Season 01
Season 02
Season 03
Season 04
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is an unprecedented documentary series featuring today's finest storytellers from inside and outside of the sports world. What started as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary has come to life as an eclectic and fascinating collection of passionate films about sports and culture. Individually, each of the films in this series is meant to tell an intimate, compelling story that stands on its own and brings to life the filmmaker's vision. Collectively, however, these creatively different films weave together a diverse tapestry of what sports has meant to culture. Ultimately, 30 For 30 strives to sit the viewer down and tell a story, employing many sources but giving a distinctive point of view, marshaling words and images to serve that particular perspective. In a sports universe of competing voices, these films offer a single, compelling one. Written by ESPN Films
All Episodes - S03
EPS01
When Pete Carroll took over the football program at USC after the 2000 season, the once-great Trojans were under siege. But thanks to his football knowledge, upbeat personality and recruiting skills, Southern Cal was soon back atop the college football world as home attendance skyrocketed, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush won Heismans and the Trojans put together a 34-game winning streak. As it would be later discovered, though, the program was committing sins that would result in lost scholarships, victories and one of those Heismans. But those revelations didn't come until after the national championship game in the 2006 Rose Bowl between USC and the University of Texas. Featuring interviews with Carroll, Leinart and others inside the USC program at the time, Trojan War looks at Carroll's nine-year USC reign through the prism of that game, considered one of the greatest in college football history. It was also the beginning of the end. Written by ESPN Films
EPS02
Back in the 1980s, the road to the Olympics was long and hard for an amateur wrestler. But then along came John du Pont, an eccentric heir to the family fortune with a passion for wrestling. His 800-acre 'Foxcatcher' Farm outside Philadelphia became the hub of the sport, with state-of-the-art training facilities, free accommodations, generous stipends and the support of America's best freestyle wrestlers, brothers Mark Schultz and Dave Schultz. It all seemed too good to be true - and tragically it was, with a savage ending. Featuring new testimonials and never-before-seen footage, The Prince of Pennsylvania is the story of a paradise lost to the madness of its creator, a man who had the means to buy anything except for the one thing he truly wanted. Written by ESPN Films
EPS03
Football is a religion to many people. But few know the depths of both faiths as well as Bill McCartney, the former head football coach of the University of Colorado and the founder of Promise Keepers, a Christian men's ministry. The Gospel According to Mac tells the truth-is-stranger-than-fiction story of Coach Mac's controversial national championship run - two seasons that followed multiple arrests and strife between his mostly African-American players and the Boulder police, continued with McCartney's own daughter becoming pregnant by the team's quarterback before seeing that same quarterback struck by cancer, and culminated in consecutive Orange Bowl match-ups against Notre Dame. Bill McCartney's passionate and often polarizing beliefs have made him many enemies and many admirers, but it's difficult to deny that he embodies the essential issues facing football in America to this day. Written by ESPN Films
EPS04
With his outsized personality and ferocious punches, Mike Tyson cast a commanding shadow over boxing in the 1980s and '90s. Even when Iron Mike was in prison, the heavyweight division belonged to him. Meanwhile, like Ahab patiently waiting to reel in his giant whale, Evander Holyfield endured years of delay for the opportunity to take down Tyson. Though Holyfield captured the heavyweight title when he knocked out Buster Douglas, the prevailing view of the mild-mannered Holyfield was that he was a journeyman -- the heavyweight champion but never a truly great one. Though Holyfield dramatically lost and recaptured the heavyweight crown, and then lost it again, even he understood that his career would ultimately be defined by how he stood up to Tyson -- if he ever got his chance. By the time of their much-hyped and oft-delayed heavyweight title bout in November of 1996, Holyfield was 34 and considered past his prime. Four years younger, Tyson was heavily favored to be standing over ...
