good, the bad, the ugly, the scandal, how we felt people saw us and we’re really excited about how the film came out … For those that had no clue about the Fab Five until they sit down and watch this documentary, they are gonna get a wealth of knowledge about what made us tick. But also for those who didn’t like us, I think this is gonna make it worse.”

For more from Jalen Rose on the film check out his chat with Sportsnation on ESPN.com.

Thomas Neumann – Page 2 on ESPN.com: “There is little debate in the college basketball world that those five players, who joined the Michigan Wolverines as freshmen in the fall of 1991, represent the greatest class ever recruited. Perhaps the most misunderstood, too. Eventually known worldwide as the ‘Fab Five,’ each member of the quintet was rated in the top 100 of national recruits in the Class of ’91. Four of them – Webber, Howard, Rose and King – were rated in the top 10.”

J.A. Adande on ESPN.com: “The Fab Five provided a player-powered revolution, the first of its kind in college hoops. Freshmen weren’t allowed to play during John Wooden’s dynasty days at UCLA. Dean Smith didn’t let the North Carolina sports information department publicize freshmen. John Thompson didn’t let the media talk to his freshmen during their first semester on campus. The Fab Five never faced such restrictions. They were on the court their first season. Instead of being strictly limited to clocked minutes at a podium, they had casual time around the media, like Muhammad Ali in training camp or Joe Namath by the pool before the Super Bowl. Their personalities emerged: Jalen the jester, Juwan the serious one and Chris, scowling on the court and flashing a high-wattage smile off it.”

Keith Clinkscales, senior vice president of ESPN Enterprises: “The Fab Five captured the essence of the ESPN Films’ mission … Our director Jason Hehir, capably worked with our own Jalen Rose and executive producer Connor Schell’s team to deliver an unfiltered look at the team that changed college basketball forever.”

Connor Schell, executive producer of ESPN Films: “Through high-quality production and storytelling, we have established a real connection with sports fans …The Fab Five is the latest example of the increased commitment to differentiated, original programming by ESPN Films.”

ESPN FILMS presents

YES SIR: JACK NICKLAUS and the ’86 MASTERS

On the 25th anniversary of one of the most memorable moments in sports history, ESPN Films looks back at Jack Nicklaus’ win in the 1986 Masters in a one-hour documentary premiering Thursday, 7th April, at 7.00pm UK / 20:00 BST & Friday, 8th April 17:00 KSA on ESPN America.

Yes Sir: Jack Nicklaus and the ’86 Masters explores the magnitude of what happened on 13 April, 1986, when the 46-year-old Nicklaus launched an improbable come-from-behind charge to win the Masters for a record sixth time. He became the oldest player ever to earn the coveted Green Jacket at a time when many believed the legendary golfer would never win another major tournament.

The film includes fresh new perspective from Nicklaus, from members of his family, including wife Barbara and son Jack II, his caddy that historic week.

Yes Sir also includes contributions from the greatest names in golf such as Tiger Woods, Greg Norman and Tom Watson, who offer special insight into the Golden Bear’s memorable achievement.

In the film, Woods, who became the youngest ever to win the Masters 11 years to the day after Nicklaus’ historic win, and Nicklaus sit down separately to watch highlights of the 1986 Masters and discuss their golfing careers then and now.

Quotes about Yes Sir: Jack Nicklaus

John Dahl, executive producer ESPN Films: “Jack Nicklaus’ dramatic comeback to win the ’86 Masters isn’t just a golf story or even a sports story … It’s a human story of a father and son coming together for something so inspiring that it resonates powerfully 25 years later. The film is a poignant look at that magical father-son journey.”

Dewey Bozella’s life changed forever when – as an 18-year-old New York kid – he was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for a murder he did not commit.

Throughout his 26 years behind bars, Bozella found strength and purpose through boxing, becoming the light heavyweight champion of Sing Sing Prison, and made it a goal to be proven innocent and box professionally once he was released.

ESPN Films chronicles Bozella’s journey from prison cell to professional boxer.

 

26 Years: The Dewey Bozella Story premieres on ESPN America on June 5th.
Check local listings for screen times and repeat showings.

Unyielding in his innocence, Bozella never gave up fighting – both in and out of the ring. He was offered more than four separate chances for an early release if he would only admit guilt and show remorse, but Bozella consistently refused to accept freedom under such conditions.

After a law firm took on his case and uncovered new evidence that exonerated him, Bozella was released and returned to boxing as a volunteer trainer to kids and aspiring fighters.

When Bozella was honored with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at The 2011 ESPYs in July [see video], he caught the attention of light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins and boxing great Oscar De La Hoya who then helped make his dream to fight one professional fight as a free man come true.

Directed by award winning producer/director Jose Morales, 26 Years: The Dewey Bozella Story follows Bozella on his quest to earn a professional boxing license at age 52, and sheds light on a man who never gave up fighting for his freedom.

The film is narrated by Oscar-nominated actor Laurence Fishburne and includes interviews from Oscar De La Hoya, Bernard Hopkins, and Bozella’s wife Trena and his attorneys.

Quotes from 26 Years: The Dewey Bozella Story:

Dewey on why he continued to box after being released from prison…
“I didn’t want to fight amateur. What I really liked to know was what it feels like to be a pro. And I believed that it was something that I needed to find out for myself.”

Oscar De La Hoya before Dewey’s second attempt at passing his boxing license…
“I don’t wish for the commission to look at his speed and his punching power. I want them to focus directly on his heart and think about what he has accomplished, what he has gone through to be right here today. Doesn’t get any tougher than that.”

Dewey on how he felt going into his first professional fight…
“Bring it. You can’t hurt me no more than I’ve already been hurt. Black eye, busted lip, busted nose, broken rib… you can’t hurt me no more. You can’t. I’ve been knocked down so many times I had no choice but to get back up or lay down and die. And I ain’t ready for that yet, so I’m going to fight.”

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For more boxing coverage on ESPN America, check local listings for our Friday Night Fights from the USA.

“SHOWTIME!” in Los Angeles – in the late 1980s and early ’90s – meant one thing and one man. Showtime was where Hollywood met the NBA. Showtime’s orchestrator was a six foot nine inch point guard who combined the dazzling showmanship of the Harlem Globetrotters with the clinical timing and precision of a brain surgeon .. albeit a globetrotting brain surgeon wearing number 32 like an “S” on his chest with his trademark beaming smile across everything he did, and a ‘baby sky-hook’ to die for.

Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson WAS Showtime! The three-time NBA MVP led the Lakers’ fastbreak offense on breathtakingly fast and furious raids upcourt that left opponents and fans gasping for breath at the speed, guile and sheer audacity of the seemingly choreographed progression to the net … and five NBA titles. ‘Magic’ was the NBA, he was Hollywood and he was untouchable, until …

In the fall of 1991, Showtime became ‘Show and Tell’ as ‘Magic’ Johnson, having rewritten the sporting record books, turned a new page on his life and career. He stood up in front of the world and made “The Announcement” …

When he was on the court, Earvin Johnson captivated fans with his awe-inspiring performances. He was ‘Magic’ … but on November 7, 1991, the eyes of the world turned to The Forum in Inglewood, California for reasons other than basketball. The perennial NBA All-Star held a press conference in the building in which he led the Lakers to five NBA championships to announce he was HIV-positive.

ESPN Films and NBA Entertainment look back 21 years at a moment that stunned the world with the documentary “THE ANNOUNCEMENT”.

Directed by Nelson George, “The Announcement” is narrated by ‘Magic’ Johnson, providing a unique perspective by telling the story in his own words. The documentary contains riveting insights from the people closest to him including his wife Cookie, son Andre, longtime rival and friend Larry Bird, Lakers teammates James Worthy and Kurt Rambis, former Lakers general manager Jerry West, and longtime friend and agent Lon Rosen. NBA Commissioner David Stern, former NBA star Karl Malone, and close friends Chris Rock and Arsenio Hall also share their memories of that time and insights on the character of the man who put a new face on HIV and AIDS.

Now, more than 20 years after the announcement, George gets to the core of Magic’s incredible personal journey and explores how he continues to thrive two decades later, thanks in large part to the fortitude of his wife, the vision of his friend and AIDS activist, the late Elizabeth Glaser, and the commitment of his former head coach Pat Riley.

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DIRECTOR’S CUT

Like everyone else, I was shocked and saddened on Nov. 7, 1991, when I got the news Earvin Johnson was HIV-positive. At the time, I was a freelance writer for the Village Voice and quickly started working on a piece about the significance of Magic’s announcement. I was also a Knicks’ season-ticket holder and was at Madison Square Garden that night when coach Pat Riley led his New York squad and the visiting Orlando Magic in prayer. Riley’s talk, and the shock of the day, was so powerful that years later I could not tell you the outcome of the game. (It turns out the Knicks blew out the Magic, but I had no memory of it.)

