A close look at two-sport athlete Bo Jackson and the creation of a legend. Even without winning a Super Bowl or World Series, Bo will forever be known as a cultural icon and one of the most famous athletes of all time. This film will examine the truths and tall tales that surround Jackson, and how his seemingly impossible feats captured our collective imagination for an all-too-brief moment in time.
The remarkable life and career of the legendary Dick Vitale, ESPN's voice of college basketball for more than four decades, and an inspiration as he battles cancer, a disease he's been fighting on behalf of others for years as well. The film features more than 40 original interviews including Magic Johnson, Mike Krzyzewski, Charles Barkley, John Calipari, Robin Roberts, Chris Berman and Mike Tirico, among many leading voices from college basketball, sports broadcasting, and beyond, "Dickie V" is a fun, unforgettable, moving, inspirational ride through an incredible life still being lived, and a poignant tribute to a man still spreading love and joy wherever he goes.
Interspersed with interviews from luminaries including Dr. J, Oscar Robertson, Bill Cosby, Jerry West, Mannie Jackson, Marques Haynes, Ernie Banks, and Dr. Jack Ramsay, the story spans decades and shows the widespread influence of Goose on prominent sports, entertainment and business figures. Mannie Jackson presents the untold story of an American icon who changed the game of basketball forever and inspired an entire generation along the way.
In the world of motorsports, the Indianapolis 500 has long been considered the only race. In May 1977, Janet Guthrie — the first woman to attempt Indy — earned herself a spot in the prestigious field of 33. A year later, overcoming impossible odds, Guthrie cobbled together her own team for a stunning success. Yet just when her career should have rocketed forward, it suddenly, inexplicably stalled.
In 1951, a cheating scandal rocks West Point academy, as 83 cadets -- including the son of the school's football coach (Glenn) -- are implicated and ultimately dismissed.
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 deal. 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.
From 1981-1984, a small private school in Dallas owned the best record in college football. The Mustangs of Southern Methodist University 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. In 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 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.
In 1989, the Buffalo Bills were a talented team full of big personalities, including future Hall-of-Famers Jim Kelly, Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed. Dysfunction and infighting ran as deep as the talent in their locker room, but the team known as “The Bickering Bills” would soon transform themselves into an elite force. From 1990 through 1993, the Bills went on an unprecedented run of AFC Championship victories, appearing in a record four straight Super Bowls. But what’s been remembered most is how those Super Bowl appearances played out, with the Bills losing all four. Along the way though, the Bills took part in some of the defining NFL moments of the era. Theirs is a heartbreaking tale, yet one that ultimately proves Jim Kelly and the Bills to be among the most perseverant group of players in NFL lore.
Stories from survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing.
Free Spirits tells the colorful story of the Spirits of St. Louis – an entertaining and at times controversial team featuring stars like Marvin "Bad News" Barnes and James "Fly" Williams with an upstart sportscaster named Bob Costas calling the play-by-play.
This time Remy, Vasquez, Nancy and Coach Cricket are joining the Pittsburgh Penguins, while Tilly, Bill, Gloria and Coach Alice are joining the Boston Bruins!
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.
LeBron James faces the biggest challenge of his career as he teams up with the Tune Squad to save his son, the Looney Tunes, and their universe. Can LeBron and the Tune Squad defeat The Goon Squad to save his son? Only time will tell... welcome to the Space Jam!
One night in Durham, North Carolina, a rape accusation set fire to the reputations of three college athletes and their elite university. As the Duke lacrosse players grappled with their transition from model student to the criminally accused, several wars were launched on different fronts.
Documentary following the life & career of 16 time world champion Ric "The Nature Boy" Flair.
In 1971, after being rejected by Hollywood, Bruce Lee returned to his parents’ homeland of Hong Kong to complete four iconic films. Charting his struggles between two worlds, this portrait explores questions of identity and representation through the use of rare archival footage, interviews with loved ones and Bruce’s own writings.
The Drive. The Fumble. The Shot. The Decision. José Mesa. And so it goes for Cleveland sports fans. BELIEVELAND attempts to explain the masochistic devotion many Browns, Indians, and Cavs fans have when it comes to cheering for teams that continue to break our hearts. Including interviews with ghosts of sports heroes past, current Cleveland personalities, and many of the very fanatics that keep taking their licks, BELIEVELAND is like group therapy where the patients are the ones asking “why, Why, WHY!” Only true Clevelanders can understand our love for our city, our loyalty to our teams, and the mentality that hungers for more even though it’s been 50 years since our last championship. And that’s because one day–one day–we’ll be able to say, “I told you so” to everyone who refuses to believe.
Co-directed by Gentry Kirby and Erin Leyden, “Tommy” examines Morrison’s remarkable rise to the spotlight, followed by a stunning, confounding, and ultimately tragic fall. He was one of the best heavyweights of his time; a handsome, charming, yet unsettled young star. Born into a troubled family in America’s heartland, Morrison’s initial emergence as a fighter was bolstered by a starring role in “Rocky V.” A few years later he beat George Foreman for the WBO heavyweight title, and seemed primed for more stardom, even in the face of blown opportunities and upset losses. But everything changed in early 1996 when he tested positive for HIV, abruptly forcing him into retirement at age 27. From there, Morrison’s life spiraled further and further downward, plagued by drug problems, jail time, and an eventual denial that he had the virus at all.
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, this documentary 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.
Chuck Wepner is a liquor salesman from Bayonne, N.J., who drives a Cadillac with “Champ” vanity plates. A former New Jersey State Heavyweight Boxing Champion, he took abuse from Sonny Liston, got his nose broken by Muhammad Ali, and inspired Sylvester Stallone to write “Rocky” which won three Academy Awards. 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 bear. Twice.