EPS05
While chronicling quarterback Jim Kelly's battle with cancer, this documentary examines the American obsession with winning and losing through the spectrum of the early 90's Buffalo Bills teams that went to four straight Super Bowls and lost every time. They've been seen as football's ultimate losers, who if circumstances were different, may have been remembered as the ultimate winners. Written by ESPN Films
EPS06
One of the greatest football teams ever assembled, the 1985 Chicago Bears were a team of big talent, big egos, and big success. This documentary explores that success and the players behind it, as well as the questions surrounding the lack of a repeat performance.
EPS07
A documentary examination of the accusations of sexual misconduct against the Duke University lacrosse team that were ultimately found to be baseless
EPS08
In the mid-1990s, Orlando was the center of excitement in the NBA. The young franchise, led by mega-stars Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway, beat the mighty Bulls en route to the 1995 NBA Finals. While it was clear Orlando was a dynasty in the making, the Magic's moment on top was never fully realized.
EPS09
There's a special place on the southern shore of Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. Known as Cleveland, it is the site of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the home of the Indians, the Browns and the Cavaliers. But it's also the home of an agonizing losing streak. Of all American cities that have at least three major sports franchises, Cleveland is the only one that has failed to win a championship in the last half-century. Those sports teams, and the hearts they've broken over and over again, have inspired a different name for the city, and the title for this 30 for 30 film: Believeland. Directed by Ohio native Andy Billman, this evocative documentary will take you on a trip that goes back 50 years and captures the seminal ups and downs of the once-thriving metropolis - Superman, after all, was created there. Despite the economic and athletic misfortunes, and the T-shirt that reads God Hates Cleveland, the people still believe and worship Jim Thome and Jim Brown and ... Written by ESPN Films
EPS10
When former New York Mets superstars Dwight Doc Gooden and Darryl Strawberry were good, they were great. They were the biggest stars on a team that captured the imagination of New York City and won the 1986 World Series. But when life spiraled out of control for both men, they broke the hearts of Mets fans. The pitcher and the power hitter look back on the glory days of the mid-80s and the harrowing nights that turned them from sure Hall of Famers into prisoners of their own addictions.
EPS11
They were the most popular fraternity on the campus of college basketball in the early 1980s. Led by a Nigerian soccer player named Hakeem Olajuwon and a lightly recruited hometown kid named Clyde Drexler, the University of Houston Cougars not only electrified the NCAA Final Four with three straight appearances (1982-84), but they also helped transform the game itself. In this 30 for 30 film, director Chip Rives brings back the high-flying circus act under ringmaster Guy V. Lewis and spins a tale of true greatness and crushing heartbreak. But while exploring that larger narrative, Rives also focuses on the disappearance of enigmatic role player Benny Anders and the lasting brotherhood that compels teammates and 1981-82 co-captains Eric Davis and Lynden Rose to try and find him after more than two decades of mystery.
EPS12
The popular but polarizing former golfer John Daly is the subject of the latest in ESPN's 30 for 30 series.The documentary covers his career and subsequent struggles.
EPS13
On October 15, 1988, Notre Dame hosted the University of Miami in what would become one of the greatest games in college football history. It was tradition vs. swagger, the No. 4-ranked Fighting Irish versus the No. 1-ranked Hurricanes, one coaching star, Lou Holtz, versus another, Jimmy Johnson. But the name still attached to the contest came from a t-shirt manufactured by a few Notre Dame students: Catholics vs. Convicts. In this 30 for 30 documentary, director and narrator Patrick Creadon (Wordplay, I.O.U.S.A.) doesn't just look back on the epic game. He explores the deeper narrative as a Notre Dame senior at the time, a close friend to the young men in the middle of the Catholics vs. Convicts controversy (Joe Fredrick and Pat Walsh) and a fellow classmate of the player behind center for the Fighting Irish (quarterback Tony Rice). The coaches and players open up about the fight that started the game, the highly debatable calls that are still being talked about and the ...