Based on what the public knew, Magic, like thousands of other unfortunate Americans, was gonna die. This would have been my most enduring memory of HIV if fate hadn’t intervened.

Two years after Magic’s announcement, my sister Andrea made her own: she too was HIV-positive. Just as America expected to watch Magic die, so my family anticipated this daughter, sister, mother wasting away. Yet here we are, two decades later and Magic, my sister and so many others, are alive and thriving. So the journey of HIV, from death sentence and public menace, from subject of experimental drugs cocktails to manageable disease, was not just a medical story to me; it was a tangible story of overcoming. It also made the irony of Magic’s becoming the public face of HIV even deeper.

When Magic first became infected, AIDS was viewed as “the gay disease,” which was why his diagnosis was profoundly disturbing. Twenty-plus years later, AIDS is killing minority women and young gays in alarming numbers. Magic, a father, husband and national hero, has never looked like the typical “victim,” which has made him easily acceptable to mainstream America but, to some degree, misrepresented what the virus looks like. I know my sister, who has worked as an HIV activist for more than 10 years, has both resented and admired Magic, sometimes unsure if he was the right image to represent her and yet very happy his voice was so loud on her behalf. All of which is why I was so happy to be asked to work on this film about Magic’s announcement.

This is, in fact, my second film on HIV (I did the award-winning “Life Support” for HBO in 2007, starring Queen Latifah). For me, “The Announcement” is not just a look back at a fraught, unforgettable moment in U.S. history, but a vehicle for re-introducing the subject of HIV/AIDS to an audience that may not know that Americans are still getting infected and, yes, still dying from this big disease with a little name.

Magic works hard at business and health. He is not alone. Thousands of ordinary people, people like my sister, are working every day to maintain themselves. “The Announcement” is a testament to all of them.
Nelson George – director

 

QUOTES FROM THE FILM

Magic on telling his wife Cookie he was HIV-positive: “I played against the best in basketball: Michael Jordan, Larry Bird… shoot I thought that was going to be the most difficult thing to do. Those things were nothing. The most difficult thing in my life was driving from the doctor’s office to tell my wife Cookie, I had HIV.”

Magic on Cookie who forced him to live when he was ready to give up on life: “I wasn’t Magic. I was just this guy who was so devastated that he gave up on life. Cookie had to talk to me, ‘Look, you always had plans to do more than just basketball, now is your time to do those things.’”

Magic on how he felt during the press conference: “Was I scared? No question about it I was scared. I wasn’t scared to announce it; I wasn’t scared of the media. What I was scared of is… would I see them again?”

Larry Bird on his reaction to the news: “I always want to play. I always want to get to the arena, get my uniform on and get out there, but I didn’t want to that day. I wanted no part of that game that night.”

Magic on the reaction of some friends: “I would call people, ‘Let’s work out.’ They always had something to do. ‘Oh no, I can’t right now because I’ve got to get ready for the game or whatever.’ Can you imagine that? I played one-on-one my whole life and now I’m looking for someone to play one-on-one with.”

Magic on coach Pat Riley, who worked him out at Madison Square Garden, when others had shunned him: “That was the kick in the butt in a sense that I needed. It helped me to understand that there were better days ahead. He actually changed my life that day.”

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ESPN FILMS LIBRARY

For details of other recent ESPN FIlms, click on the links below:

CATCHING HELL	Finding Steve Bartman
RENEE	The Renee Richards Story
THE DOTTED LINE	Morgan Spurlock’s look at Sports Agents
CHARISMATIC	Horse & Jockey Rags to Riches
UNGUARDED	The Chris Herren story
ROLL TIDE / WAR EAGLE	The Alabama/Auburn College Rivalry
THE REAL ROCKY	Chuck Wepner – The Bayonne Bleeder who inspired the “Rocky” films
GOOSE	Reece ‘Goose’ Tatum – Globetrotter and basketball pioneer
THE MARINOVICH PROJECT	The story behind Robo-QB Todd Marinovich (USC & Raiders)
THE ANNOUNCEMENT	Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson relives the day he announced to the world that he had AIDS.
26 YEARS: THE DEWEY BOZELLA STORY	Wrongly imprisoned for a murder, a boxer gets his first pro fight aged 52.

For more boxing coverage on ESPN America, check local listings for our Friday Night Fights from the USA.

An unprecedented documentary series featuring thirty films from some of today’s finest storytellers. Each filmmaker will bring their passion and personal point of view to their film detailing the issues, trends, athletes, teams, rivalries, games and events that transformed the sports landscape from 1979 to 2009.

1. Kings Ransom
2. The Band that Wouldn’t Die
3. Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?
4. Muhammad and Larry
5. Without Bias
6. The Legend of Jimmy the Greek
7. The U [Miami Univ]
8. Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks
9. Guru of Go
10. No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson
11. Silly Little Game
12. Run Ricky Run
13. The 16th Man
14. Straight Outta L.A.
15. June 17, 1994

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1. KINGS RANSOM – Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky’s controversial trade from Edmonton to L.A. in 1988.
On August 9, 1988, the NHL was forever changed with the single stroke of a pen. The Edmonton Oilers, fresh off their fourth Stanley Cup victory in five years, signed a deal that sent Wayne Gretzky – a Canadian national treasure and the greatest hockey player ever to play the game – to the Los Angeles Kings in a multi-player, multi-million dollar trade.

As bewildered Oiler fans struggled to make sense of the unthinkable, fans in Los Angeles were rushing to purchase season tickets at a rate so fast it overwhelmed the Kings’ box office. Overnight, a franchise largely overlooked in its 21-year existence was suddenly playing to sellout crowds and standing ovations, and a league often relegated to “little brother” status exploded from 21 teams to 30 in less than a decade.

Acclaimed director Peter Berg presents the captivating story of the trade that knocked the wind out of an entire country, and placed a star-studded city right at the humble feet of a 27-year-old kid, known simply as “The Great One.”

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2. THE BAND THAT WOULDN’T DIE – Baltimore Colts

A look at the evolution of the Baltimore Colts.
In late March of 1984, a moving company secretly packed up the Baltimore Colts’ belongings and its fleet of vans sneaked off in the darkness of the early morning. Leaving a city of deeply devoted fans in shock and disbelief.

What caused owner Robert Irsay to turn his back on a town that was as closely linked to its team as any in the NFL?

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barry Levinson, himself a long-standing Baltimore Colts fanatic, will probe that question in light of the changing relationship of sports to community. Through the eyes of members of the Colts Marching Band, Levinson will illustrate how a fan base copes with losing the team that it loves.

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3. SMALL POTATOES: WHO KILLED THE USFL

The USFL’s phenomenal impact and its dramatic demise.
In 1983 the upstart United States Football League (USFL) had the audacity to challenge the almighty NFL. The new league did the unthinkable by playing in the spring and plucked three straight Heisman Trophy winners away from the NFL. The 12-team USFL played before crowds that averaged 25,000, and started off with respectable TV ratings.

But with success came expansion and new owners, including a certain high profile and impatient real estate baron whose vision was at odds with the league’s founders. Soon, the USFL was reduced to waging a desperate anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL, which yielded an ironic verdict that effectively forced the league out of business.

Now, almost a quarter of a century later, Academy Award-nominated and Peabody Award-winning director Mike Tollin, himself once a chronicler of the league, will showcase the remarkable influence of those three years on football history and attempt to answer the question, “Who Killed the USFL?”

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4. MUHAMMAD AND LARRY – Ali v. Holmes

Previously unseen interviews with Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes.
In October of 1980 Muhammad Ali was preparing to fight for an unprecedented fourth heavyweight title against his friend and former sparring partner Larry Holmes. To say that the great Ali was in the twilight of his career would be generous; most of his admiring fans, friends and fight scribes considered his bravado delusional. What was left for him to prove?

In the weeks of training before the fight, documentarians Albert and David Maysles took an intimate look at Ali trying to convince the world and perhaps himself, that he was still “The Greatest.” At the same time, they documented the mild-mannered and undervalued champion Holmes as he confidently prepared to put an end to the career of a man for whom he had an abiding and deep affection.

In the raw moments after Ali’s humbling in this one-sided fight, it was not fully comprehended what the Maysles brothers had actually captured on film and, due to unexpected circumstances, the Maysles footage never received a public screening or airing. However, in the intervening years, the magnitude of this footage is now clear. An era ended when the braggadocio and confidence were stripped away in the ring, and the world’s greatest hero was revealed to be a man.

Here for the first time is the unseen filmed build up to that fight, accompanied by freshly shot interviews by Albert Maysles with members from both the Ali and Holmes camps, as well as others who were prime witnesses to this poignant foolhardy attempt at courage.

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5. WITHOUT BIAS – Len Bias

A look into the life of 1986 NBA top draft pick, Len Bias.
More than two decades after his tragic cocaine overdose, the late Len Bias still leaves more questions than answers. When Bias dropped dead two days after the 1986 NBA Draft, he forever altered our perception of casual drug use and became the tipping point of America’s drug crisis in the mid-80′s.

Future generations continue to face the harsh punishment of drug policies that were influenced by the public outcry after his heartbreaking death. Instead of becoming an NBA star, he became a one-man deterrent, the athlete who reminded everyone just how dangerous drug use can be. Amazingly, questions still linger about his death nearly a quarter-century later.

How good could he have been in the pro ranks? Has he become underrated or overrated as the years pass? How could a University of Maryland superstar and Boston Celtics lottery pick be derailed by a cocaine binge? Was Bias a one-time user as we were led to believe, or was there a pattern of recreational use that led to his fatal last night? Did he fall in with the wrong crowd?

In the most ambitious, comprehensive and uncompromising account of Bias’ life and death ever captured on film, up-and-coming director Kirk Fraser utilizes dozens of interviews with Bias’ closest teammates, friends and family in an effort to determine exactly what happened on that fateful night. Maybe it wasn’t as much of a fluke as we thought.

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6. THE LEGEND OF JIMMY THE GREEK – Jimmy Snyder

Sports analyst Jimmy Snyder’s impact on the growth of sports gambling.
“The NFL Today” on CBS was one of the preeminent sports programs on television in the early 1980s. It was a perfect combination of reporting, analysis, predictions, humor and talent. But there was no personality on the show more popular than Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder.

Born in Steubenville, Ohio, to Greek immigrants, Jimmy overcame childhood tragedy, moved to Las Vegas, and eventually became the biggest name in the world of sports handicapping. When CBS added him as an “analyst” on “The NFL Today,” “The Greek” not only further increased his stature as a sort of national folk hero, but he also gained an air of respectability never before associated with gamblers.

Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Fritz Mitchell, who broke in as an intern on “The NFL Today,” will examine Snyder’s impact on the growth of sports gambling, while also taking a fresh look at The Greek’s tragic downfall.

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7. THE U – Miami Hurricanes

Coach Howard Schnellenberger’s impact on NCAA football team, “The U.”
Throughout the 1980s, Miami, Florida, was at the center of a racial and cultural shift taking place throughout the country. Overwhelmed by riots and tensions, Miami was a city in flux, and the University of Miami football team served as a microcosm for this evolution.

The image of the predominantly white university was forever changed when Coach Howard Schnellenberger scoured some of the toughest ghettos in Florida to recruit mostly black players for his team. With a newly branded swagger, inspired and fueled by the quickly growing local Miami hip hop culture, these Hurricanes took on larger-than-life personalities and won four national titles between 1983 and 1991.

Filmmaker Billy Corben, a Miami native and University of Miami alum, will tell the story of how these “Bad Boys” of football changed the attitude of the game they played, and how this serene campus was transformed into “The U.”

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8. REGGIE MILLER VS. THE NEW YORK KNICKS

Indiana Pacer  Reggie Miller’s one-man battle against the Knicks.
Reggie Miller single-handedly crushed the hearts of Knick fans multiple times. But it was the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals that solidified Miller as Public Enemy #1 in New York City.

With moments to go in Game 1, and facing a seemingly insurmountable deficit of 105-99, Miller scored eight points in 8.9 seconds to give his Indiana Pacers an astonishing victory. This career-defining performance, combined with his give-and-take with Knicks fan Spike Lee, made Miller and the Knicks a highlight of the 1995 NBA playoffs.

Peabody Award-winning director Dan Klores explores how Miller proudly built his legend as “The Garden’s Greatest Villain”.

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9. GURU OF GO – Coach Paul Westhead

Hank Gathers, Bo Kimble and Paul Westhead’s impact on Loyola Marymount’s offensive system.
By the mid-1980s Paul Westhead had worn out his welcome in the NBA. The best offer he could find came from an obscure small college with little history of basketball. In the same city where he had won an NBA championship with Magic and Kareem, Westhead was determined to perfect his non-stop run-and-gun offensive system at Loyola Marymount.

His shoot-first offense appeared doomed to fail until Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble, two talented players from Westhead’s hometown of Philadelphia, arrived gift-wrapped at his doorstep. With Gathers and Kimble leading a record scoring charge, Westhead’s system suddenly dazzled the world of college basketball and turned conventional thinking on its head. But then, early in the 1989-90 season, Gathers collapsed during a game and was diagnosed with an abnormal heartbeat. Determined to play, Gathers returned three games later, but less than three months later, he tragically died on the court.

Working with both Westhead and Kimble, Oscar-winning director Bill Couturié will tell a fast-paced and emotionally moving story of innovation, triumph and tragedy.

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10. NO CROSSOVER: THE TRIAL OF ALLEN IVERSON

A look into the life of Allen Iverson’s criminal offence.
On Valentine’s Day 1993, 17-year-old Bethel High School basketball star Allen Iverson was bowling in Hampton, Va., with five high school friends. It was supposed to be an ordinary evening, but it became a night that defined Iverson’s young life.

A quarrel soon erupted into a brawl pitting Iverson’s young black friends against a group of white patrons. The fallout from the fight and the handling of the subsequent trial landed the teenager—considered by some the nation’s best high school athlete—in jail and sharply divided the city along racial lines.

Oscar nominee Steve James (“Hoop Dreams”) returns to his hometown of Hampton, where he once played basketball, to take a personal look at this still-disputed incident and examine its impact on Iverson and the shared community.

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11. SILLY LITTLE GAME – The Birth of Fantasy Sport

The development of Fantasy Leagues
Fantasy Sports is estimated to be a $4 billion industry that boasts over 30 million participants and a league for almost every sport imaginable. But for all this success, the story of the game’s inception is little known.

The modern fantasy leagues can be traced back to a group of writers and academics who met at La Rotisserie Francaise in New York City to form a baseball league of their own: The Rotisserie League. The game quickly grew in popularity, and with the growing use and attractiveness of the Internet, the “founding fathers” never foresaw how their creation would take off and ultimately leave them behind.

Innovative filmmakers Adam Kurland and Lucas Jansen chronicle the early development and ultimate explosion of Rotisserie Baseball, and shine a light on its mostly unnoticed innovators.

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12. RUN RICKY RUN – Ricky Williams

The media’s portrayal of Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams.
Ricky Williams does not conform to America’s definition of the modern athlete. In 2004, with rumors of another positive marijuana test looming, the Miami Dolphins running back traded adulation and a mansion in South Florida for anonymity and a $7 a night tent in Australia.

His decision created a media frenzy that dismantled his reputation and branded him as America’s Pothead. But while most in the media thought Williams was ruining his life by leaving football, Ricky thought he was saving it.

Through personal footage recorded with Williams during his time away from football and beyond, filmmaker Sean Pamphilon takes a fresh look at a player who had become a media punching bag and has since redeemed himself as a father and a teammate.

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13. THE 16TH MAN – 1995 Rugby World Cup

The story of New Zealand and South Africa at the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
Rugby has long been viewed in South Africa as a game for the white population, and the country’s success in the sport has been a true source of Afrikaner pride. When the 50-year-old policies and entrenched injustices of apartheid were finally overthrown in 1994, Nelson Mandela’s new government began rebuilding a nation badly in need of racial unity. So the world was watching when South Africa played host to the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

Though they had only one non-white player, the South African Springboks gained supporters of all colors as they made an improbable run into the final match where they beat the heavily favored New Zealand team. When Mandela himself marched to the center of the pitch cloaked in a Springbok jersey and shook hands with the captain of the South African team, two nations became one.

Oscar winner Morgan Freeman and director Cliff Bestall will tell the emotional story of that cornerstone moment and what it meant to South Africa’s healing process.

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14. STRAIGHT OUTTA L.A – L.A. Raiders

N.W.A.’s Ice Cube explores the NFL’s rebel franchise.
In 1982, Raiders owner Al Davis beat the NFL in court and moved his team from Oakland to Los Angeles. With a squad as colorful as its owner, the Raiders captivated a large number of black and Hispanic fans in L.A. at a time when gang warfare, immigration and the real estate boom were rapidly changing the city.

The L.A. Raiders morphed into a worldwide brand as the team’s colors, swagger and anti-establishment ethos became linked with the hip-hop scene that was permeating South Central Los Angeles. Rapper-turned-filmmaker Ice Cube was not only witness to this evolution, he was also a part of it.

As a member of the notorious rap group N.W.A, Ice Cube helped make the silver and black culturally significant to a new generation and demographic. Still a die-hard Raiders fan, Cube will explore the unlikely marriage between the NFL’s rebel franchise and America’s glamour city and show how pro football’s outlaw team became the toast of La La Land.