EPS14
A bold challenge, a fearless experiment and ultimately, a spectacular failure. In 2001, sports entertainment titans Ebersol and McMahon launched the XFL. It was hardly the first time a league had tried to compete with the NFL, but the brash audacity of the bid, combined with the personalities and charisma of Ebersol and McMahon and the marketing behemoths of their respective companies - NBC and WWE - captured headlines and a sense of undeniable anticipation about what was to come. Bringing together a cast of characters ranging from the boardrooms of General Electric to the practice fields of Las Vegas, This Was the XFL is the tale of - yes - all that went wrong, but also, how the XFL ended up influencing the way professional team sports are broadcast today. And at the center of it all - a decades long friendship between one of the most significant television executives in media history and the one-of-a-kind WWE impresario. This film will explore how Ebersol and McMahon brought the ...
EPS15
The life and career of John Calipari, one of the most polarizing figures in modern college basketball, weaving his story around that of his 2015-16 Kentucky team.
EPS16
This entry in ESPN's 30 for 30 series looks at the origins of the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s that revived - and saved - the NBA.
EPS17
The 1984 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers cause a nation to take sides.
EPS18
EPS19
Mike Francesa and Chris Russo's 'Mike and the Mad Dog' radio show ruled afternoon sports talk from the New York studios of WFAN 660 for 19 years-not bad considering they didn't think they'd last 19 days together. Even though they both brought Long Island accents and encyclopedic sports knowledge to the microphone, they were distinctly different personalities who often clashed on and off the air. But when all was said and done, they changed sports radio forever. Written by Awful Announcing
EPS19
Mike Francesa and Chris Russo, and their Mike and The Mad Dog show ruled afternoon sports talk for 19 years. They were distinctly different personalities who often clashed on and off the air, but when all was said and done, they changed sports radio forever.
EPS20
In the fall of 1988 a Texas high school fielded the football team that many consider the greatest ever, yet chances are good you have never heard their story. What Carter Lost is not about the team immortalized in Friday Night Lights - it's about the team that beat them. It's about the year Dallas Carter dominated Texas high school football, never losing a game, but walked away with little more than an asterisk in the state's history books. It's about the legal battles that accompanied every Carter playoff game, the string of inexplicable crimes that forever altered six players' futures, and the community that rallied to support its team, only to find itself tarred with scandal. In the tradition of the best 30 for 30 documentary features, What Carter Lost is a story about the intersection of forces bigger than any game - except for football in Texas.
EPS21
Two weeks into the 1987 season, the NFL's players went on strike. For the first time in the history of professional sports in the United States, replacement players would take the field. Crossing the picket line to play in the NFL changed their lives, but not in the way they'd expected or hoped. The moment they crossed the picket line, they were no longer athletes; they were scabs. By the end of the strike, Washington stood alone as the only replacement team to go undefeated- ultimately setting up returning strikers for a triumphant run at a Super Bowl. For those replacements, the experience of 1987 should have been a badge of honor. Instead, it became a scab that never healed.