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15. JUNE 17, 1994 – The greatest day in fan history

Do you remember where you were on June 17, 1994?
Thanks to a wide array of unrelated, coast-to-coast occurrences, this Friday has come to be known for its firsts, lasts, triumphs and tragedy. Arnold Palmer played his last round at a U.S. Open, in Oakmont, Pa., the FIFA World Cup kicked off in Chicago, the Rangers celebrated on Broadway, Patrick Ewing desperately pursued a long evasive championship in the Garden and Donald Fehr stared down the baseball owners.

And yet, all of that was a prelude to O.J. Simpson leading America on a slow speed chase in a white Ford Bronco around Los Angeles.

Oscar-nominated and Peabody Award-winning director Brett Morgen will artistically weave these moments and others to create a unique and reflective look at a day that no sports fan could forget.

Above reviews compiled by Lindsey Smith

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MORE “30 for 30″

Click here to view the remaining fifteen films in the “30 for 30″ Archive …
16. The Two Escobars
17. The Birth of Big Air
18. Jordan Rides the Bus
19. Little Big Men
20. One Night in Vegas
21. Unmatched
22. The House of Steinbrenner
23. Into the Wind
24. Four Days In October
25. Once Brothers
26. Tim Richmond: To the Limit
27. Fernando Nation
28. Marion Jones: Press Pause
29. The Best That Never Was
30. Pony Excess

An unprecedented documentary series featuring thirty films from some of today’s finest storytellers. Each filmmaker will bring their passion and personal point of view to their film detailing the issues, trends, athletes, teams, rivalries, games and events that transformed the sports landscape from 1979 to 2009.

16. The Two Escobars
17. The Birth of Big Air
18. Jordan Rides the Bus
19. Little Big Men
20. One Night in Vegas
21. Unmatched
22. The House of Steinbrenner
23. Into the Wind
24. Four Days In October
25. Once Brothers
26. Tim Richmond: To the Limit
27. Fernando Nation
28. Marion Jones: Press Pause
29. The Best That Never Was
30. Pony Excess

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16. THE TWO ESCOBARS – Andres and Pablo Escobar

The murders of Andres and Pablo Escobar are investigated.
While rival drug cartels warred in the streets and the country’s murder rate climbed to highest in the world, the Colombian national soccer team set out to blaze a new image for their country. What followed was a mysteriously rapid rise to glory, as the team catapulted out of decades of obscurity to become one of the best teams in the world.

Central to this success were two men named Escobar: Andrés, the captain and poster child of the National Team, and Pablo, the infamous drug baron who pioneered the phenomenon known in the underworld as “Narco-soccer.” But just when Colombia was expected to win the 1994 World Cup and transform its international image, the shocking murder of Andres Escobar dashed the hopes of a nation.

Through the glory and the tragedy, The Two Escobars daringly investigates the secret marriage of crime and sport, and uncovers the surprising connections between the murders of Andres and Pablo.

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17. THE BIRTH OF BIG AIR – BMX

A biography on Mat Hoffman’s BMX life.
In 1985, at the tender age of 13, Mat Hoffman entered into the BMX circuit as an amateur, and by 16 he had risen to the professional level. Throughout his storied career, Hoffman has ignored conventional limitations, instead, focusing his efforts on the purity of the sport and the pursuit of “what’s next.” His motivations stem purely from his own ambitions, and even without endorsements, cameras, fame and fans, Hoffman would still be working to push the boundaries of gravity.

Academy Award nominee Spike Jonze and extreme sport fanatic Johnny Knoxville, along with director Jeff Tremaine, will showcase the inner workings and exploits of the man who gave birth to “Big Air.”

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18. JORDAN RIDES THE BUS – Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan’s transcendent dominance of the pro basketball world.
In the fall of 1993, in his prime and at the summit of the sports world, Michael Jordan walked away from pro basketball. After leading the Dream Team to an Olympic gold medal in 1992 and taking the Bulls to their third consecutive NBA championship the following year, Jordan was jolted by the murder of his father. Was it the brutal loss of such an anchor in his life that caused the world’s most famous athlete to rekindle a childhood ambition by playing baseball? Or some feeling that he had nothing left to prove or conquer in basketball? Or something deeper and perhaps not yet understood?

Ron Shelton, a former minor leaguer who brought his experiences to life in the classic movie “Bull Durham,” will revisit Jordan’s short career in the minor leagues and explore the motivations that drove the world’s most competitive athlete to play a new sport in the relative obscurity of Birmingham, Alabama, for a young manager named Terry Francona.

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19. LITTLE BIG MEN – 1982 Little League World Series

A look at the Kirkland, Washington little league win.
On August 28, 1982, Cody Webster and a small group of schoolyard friends from Kirkland, Washington, sat anxiously in a dugout waiting to take the field for the championship game of the Little League World Series. Their focus was just about what you’d expect from any 12-year-old: hit the ball, throw strikes, cross your fingers and then maybe – maybe – you’ll win. Adults in the stands and watching from home saw a much broader field of play. The memories of American hostages and a crippling oil crisis were still fresh; the economic malaise of the late 1970s still lingered; and the new President was recovering from an assassination attempt even while confronting new threats from the Soviet Union.

Meanwhile, back on that tiny baseball field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where America’s game was celebrated each summer, no American team had won a true international Little League World Series Championship in more than a decade. When the Kirkland players rushed from their dugout that day, they stepped onto a much bigger field than the one they saw. What they did, how they did it, and what happened to each of the players in the years that followed is a multi-faceted story.

Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Al Szymanski will examine what became of a group of childhood teammates when the high point in their lives occurred before their lives had really begun.

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20. ONE NIGHT IN VEGAS – Mike Tyson and Tupac

Controversial rapper and Tyson supporter Tupac Shakur is brutally gunned down.
On the evening of Sept. 7, 1996, Mike Tyson, the WBC heavyweight champion, attempted to take Bruce Seldon’s WBA title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. At this point in his career, Tyson’s fights had become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon, where the ever present hype of the professional boxing scene would come face to face with the worlds of big business, Hollywood, and hip hop.

Sitting ringside was controversial rapper Tupac Shakur. Shakur and Tyson were friends, a feeling of kinship linked them as each rose to stardom from poverty only to be thrown in prison. Following Tyson’s victory, Shakur and “Iron Mike” were to celebrate at an after party, but the rap star never arrived. Shakur was brutally gunned down later that night, and the scene in Las Vegas quickly turned from would-be celebratory revelry to ill fated and inopportune tragedy.

Director Reggie Bythewood, with the full cooperation of Mike Tyson, will tell not only the story of that infamous night but of the remarkable friendship between Tyson and Tupac.

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21. UNMATCHED – Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova

Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova played eighty matches against one another, and yet the two competitors developed a strong friendship.
The first time Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova stepped onto a tennis court together, the world scarcely noticed. Only a few hundred spectators saw the pert 18-year-old beat the scrappy 16-year-old Czech in 1973. “I remember that she was fat,” Evert recalled. “She was very emotional on the court, whining if she didn’t feel she was playing well. But I remember thinking, if she loses weight, we’re all in trouble.” Said Navratilova, “My goal was for her to remember my name.” Eighty matches later – amid the extraordinary growth of women’s tennis – Evert not only remembered, but became a tried and true friend and confidante, remarkable considering the two appeared to be polar opposites in upbringing, life styles and personal relationships.

Through a series of personal conversations, filmmakers Nancy Stern Winters and Lisa Lax, along with producer Hannah Storm, will tell the story of one of the greatest one-on-one sports rivalries and capture these two extraordinary athletes’ views on tennis and an ever-changing world.

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22. THE HOUSE OF STEINBRENNER – The New York Yankees

George Steinbrenner launches the reconstructed Yankee Stadium.
Love them or hate them, the Yankees remain the most glorified team in American sports history. Led by the Babe, the Iron Horse, the Yankee Clipper and the Mick, they dominated baseball for more than four decades before the legendary franchise sagged under the ownership of CBS. Then in 1973, a 42-year-old shipbuilder named George Steinbrenner, a man now as iconic to his team as the pinstripes on its uniforms, headed a group that purchased the Yankees, and turned that investment into a billion-dollar business.

Since 1923, the ‘House that Ruth Built’ has been the epicenter of the baseball world, and its team the biggest sports attraction in the Big Apple, inspiring generations of fans to maintain loyalties through good times and bad. But with a deteriorating facility and an eye towards 21st century style revenues, Steinbrenner was inspired to build an impressive new stadium. While the Yankees kept their Bronx address at 161st and River Avenue, the new ballpark marked the end of one grand era with the hope of launching another.

Two time Oscar-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple will look at the New York Yankees as defined by George Steinbrenner’s enduring legacy, and will tell a story of how a $10-million dollar investment changed the face of not only a storied franchise, but an entire sport.

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23. INTO THE WIND – Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope

In 1980, Terry Fox continued his fight against bone cancer with the pursuit of a singular, motivating vision: to run across Canada. Three years after having his right leg amputated six inches above the knee after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma, Fox set out to cover more than a marathon’s distance each day until he reached the shores of Victoria, British Columbia. Anonymous at the start of his journey, Fox steadily captured the heart of a nation with his Marathon of Hope. However the 21-year old BC native’s goal was not fame, but to spread awareness and raise funds for cancer research. After 143 days and two-thirds of the way across Canada, with the eyes of a country watching, Fox’s journey came to an abrupt end when newly discovered tumors took over his body.

Two-time NBA MVP, proud Canadian, and first-time filmmaker Steve Nash will share Fox’s incredible story of perseverance and hope.

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24. FOUR DAYS IN OCTOBER – Birth of Red Sox Nation

The Rox Sox shred the Curse of the Bambino.
When the night of October 16, 2004 came to a merciful end, the Curse of the Bambino was alive and well. The vaunted Yankee lineup, led by A-Rod, Jeter, and Sheffield, had just extended their ALCS lead to three games to none, pounding out 19 runs against their hated rivals. The next night, in Game 4, the Yankees took a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning, then turned the game over to Mariano Rivera, the best relief pitcher in postseason history, to secure yet another trip to the World Series. But after a walk and a hard-fought stolen base, the cold October winds of change began to blow. Over four consecutive days and nights, this unlikely group of Red Sox miraculously won four straight games to overcome the inevitability of their destiny.

Using extensive archive coverage from that week, Major League Baseball Productions will produce a film in “real-time” that takes an in-depth look at the 96 hours that brought salvation to Red Sox Nation and made baseball history in the process.

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25. ONCE BROTHERS – Drazen Petrovic and Vlade Divac

NBA stars Drazen Petrovic and Vlade Divac friendship crumbles.
Drazen Petrovic and Vlade Divac were two friends who grew up together sharing the common bond of basketball. Together, they lifted the Yugoslavian National team to unimaginable heights. After conquering Europe, they both went to America where they became the first two foreign players to attain NBA stardom. But with the fall of the Soviet Union on Christmas Day 1991, Yugoslavia split up. A war broke out between Petrovic’s Croatia and Divac’s Serbia. Long buried ethnic tensions surfaced. And these two men, once brothers, were now on opposite sides of a deadly civil war. As Petrovic and Divac continued to face each other on the basketball courts of the NBA, no words passed between the two. Then, on the fateful night of June 7, 1993, Drazen Petrovic was killed in an auto accident.

“Once Brothers” will tell the gripping tale of these two men, how circumstances beyond their control tore apart their friendship, and whether Divac has ever come to terms with the death of a friend before they had a chance to reconcile.

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26. TIM RICHMOND: TO THE LIMIT – NASCAR

The life story of NASCAR driver Tim Richmond and his fight against aids.
Natural. Rock star. Outsider. In the 1980s, race car driver Tim Richmond lived his life the way he raced cars – wide open. Born into a wealthy family, Richmond was the antithesis of the Southern, blue-collar, dirt-track racers who dominated NASCAR. He also was a flamboyant showman who basked in the attention of the media and fans – especially the attention of female admirers. Nevertheless, it was Richmond’s on-track performances that ended up drawing comparisons to racing legends.

And in 1986, when he won seven NASCAR races and finished third in the Winston Cup series points race, some believed he was on the verge of stardom. But soon his freewheeling lifestyle caught up to him. He unexpectedly withdrew from the NASCAR racing circuit, reportedly suffering from double pneumonia. In reality, the diagnosis was much more dire: He had AIDS. Richmond returned to the track in 1987, but he was gone from the sport by the next year as his health deteriorated. He spent his final days as a recluse, dying on August 13, 1989, at the age of 34.

Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Rory Karpf will examine the life and tragic death of one of NASCAR’s shooting stars.

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27. FERNANDO NATION – Fernando Valenzuela

Fernando Valenzuela, MLB left-handed pitcher, journey to “El Toro” status.
“The Natural is supposed to be a blue-eyed boy who teethed on a 36-ounce Louisville Slugger. He should run like the wind and throw boysenberries through brick. He should come from California.” – Steve Wulf, Sports Illustrated, 1981. So how was it that a pudgy 19-year-old Mexican left-handed pitcher from a remote village in the Sonoran desert, unable to speak a word of English, could sell out stadiums across America and become a rock star overnight?

In Fernando Nation, Mexican-born and Los Angeles-raised director Cruz Angeles traces the history of a community that was torn apart when Dodger Stadium was built in Chavez Ravine and then revitalized by one of the most captivating pitching phenoms baseball has ever seen. Nicknamed “El Toro” by his fans, Fernando Valenzuela ignited a fire that spread from LA to New York—and beyond. He vaulted himself onto the prime time stage and proved with his signature look to the heavens and killer screwball that the American dream was not reserved for those born on U.S. soil. In this layered look at the myth and the man, Cruz Angeles recalls the euphoria around Fernando’s arrival and probes a phenomenon that transcended baseball for many Mexican-Americans. Fernando Valenzuela himself opens up to share his perspective on this very special time. Even 20 years later, “Fernandomania” lives.

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28. MARION JONES: PRESS PAUSE – Olympic Gold Track Winner

The evolution on Marion Jones after her six month prison sentence for lying to federal investigators.
Few athletes in Olympic history have reached such heights and depths as Marion Jones. After starring at the University of North Carolina and winning gold at the 1997 and ’99 World Track and Field Championships, her rise to the top culminated at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia. There, she captivated the world with her beauty, style and athletic dominance, sprinting and jumping to three gold medals and two bronze.

Eventually, though, her accomplishments and her reputation would be tarnished. For years, Jones denied the increasing speculation that she used performance-enhancing drugs. But in October 2007, she finally admitted what so many had long suspected — that she had indeed used steroids. Jones was sentenced to six months in prison for lying to federal investigators and soon saw her Olympic achievements disqualified. Now a free woman, Jones is running in a new direction in life and taking time to reflect.

Oscar-nominated director John Singleton focuses on the evolution of Marion Jones.

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29. THE BEST THAT NEVER WAS – Marcus Dupree

Dupree’s unforgettable college career in football.
In 1981, college athletic recruiting changed forever as a dozen big-time football programs sat waiting for the decision by a physically powerful and lightning-quick high school running back named Marcus Dupree. On his way to eclipsing Herschel Walker’s record for the most touchdowns in high school history, Dupree attracted recruiters from schools in every major conference to his hometown of Philadelphia, Miss.

More than a decade removed from being a flashpoint in the civil-rights struggle, Philadelphia was once again thrust back into the national spotlight. Dupree took the attention in stride, and committed to Oklahoma. What followed, though, was a forgettable college career littered with conflict, injury and oversized expectations.

Eight-time Emmy Award winner Jonathan Hock examines why this star burned out so young and how he ultimately used football to redeem himself.

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30. PONY EXCESS – The Death Penalty at SMU

The Mustangs of Southern Methodist University (SMU) college football team faces “the death penalty” after greed overtakes the program.
From 1981-1984, a small private school in Dallas owned the best record in college football. The Mustangs of Southern Methodist University (SMU) were riding high on the backs of the vaunted “Pony Express” backfield. But as the middle of the decade approached, the program was coming apart at the seams. Wins became the only thing that mattered as the University increasingly ceded power of the football program to the city’s oil barons and real estate tycoons and flagrant and frequent NCAA violations became the norm.

On February 25, 1987, the school and the sport were rocked, as the NCAA meted out “the death penalty” on a college football program for the first and only time in its history. SMU would be without football for two years, and the fan base would be without an identity for 20 more until the Mustangs’ win in the 2009 Hawaii Bowl. This is the story of Dallas in the 1980′s and the greed, power, and corruption that spilled from the oil fields onto the football field and all the way to the Governor’s Mansion.

Director Thaddeus D. Matula, a product of the SMU film school, chronicles the rise, fall, and rebirth of this once mighty team.

Above reviews compiled by Lindsey Smith

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MORE “30 FOR 30″

Click here to view the first fifteen films in the “30 for 30″ Archive …
1. Kings Ransom
2. The Band that Wouldn’t Die
3. Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?
4. Muhammad and Larry
5. Without Bias
6. The Legend of Jimmy the Greek
7. The U (Miami Univ)
8. Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks
9. Guru of Go
10. No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson
11. Silly Little Game
12. Run Ricky Run
13. The 16th Man
14. Straight Outta L.A.
15. June 17, 1994

WHAT IF I TOLD YOU … ? More money, more problems. “BROKE” digs into the psychology of men whose competitive nature carried them to victory on the field yet seemed to ruin them off the field.

Even the ones who won it all can end up losing everything. Young professional athletes who do what they love for a living and who some of us ‘worship’ as indestructible heroes, because they followed their dreams, can self-destruct. It is a common story in sports: young men who come across too much, too soon and are not fully prepared to deal with the level of mega-success and mega-money.