EPS22
EPS23
It was a remarkable and compelling rise to the spotlight. But then came the stunning, confounding, and ultimately tragic fall. In the 30 for 30 film Tommy, directors Erin Leyden and Gentry Kirby explore the story of one-time heavyweight boxing champion Tommy Morrison in a tale that's unlike any other. Born into a troubled family in the American 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 then everything changed in early 1996, when he tested positive for HIV, forcing him into retirement. From there, Morrison's life spiraled further and further downward, plagued by drug problems, jail time, and most alarmingly and bizarrely, an eventual denial that he had the virus at all. There have been other boxers, and other sports stars, whose stories ended sadly. But rarely ... Written by ESPN.com
EPS24
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is an unprecedented documentary series featuring today's finest storytellers from inside and outside of the sports world. What started as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary has come to life as an eclectic and fascinating collection of passionate films about sports and culture. Individually, each of the films in this series is meant to tell an intimate, compelling story that stands on its own and brings to life the filmmaker's vision. Collectively, however, these creatively different films weave together a diverse tapestry of what sports has meant to culture. Ultimately, 30 For 30 strives to sit the viewer down and tell a story, employing many sources but giving a distinctive point of view, marshaling words and images to serve that particular perspective. In a sports universe of competing voices, these films offer a single, compelling one. Written by ESPN Films
EPS25
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is an unprecedented documentary series featuring today's finest storytellers from inside and outside of the sports world. What started as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary has come to life as an eclectic and fascinating collection of passionate films about sports and culture. Individually, each of the films in this series is meant to tell an intimate, compelling story that stands on its own and brings to life the filmmaker's vision. Collectively, however, these creatively different films weave together a diverse tapestry of what sports has meant to culture. Ultimately, 30 For 30 strives to sit the viewer down and tell a story, employing many sources but giving a distinctive point of view, marshaling words and images to serve that particular perspective. In a sports universe of competing voices, these films offer a single, compelling one. Written by ESPN Films
EPS26
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is an unprecedented documentary series featuring today's finest storytellers from inside and outside of the sports world. What started as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary has come to life as an eclectic and fascinating collection of passionate films about sports and culture. Individually, each of the films in this series is meant to tell an intimate, compelling story that stands on its own and brings to life the filmmaker's vision. Collectively, however, these creatively different films weave together a diverse tapestry of what sports has meant to culture. Ultimately, 30 For 30 strives to sit the viewer down and tell a story, employing many sources but giving a distinctive point of view, marshaling words and images to serve that particular perspective. In a sports universe of competing voices, these films offer a single, compelling one. Written by ESPN Films
EPS27
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is an unprecedented documentary series featuring today's finest storytellers from inside and outside of the sports world. What started as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary has come to life as an eclectic and fascinating collection of passionate films about sports and culture. Individually, each of the films in this series is meant to tell an intimate, compelling story that stands on its own and brings to life the filmmaker's vision. Collectively, however, these creatively different films weave together a diverse tapestry of what sports has meant to culture. Ultimately, 30 For 30 strives to sit the viewer down and tell a story, employing many sources but giving a distinctive point of view, marshaling words and images to serve that particular perspective. In a sports universe of competing voices, these films offer a single, compelling one. Written by ESPN Films
EPS28
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is an unprecedented documentary series featuring today's finest storytellers from inside and outside of the sports world. What started as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary has come to life as an eclectic and fascinating collection of passionate films about sports and culture. Individually, each of the films in this series is meant to tell an intimate, compelling story that stands on its own and brings to life the filmmaker's vision. Collectively, however, these creatively different films weave together a diverse tapestry of what sports has meant to culture. Ultimately, 30 For 30 strives to sit the viewer down and tell a story, employing many sources but giving a distinctive point of view, marshaling words and images to serve that particular perspective. In a sports universe of competing voices, these films offer a single, compelling one. Written by ESPN Films
EPS29
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is an unprecedented documentary series featuring today's finest storytellers from inside and outside of the sports world. What started as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary has come to life as an eclectic and fascinating collection of passionate films about sports and culture. Individually, each of the films in this series is meant to tell an intimate, compelling story that stands on its own and brings to life the filmmaker's vision. Collectively, however, these creatively different films weave together a diverse tapestry of what sports has meant to culture. Ultimately, 30 For 30 strives to sit the viewer down and tell a story, employing many sources but giving a distinctive point of view, marshaling words and images to serve that particular perspective. In a sports universe of competing voices, these films offer a single, compelling one. Written by ESPN Films