It is no great shakes anymore when a young athlete signs a big contract but it becomes headline news when they file for bankruptcy. I, for one, have surely asked myself ‘how someone who makes millions a year can live from paycheck-to-paycheck like someone who only earns $20,000 a year and can abruptly file for insolvency.’

Volume Two of the new 30 for 30 series starts with “BROKE” directed by Billy Corben, which sheds a lot of light on exactly that burning question, WHY so many top athletes end up ‘broke’ during or shortly after they retire from their respective careers.

Our common answer would be that these athletes are just simply irresponsible; spending money like it is going out of fashion on mansions, cars and jewelry. But here is another thought that “BROKE” poses: it is not just about “Keeping up with the Joneses” which refers to the peer pressure in the locker rooms to show off what you have got.

A lot of big name athletes lost their fortunes because of bad investments, feeling obligated to help out family and friends, trusting financial ‘advisers’ and – one fact that everyone forgets (or ignores at their cost) – Uncle Sam takes a big lump of their paycheck in nearly every state they play in.

“BROKE” digs into the mindset of former NBA, NFL and MLB athletes whose extreme competitiveness and win-at-any-costs attitudes on the field of play sometimes carried over to financial ruin off the field.

This film tells the painful stories of former stars such as Bernie Kosar, Andre Rison and Curt Schilling through a series of intimate interviews and the many reasons why some of them found themselves on the other end of the high life after they retired. It vividly and sadly illustrates that the people we admire and put on pedestals are just human and make mistakes … BIG mistakes!

This is an amazing documentary for everyone – even us sports fans – but most especially for young athletes who need to understand the lessons taught in this film than learning them the hard way later on in life.

Following the words of Baltimore Ravens’ owner Steve Bisciotti, young athletes have to decide whether they would like to “live like kings for a year or like princes forever” … because at one point the ball will stop bouncing !!

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DIRECTOR’S CUT

“In June 2009, we interviewed quarterback Bernie Kosar for the ESPN 30 for 30, The U. Anyone who knows Bernie will tell you, he’s as kind and generous a guy you could ever meet. In fact, he was extremely generous with his time that morning; he talked with us for several hours and, afterwards, took pictures and signed autographs for the crew.

“A few weeks later, Dan LeBatard broke the news: Following a series of bad investments and a costly divorce, Kosar had filed for bankruptcy. It was a shock. Beyond football, Kosar was renowned for his business savvy and known to have been even more financially successful after his decade-long NFL career than during it.

“Personally, it broke my heart. Other than appearing tired at times, there was little or no indication during the hours Bernie spent with us that he was in the midst of this ordeal.

“In the early part of the millennium, you’d occasionally hear about a high profile athlete suffering financial difficulties, but Pablo Torre’s article, ‘How (and Why) Athletes Go Broke,’ in the March 2009 Sports Illustrated, cast a spotlight on what seemed to be an emerging epidemic in the wake of the 2008 economic meltdown. These days, it seems there’s a new story every week and we felt these stories were worth exploring. Not everyone was so enthusiastic about it, though.

“They say the most uncouth subjects for dinner conversation are politics and religion. I gotta add money to that list. Athletes, a famously proud group, were not particularly anxious to discuss the state of their finances, so getting interviews for this project, not surprisingly, proved to be a challenge. I really admire the people who agreed to speak with us because they sincerely felt like they have something to offer the next generation and hope that others will learn from their experience.

“The way “Broke” is structured, it’s not about people, per se, but the problem, told by the people who experience(d) it. It’s essentially a step-by-step guide, How To Lose Millions of Dollars Without Breaking a Sweat.

“Conventional wisdom is that professional athletes blow a lot of money on useless crap. Spoiler alert: professional athletes blow a lot of money on useless crap. But that’s barely the tip of the iceberg. I was surprised to discover — and I think others will be, too — how easy it is to go broke…”

Director: Billy Corben

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FILM REVIEWS

“He [Billy Corben] gets them all to really open up about the many ways and motivations for throwing their money away; every time the film threatens to feel repetitive, we get some remarkable new detail about a business deal gone awry, or a surprising emotional moment.”
Alan Sepinwall – HitFix.com

“The sketchy relationship between athletes and money involves more than just over-indulging in strippers. More fundamentally, as Broke points out, it’s a matter of young men who suddenly find themselves with a ton of money that they obtained not with business acumen but for their ability to throw a ball. Even the most sober of them has little idea how to handle it.”
Glenn Garvin – The Miami Herald

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COMING SOON in the 30 for 30 Volume Two Season
Check local listings for premiere and repeats screenings for Vol 2 films, as well as re-runs of archive ESPN Films

“There’s No Place Like Home” – A story of the most important document in sports history – James Naismith’s original rules of basketball – and the quest to return it home.

“Benji” – In 1984, 17-year-old Ben Wilson was America’s most talented basketball prospect until the sweet-natured boy was senselessly murdered.

“Ghosts of Ole Miss” – In 1962, the University of Mississippi erupted in violence over integration while swelling with pride over an unbeaten football team.

“You Don’t Know Bo” – Vincent ‘Bo’ Jackson hit 500-foot home runs and ran over linebackers. A look at the man and the myths of a two-sport legend and pop culture icon that captured our collective imagination.

WHAT IF I TOLD YOU…? Never doubt the power of home court advantage. A story of the most important document in sports history – James Naismith’s original rules of basketball – and the quest to return it home

What if I told YOU … I have two-fold connection to the “There’s No Place Like Home” documentary. Firstly, I am a loud, proud and avowed graduate of the University of Kansas; ask anyone here in the ESPN America office. I am a shameless promoter of all things Jayhawk.

And secondly, I have my very own certified copy of the Original Rules of Basketball signed by the late Ian Naismith [pictured right with me looking on], who is the grandson of the inventor of basketball James Naismith. I was lucky enough to meet Ian at the Final Four in 2010. He had a little display set up at the Bracket Town fan experience and what an experience it turned out to be for me.

As you can imagine, when I first heard there was going to be a film about one KU fan’s obsession in getting the Original Rules of Basketball back to Lawrence, I was very intrigued.

If you like an underdog story, if you are a history buff or if you remotely consider yourself a fan of any sport, then you will enjoy “There’s No Place Like Home”.

The focus of the story is Josh Swade [right], a Kansas Univ. graduate who lives in New York City and found out that the Original Rules of Basketball were going to be auctioned off at the world’s famous Sotheby’s Auction house in one month’s time. Josh firmly beleived that the rules – THE Rules -  belonged in Lawrence, Kansas because James Naismith was the first basketball coach at Kansas after all. It was a no brainer in his eyes. The problem was that Josh didn’t have the millions of dollars it would take to purchase what is described in the film as the most significant piece of sports memorabilia ever sold at auction. But what Josh did have was determination, grit, a lot of free time and a sense of fandom that went beyond most sports fans.

He compiled of list of rich Kansas Alumni who might be able to afford such a luxury and started his quest. The path and the method that Josh and his friends took is something out of a slapstick comedy. There was even an evil villain in the plot (a rich Duke Alumni – boo! hiss!!).

I don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say the basketball Gods looked down upon Josh and declared his mission worthwhile. I even found myself getting a little teary eyed at the very end, but then again, I am a Jayhawk and have more in common with someone like Josh than I am ready to admit. But I will admit, I really liked this film, I have already watched it twice. Rock Chalk Jayhawk. Go KU.

PATRICK STURGEON – Director of Programming ESPN America

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DIRECTOR’S CUT

We’re not in Kansas anymore …
This statement has followed the Kansas Basketball team on the road for 70-plus years. (The Wizard of Oz debuted in 1939, the same year as the NCAA Tournament) It seems that every time the Jayhawks visit opposing arenas there are at least a few signs from local fans relaying this infamous line recited by Dorothy.

I, too, am not in Kansas anymore. I’ve lived in New York for over 15 years. I love New York. It’s the sort of place where dreams can come true. But it will never be home. My home will always be Kansas. 

Home for basketball’s inventor, James Naismith, was also Kansas. Though he stopped over in Springfield, Mass. where he created the game, Naismith lived in Lawrence for 41 years. It was there where he founded the KU Basketball program. It was there where he mentored the great Forrest “Phog” Allen and the modern game took shape. And it’s there, where Naismith rests for eternity.

Naismith relayed late in his life that he wished for the Basketball Hall of Fame to be erected in Lawrence, Kan. They didn’t listen. They built it in Springfield. My mission and this resulting film are about honoring James Naismith’s last wishes. This film is about cementing one man’s legacy and honoring the greatest basketball tradition of all time and and the place that James Naismith called home.

Director: Josh Swade

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FILM REVIEWS

“The history of basketball is so entwined with KU that the memory of James Naismith is unavoidable in Lawrence. The film not only captures the origin of one of the world’s most popular sports, but it also tells a story of a diehard fan who went all out to make a difference for his school.”
Andrew Joseph – azcentral sports

“There’s also some elements of history that even a staunch KU fan might not be familiar with, including Naismith and Phog Allen’s role in making basketball an Olympic sport. That stuff is pretty good.”
Rustin Dodd – The Kansas City Star

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COMING SOON in the 30 for 30 Volume Two Season
Check local listings for premiere and repeats screenings for Vol 2 films, as well as re-runs of archive ESPN Films

“Benji” – In 1984, 17-year-old Ben Wilson was America’s most talented basketball prospect until the sweet-natured boy was senselessly murdered.

“Ghosts of Ole Miss” – In 1962, the University of Mississippi erupted in violence over integration while swelling with pride over an unbeaten football team.

“You Don’t Know Bo” – Vincent ‘Bo’ Jackson hit 500-foot home runs and ran over linebackers. A look at the man and the myths of a two-sport legend and pop culture icon that captured our collective imagination.

WHAT IF I TOLD YOU…? A promise lives forever. In 1984, 17-year-old Ben Wilson was America’s most talented basketball prospect until the sweet-natured boy was senselessly murdered.

1984: Chicago. A great time for Windy City-born African Americans. Oprah Winfrey was blowing up, Jesse Jackson was preaching to all, the great Michael Jordan had just signed with the Chicago Bulls and Benjamin Wilson caught the whole city’s attention.

At 17 years old ‘Benji’ was known as the best high school basketball player in the nation. Standing 6’ 7” tall, the Chicago native could do it all. He had shot smooth as silk, a finger roll so sweet you’d have thought you were watching the Ice Man himself, George Gervin. But most of all, he was a winner.

ESPN Films 30 for 30 tells the story of this young man’s journey to basketball stardom and how in a matter of seconds you can go from living the dream to having your dreams crushed. With interviews from neighbors, classmates, close friends and family members. “Benji” brings us into the life of a legend and how he affected the lives of so many even after he was taken from us.

Benji was a natural born ball player but as a freshman not even he could get consistent minutes on the multi-talented Simeon High School basketball squad.

It was not until his sophomore year that this dude started making some serious noise. Blocking shots, rim-height rebounds, ferocious dunks, no-look passes and of course; that smooth jump shot. Nike had officially declared Wilson as the #1 high school prospect after he had led his team to its first state title and dominated the national Nike basketball camp. He was on the rise and there was no one that could stop him.

Then … one fateful November afternoon after an altercation with two youths, Benjamin Wilson was shot twice. He did not survive. Yet, his life told us many things, most of all being that success is not given. It’s granted; and Benji continues to live on as a beacon of hope for all aspiring young people everywhere.

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DIRECTOR’S CUT

When I was in seventh grade all I would hear about is how cold this basketball player at Simeon by the name of Benji was. When Simeon would play my neighborhood high school (Percy L. Julian) we would run all the way up there just to get a glimpse of Ben Wilson playing but could not get in because we were only in grammar school. We had a plan for next year but never had the opportunity. Before the season started the next year, I woke up and heard on the news that Ben Wilson died. I cried like a baby! The city cried like babies. In a gang-divided city, his death changed the way we looked at each other. We started looking at each other like brothers instead of enemies.

When we had the opportunity to tell Ben Wilson’s story, we thought it was great timing, seeing all the killing that’s going on not only in Chicago but also around the world. We want to make the thugs cry! We want them to understand how powerful a gun is. When you shoot a person not only does it destroy the person and his/her family’s lives, but it also destroys theirs, and possibly an entire city. You never would know what either of you would have become.

We hope this film resonates to these young men in the streets the way it did for us. Ben Wilson’s death saved thousands of lives in Chicago, now we hope his story saves millions of lives around the world.

Director: Coodie Simmons

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FILM REVIEWS

“The heart of “Benji” is the interviews with friends, teammates and brothers, men in their 40s and 50s whose sadness is subsumed in their eagerness to recall the magic he dispensed on the basketball court.”
Mike Hale – The New York Times

“[Co-directors] Coodie and Chike paint a picture of a sweet and innocent kid who had the best possible foundation you could ask for living in Chicago’s south side. He was involved in athletics to keep him out of gangs and he was enrolled in a school that was considered safe. But, of course, there are always dangers, even unlikely ones, on every street.”
Will Eidam – The Austin Chronicle

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COMING SOON in the 30 for 30 Volume Two Season

Check local listings for premiere and repeats screenings for Vol 2 films, as well as re-runs of archive ESPN Films

“Ghosts of Ole Miss” – In 1962, the University of Mississippi erupted in violence over integration while swelling with pride over an unbeaten football team.

“You Don’t Know Bo” – Vincent ‘Bo’ Jackson hit 500-foot home runs and ran over linebackers. A look at the man and the myths of a two-sport legend and pop culture icon that captured our collective imagination.

WHAT IF I TOLD YOU…? That one American college football team and one college student would be forever intertwined. In 1962, the University of Mississippi, better known as Ole Miss, was in the midst of one of the greatest college football seasons in history.

At the same time James Meredith was trying to become the first African-American student to enroll at Ole Miss. What followed was an emotionally and racially charged war on Ole Miss’ campus; a campus that was barely being held together by the success of the school’s football team.

This is the story of one African-American exercising his civil rights and one of the greatest teams to ever play college football.

Oxford, Mississippi, 1962: The days where tumultuous on the campus of Ole Miss in the fall of ’62. The African-American Civil Rights Movement was in full swing, integration was being fiercely opposed, and one man decided to challenge the classic values of an entire state. Ole Miss was ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court to admit James Meredith, a former nine-year Air Force service member, for enrolment at the university.

The head of state, Governor Ross Barnett, urged resistance to Meredith’s admittance and was hooked on the drug-like effect that the state’s mainly Caucasian population support was having on him.

In the dark of the night James Meredith [pictured below in the film] was ushered onto Ole Miss’ campus, aided by about 100 Federal Marshalls. When the students caught wind of the news, riots erupted. Two people were killed and countless others injured during these riots in what some call the “last great battle of the American Civil War.”

As the campus deteriorated amidst the riots, the success of the football team was all – it seemed – that held the school together. The greatest season and only undefeated season in the University of Mississippi’s history may have saved the school.

This is the story of the collision course of two great historical achievements. One was an enormous civil rights gain for African-Americans around the United States, the other a university’s greatest sporting achievement in its proudest sport. Follow a story of tear gas, riots, integration, football, and hope that still impacts Ole Miss today … some fifty years after the fact.

Written by Michael Marra

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DIRECTOR’S CUT

“I had been to Oxford, Miss. a few times in the 90′s to work on football stories; even knew about James Meredith integrating Ole Miss back in 1962. I’d seen the chips in the lyceum columns from the night of the riots, but as I read Wright Thompson’s story, The Ghosts of Mississippi, I was shocked to find that there was a connection between football and civil rights. Thompson described a Mississippi with deep psychological wounds from the civil war and a football team that made the university proud during this shameful period. Why didn’t I know this story? How come others hadn’t written about it? Most importantly, I was alive, albeit a little boy, when this happened. It was hard for me to believe that an isolated society like this even existed and that football was an integral part of it.

When I walk around the grove at Ole Miss, I am captivated by the beauty of the campus but always mindful of William Faulkner’s quote, “The past is never dead, it’s not even past.”

Director: Fritz Mitchell

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FILM REVIEWS
“…I commend Thompson on his ability to tell that ever so important story in a very personal and compelling way. The chilling images of student protesters and injured federal troops on that fateful October evening surely moved anyone who was watching.”
Garrett Mcinnis – The Clarion-Ledger

“…Ghosts Of Ole Miss has a strong presence, it’s the 79-year-old James Meredith, who, asked for his own recollections of those days…”
Phil Dyess-Nugent – a.v. club

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COMING SOON in the 30 for 30 Volume Two Season

Check local listings for premiere and repeats screenings for Vol 2 films, as well as re-runs of archive ESPN Films

“You Don’t Know Bo” – Vincent ‘Bo’ Jackson hit 500-foot home runs and ran over linebackers. A look at the man and the myths of a two-sport legend and pop culture icon that captured our collective imagination.

WHAT IF I TOLD YOU…? that there were stars, there were superstars – and then there was Vincent ‘Bo’ Jackson!

“You Don’t Know Bo” is a 90-minute documentary that is crammed to overflowing with unbelievable highlight action, first-hand anecdotal commentary and mind-boggling mythological feats from Bo’s childhood. If Stan Lee was to create a sporting superhero for Marvel comics, his exploits and legend would not come halfway to reaching what Bo Jackson achieved in a short college and professional career across baseball, football and athletics.