EPS30
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is an unprecedented documentary series featuring today's finest storytellers from inside and outside of the sports world. What started as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary has come to life as an eclectic and fascinating collection of passionate films about sports and culture. Individually, each of the films in this series is meant to tell an intimate, compelling story that stands on its own and brings to life the filmmaker's vision. Collectively, however, these creatively different films weave together a diverse tapestry of what sports has meant to culture. Ultimately, 30 For 30 strives to sit the viewer down and tell a story, employing many sources but giving a distinctive point of view, marshaling words and images to serve that particular perspective. In a sports universe of competing voices, these films offer a single, compelling one. Written by ESPN Films
EPS31
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is an unprecedented documentary series featuring today's finest storytellers from inside and outside of the sports world. What started as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary has come to life as an eclectic and fascinating collection of passionate films about sports and culture. Individually, each of the films in this series is meant to tell an intimate, compelling story that stands on its own and brings to life the filmmaker's vision. Collectively, however, these creatively different films weave together a diverse tapestry of what sports has meant to culture. Ultimately, 30 For 30 strives to sit the viewer down and tell a story, employing many sources but giving a distinctive point of view, marshaling words and images to serve that particular perspective. In a sports universe of competing voices, these films offer a single, compelling one. Written by ESPN Films
EPS31
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is an unprecedented documentary series featuring today's finest storytellers from inside and outside of the sports world. What started as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary has come to life as an eclectic and fascinating collection of passionate films about sports and culture. Individually, each of the films in this series is meant to tell an intimate, compelling story that stands on its own and brings to life the filmmaker's vision. Collectively, however, these creatively different films weave together a diverse tapestry of what sports has meant to culture. Ultimately, 30 For 30 strives to sit the viewer down and tell a story, employing many sources but giving a distinctive point of view, marshaling words and images to serve that particular perspective. In a sports universe of competing voices, these films offer a single, compelling one. Written by ESPN Films
EPS32
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is an unprecedented documentary series featuring today's finest storytellers from inside and outside of the sports world. What started as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary has come to life as an eclectic and fascinating collection of passionate films about sports and culture. Individually, each of the films in this series is meant to tell an intimate, compelling story that stands on its own and brings to life the filmmaker's vision. Collectively, however, these creatively different films weave together a diverse tapestry of what sports has meant to culture. Ultimately, 30 For 30 strives to sit the viewer down and tell a story, employing many sources but giving a distinctive point of view, marshaling words and images to serve that particular perspective. In a sports universe of competing voices, these films offer a single, compelling one. Written by ESPN Films
EPS35
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is an unprecedented documentary series featuring today's finest storytellers from inside and outside of the sports world. What started as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary has come to life as an eclectic and fascinating collection of passionate films about sports and culture. Individually, each of the films in this series is meant to tell an intimate, compelling story that stands on its own and brings to life the filmmaker's vision. Collectively, however, these creatively different films weave together a diverse tapestry of what sports has meant to culture. Ultimately, 30 For 30 strives to sit the viewer down and tell a story, employing many sources but giving a distinctive point of view, marshaling words and images to serve that particular perspective. In a sports universe of competing voices, these films offer a single, compelling one. Written by ESPN Films
EPS35
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is an unprecedented documentary series featuring today's finest storytellers from inside and outside of the sports world. What started as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary has come to life as an eclectic and fascinating collection of passionate films about sports and culture. Individually, each of the films in this series is meant to tell an intimate, compelling story that stands on its own and brings to life the filmmaker's vision. Collectively, however, these creatively different films weave together a diverse tapestry of what sports has meant to culture. Ultimately, 30 For 30 strives to sit the viewer down and tell a story, employing many sources but giving a distinctive point of view, marshaling words and images to serve that particular perspective. In a sports universe of competing voices, these films offer a single, compelling one. Written by ESPN Films
EPS35