This excellent documentary takes the viewer beyond the human highlight reel accomplishments: leading off an All-Star game with a homer, running for a 91-yard TD and disappearing out of the Kingdome, running up the center field wall after making an over the shoulder catch, and many more that have to be seen to be be believed.

The film shows the inspirational (and perhaps sadly overlooked and overshadowed) side to Bo’s persona is how, when faced with making a decision to join George Steinbrenner’s Yankees, Bear Bryant’s Crimson Tide or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as its first overall draft pick – he made the right choice: morally not monetarily. This perhaps is what really separates Bo Jackson from the other megastars.

“YOU DON’T KNOW BO” premieres on ESPN America on Weds Dec 26th.
Check local listings for start times and repeat screenings

I was lucky enough, while living/working in Los Angeles, to see Bo play – up close and personal from the sidelines at the LA Coliseum for the Raiders against the Bengals. The photo below is my favorite image I have ever taken in 20+ years of sports photography. What struck me most about Bo in full flight was that he never looked like he was running fast – he ran so smoothly and effortlessly, and in perfect balance but his acceleration and power made others look pedestrian.

As if in homage to the whole series that precedes it, “You Don’t Know Bo” successfully manages to combine elements of other great ’30 for 30′ titles:
A two-sport superstar – “Jordan Rides the Bus”
A career cut short through injury / illness – “Magic Johnson: The Announcement” / “Marcus Dupree: The Best There Never Was”
A high school phenom – “Benji” / “Chris Herren”
Alabama v Auburn rivalry – “Roll Tide, War Eagle”

It is an easy decision for me to make to name Bo as the greatest athlete I have ever seen play live (and that list includes Jordan, Montana and the similarly multi-talented Herschel Walker), but this film is equally peerless. Not only is “You Don’t Know Bo” the best ’30 for 30′ documentary I have ever seen, but it is also the best sports documentary and, in my humble opinion, the greatest documentary I have ever seen (but then I am biased by the subject matter)! Which only goes to prove that “Bo Knows Docos” too!

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SYNPOSIS / REVIEWS
He hit 500-foot major league home runs, ran over NFL linebackers, and – for a few memorable years – was the best athlete we’d ever seen (until injury ended his two-sport career). “You Don’t Know Bo” is a close look at the man and Nike’s iconic  ‘Bo Knows…’ marketing campaign that shaped his legacy. Even without winning a Super Bowl or World Series – he is, however, the only man to be elected to both the MLB All -Star Game & NFL Pro Bowl – Bo redefined the role of the athlete in the pop cultural conversation. More than 20 years later, myths and legends still surround Bo Jackson, and his impossible feats still capture our collective imagination.

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QUOTES

“Bo Jackson is like a superhero straight out of a comic book. If we had scripted this story it would feel like a cliché, but what’s so incredible is that for the most part, the legend of Bo Jackson is actually true. And the parts that aren’t true have been cemented into the minds of fans to somehow become the truth.”
MICHAEL BONFIGLIO, “You Don’t Know Bo” director [see video below]

“Coaches, teammates and sportswriters speak of him in mythological terms. He is compared to Paul Bunyan, described as ‘something out of Homer,’ or someone who came ‘from outer space to play for the Royals.’ As with Hercules or Superman, there were stories of great physical feats done in his youth … The epitaph he wants for his gravestone is ‘Here lies a ballplayer.’ If Jackson is in neither the baseball nor the football Hall of Fame, he is remembered as something more than a mere player – one of those great gifted beings who are given for a time to walk among us and make the world seem more marvelous”
ROBERT LLOYD, Los Angeles Times

“ESPN’s 30 for 30 films are almost always good, but this is one that people need to pay attention to. Two-sport athletes are pretty much a dead breed, and Jackson will always be the prime example of what they’re supposed to be. It’s always a good idea to watch these documentaries, but Jackson is a once-in-a-lifetime talent. It’s time for people to learn about him and how good he really was.”
IAN HANDFORD, BleacherReport.com

“One of the most common complaints I’ve seen from the public regarding the 30 for 30 series is that so many of them focus on negative stories, stories that show the worst side of human nature. Whether that’s a fair assessment or not, there’s no placing “You Don’t Know Bo” in that category. It’s as inspirational and uplifting a film as ESPN has produced yet for this series and one that everyone, not just Auburn fans, can enjoy and take inspiration from.”
MATT SCALICI, AL.com (Alabama)

“How great is the @espn 30 on 30 series? Thoroughly enjoyed tonight’s documentary on Bo Jackson. #BOKNOWSCLASS”
@TroyAikman, Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys QB on Twitter

WHAT IF I TOLD YOU…? that Ordinary People can do Extraordinary Things! – the incredible story and destiny of the 1983 NC State Wolfpack!

REVIEW
It doesn’t matter if you’re a college basketball fan or not. You’ve seen this play before.
Time winding down, a pass to the corner, a baseball pass to the top of the key…
A near steal, recovery and a shot.
Short.

But instead of quietly reaching the hardwood as time expires, the ball is dunked and chaos ensues.

You’ve probably seen that play, that coach running around with no direction, no sense of what exactly just happened, just looking for someone to hug.

That coach was Jim Valvano.

That play was the iconic buzzer beater that won North Carolina State the 1983 national title in a monumental upset of top-ranked Houston.

The 30 for 30 film Survive and Advance documents the journey of a coach and team, but most importantly, it documents a message: “Everyday ordinary people do extraordinary things.”
by Andrew Joseph (who will be reporting from Atlanta on the Final Four for ESPN America).

“SURVIVE & ADVANCE” premieres on ESPN America on Thurs March 28th.
Check local listings for start times and repeat screenings

SYNOPISIS
When the 1982-83 college basketball season began, Jim Valvano and his North Carolina State Wolfpack faced high expectations with equally high aspirations.

But with ten losses for the season, the Wolfpack’s only hope of making the NCAA Tournament was to win the ACC Tournament and earn the conference’s automatic berth. Nine straight improbable tournament wins later over the likes of Ralph Sampson, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, NC State had “survived and advanced” its way to a national championship.

Director Jonathan Hock takes a poignant look through the eyes of senior captain Dereck Whittenburg at a dream fulfilled and explores what at times has been a tragic and heartbreaking aftermath in the 30 years since.

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DIRECTOR’S TAKE
During the summer of 2011, I received a phone call from Dereck Whittenburg. We met a few years earlier when he was the head basketball coach at Fordham and I helped him set up a TV show about the team. He was an amazing guy, I remember thinking, 25 years out from his great shining moment and still so passionate about the game.
His great moment – and any fan of a certain age will remember it as one of the great flashbulb memories of a lifetime of fandom – was hoisting up a desperate prayer of a ball that was caught and dunked by his teammate, Lorenzo Charles, giving their NC State Wolfpack the unlikeliest NCAA Championship victory imaginable. This was the moment that the NCAA Men’s Championship Tournament became March Madness, the miracle that made college basketball a highlight of the sports calendar right up there with the Super Bowl and the World Series.
That happened in 1983, and here it is 2011, and Dereck is calling because it’s almost the 30th anniversary of the moment. He’s been thinking about it, and he wants to make a film about it. Now a broadcaster, neither playing or coaching for the first time since he was a little boy, Dereck is taking stock about what that championship — that run of perfection — meant to him and his teammates. They’d lost their beloved coach Jim Valvano just ten years after the title, but still they were a kind of family, and Dereck wanted to get them all together to remember.
He didn’t know it would happen so quickly. Two days after we spoke, the news hit the wire that Lorenzo Charles, a bus driver in Raleigh, had died in a crash. Dereck and his teammates gathered not to celebrate their championship season, but to mourn the loss of the man who had delivered it. Suddenly, everything that had happened so long ago meant something new.
The year and a half that Dereck, producer Jim Podhoretz and I have spent journeying together has been incredible. Jim and I were both in college watching Dereck win the title in 1983, and what the three of us have discovered together about time and memory, about purpose and perfection, about friendship and loss, has been a journey for which I’m deeply grateful, both in the living of it and in the ability to share it in our film. “Survive and Advance” is about a team of destiny, led by a once-in-a-generation coach that capped the last true golden age of college basketball. But more than that, it’s a story of how people find meaning in life, and how a team sport, when played and practiced with purpose and commitment, can turn a team into a family. Dereck likes to say that he and Valvano shared a vision. “A vision is a dream with a plan,” he says. But ultimately, we don’t know what the plan is for each of us, so when the dream comes true, it means so much, even 30 years later.
Jonathan Hock – director of ESPN Films “Unguarded” and “The Best There Never Was”

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RELIVING JIMMY V’S INSPIRATIONAL ESPY SPEECH FROM 1993
10 years after leading his NC State basketball team on a miraculous run to the national title, Jim Valvano addressed the ESPY’s audience and delivered like never before: Jimmy V took his “Don’t Give Up, Don’t Ever Give Up” mantra to heart.