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is an unprecedented documentary series featuring today's finest storytellers from inside and outside of the sports world. What started as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary has come to life as an eclectic and fascinating collection of passionate films about sports and culture. Individually, each of the films in this series is meant to tell an intimate, compelling story that stands on its own and brings to life the filmmaker's vision. Collectively, however, these creatively different films weave together a diverse tapestry of what sports has meant to culture. Ultimately, 30 For 30 strives to sit the viewer down and tell a story, employing many sources but giving a distinctive point of view, marshaling words and images to serve that particular perspective. In a sports universe of competing voices, these films offer a single, compelling one. Written by ESPN Films
EPS36
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is an unprecedented documentary series featuring today's finest storytellers from inside and outside of the sports world. What started as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary has come to life as an eclectic and fascinating collection of passionate films about sports and culture. Individually, each of the films in this series is meant to tell an intimate, compelling story that stands on its own and brings to life the filmmaker's vision. Collectively, however, these creatively different films weave together a diverse tapestry of what sports has meant to culture. Ultimately, 30 For 30 strives to sit the viewer down and tell a story, employing many sources but giving a distinctive point of view, marshaling words and images to serve that particular perspective. In a sports universe of competing voices, these films offer a single, compelling one. Written by ESPN Films
EPS36
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is an unprecedented documentary series featuring today's finest storytellers from inside and outside of the sports world. What started as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary has come to life as an eclectic and fascinating collection of passionate films about sports and culture. Individually, each of the films in this series is meant to tell an intimate, compelling story that stands on its own and brings to life the filmmaker's vision. Collectively, however, these creatively different films weave together a diverse tapestry of what sports has meant to culture. Ultimately, 30 For 30 strives to sit the viewer down and tell a story, employing many sources but giving a distinctive point of view, marshaling words and images to serve that particular perspective. In a sports universe of competing voices, these films offer a single, compelling one. Written by ESPN Films
EPS36
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is an unprecedented documentary series featuring today's finest storytellers from inside and outside of the sports world. What started as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary has come to life as an eclectic and fascinating collection of passionate films about sports and culture. Individually, each of the films in this series is meant to tell an intimate, compelling story that stands on its own and brings to life the filmmaker's vision. Collectively, however, these creatively different films weave together a diverse tapestry of what sports has meant to culture. Ultimately, 30 For 30 strives to sit the viewer down and tell a story, employing many sources but giving a distinctive point of view, marshaling words and images to serve that particular perspective. In a sports universe of competing voices, these films offer a single, compelling one. Written by ESPN Films
EPS37
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is an unprecedented documentary series featuring today's finest storytellers from inside and outside of the sports world. What started as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary has come to life as an eclectic and fascinating collection of passionate films about sports and culture. Individually, each of the films in this series is meant to tell an intimate, compelling story that stands on its own and brings to life the filmmaker's vision. Collectively, however, these creatively different films weave together a diverse tapestry of what sports has meant to culture. Ultimately, 30 For 30 strives to sit the viewer down and tell a story, employing many sources but giving a distinctive point of view, marshaling words and images to serve that particular perspective. In a sports universe of competing voices, these films offer a single, compelling one. Written by ESPN Films
EPS38
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is an unprecedented documentary series featuring today's finest storytellers from inside and outside of the sports world. What started as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary has come to life as an eclectic and fascinating collection of passionate films about sports and culture. Individually, each of the films in this series is meant to tell an intimate, compelling story that stands on its own and brings to life the filmmaker's vision. Collectively, however, these creatively different films weave together a diverse tapestry of what sports has meant to culture. Ultimately, 30 For 30 strives to sit the viewer down and tell a story, employing many sources but giving a distinctive point of view, marshaling words and images to serve that particular perspective. In a sports universe of competing voices, these films offer a single, compelling one. Written by ESPN Films
EPS65
ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is an unprecedented documentary series featuring today's finest storytellers from inside and outside of the sports world. What started as a celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary has come to life as an eclectic and fascinating collection of passionate films about sports and culture. Individually, each of the films in this series is meant to tell an intimate, compelling story that stands on its own and brings to life the filmmaker's vision. Collectively, however, these creatively different films weave together a diverse tapestry of what sports has meant to culture. Ultimately, 30 For 30 strives to sit the viewer down and tell a story, employing many sources but giving a distinctive point of view, marshaling words and images to serve that particular perspective. In a sports universe of competing voices, these films offer a single, compelling one. Written by ESPN Films