30 for 30

30 for 30 is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This currently includes four "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series under the ESPN Films Presents title in 2011–2012, and a series of 30 for 30 Shorts shown through the ESPN.com website. The series has also expanded to include Soccer Stories, which aired in advance of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and audio podcasts. This entry refers to the main Volumes of the series presented by ESPN

Type: tv

Season: 1

Episode: 1

Duration: 1h

Release: 2009

Rating: 7.4

Season 1 - 30 for 30
2009-10-06
"The 1988 trade of Wayne Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings and the effect it had on Gretzky, the fans in Edmonton, and the popularity of hockey in Southern California."
2009-10-13
"A profile of Baltimore's love affair with football and the Colts, focusing on the Colts Marching Band. After the Colts decamped for Indianapolis in 1984, the band remained in Baltimore and helped promote the eventual return of the NFL to the city."
2009-10-20
"Fresh interviews and archival footage track the life and demise of the United States Football League in the mid-1980s. A highlight is Tollin's interview with Donald Trump, the former New Jersey Generals owner whose post-interview comments on the league give this documentary its title."
2009-10-27
"Muhammad and Larry is a documentary film directed by Alberts Maysles and Bradley Kaplan for ESPN's documentary film series 30 for 30."
2009-11-03
"Without Bias is a documentary film directed by Kirk Fraser for the ESPN documentary series 30 for 30. It is the story of Len Bias, the University of Maryland basketball star, whose death by cocaine overdose days after being drafted by the Boston Celtics altered drug policy in the United States."
2009-11-10
"The Legend of Jimmy the Greek is the 6th episode of ESPN's documentary film series, 30 for 30. The documentary, directed by Fritz Mitchell, examines the rise and fall of Jimmy the Greek, the legendary sports handicapper who rose to fame as part of CBS' NFL studio show The NFL Today."
2009-12-12
"The U is a 2009 documentary film produced by Miami-based media studio Rakontur and directed by Billy Corben. The U covers the rise and dominance of the Miami Hurricanes football team during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with comments from players like Ray Lewis, two-time Super Bowl champion.\n\nThe film premiered December 12, 2009 after the Heisman Trophy presentation on ESPN as a part of their 30 for 30 documentary series. The U's premiere drew 2.3 million viewers, the most ever for a documentary on the sports cable network until the debut of Pony Excess, another college football documentary about the Southern Methodist University football scandal in the 1980s."
2010-03-14
"\"If you\u2019re a basketball fan, you know that one of the great NBA rivalries in the mid-1990s was between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks. In classic David-meets-Goliath style, the two teams faced off in thrilling seven-game battles during the 1994 and 1995 playoffs. In Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. the New York Knicks, Dan Klores focuses on the Pacers\u2019 master showman, Reggie Miller, who was as skilled at three-pointers as he was at trash talking. Not only did he antagonize the Knicks; he antagonized a whole city and relished every minute of it\u2014just ask Spike Lee.\n\nWinning Time entertains on many levels: it goes beyond the action on the court and delves into the psychology of the game. By deftly weaving humorous interviews with exciting archival footage, Klores has created a film that appeals to both the die-hard fan and someone who has never seen a game.\"\n\nQuoting the description from the 2010 Sundance Film Festival site."
2010-04-03
"Guru of Go is a documentary film directed by Bill Couturi\u00e9 that aired as part of ESPN's film series 30 for 30."
2010-04-13
"No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson is a 2010 documentary film produced by Kartemquin Films for ESPN's 30 for 30 series and directed by Steve James. No Crossover details the February 14, 1993 bowling alley riots of then high school basketball phenom and future NBA superstar, Allen Iverson, and how the incident, trial and eventual conviction of Iverson divided the town of Hampton, Virginia.\n\nThe documentary features camcorder footage from the February 14, 1993 riots at a bowling alley where Iverson and his young friends were accused of attacking adults with chairs. The incident allegedly stemmed from racial epithets said by the white adult high school students from neighboring Poquoson to Iverson and his friends. Iverson was specifically accused of striking a white woman. While vital to the prosecution, the videotape of the incident is unclear and it is difficult to make out any of the individuals involved. Despite punches thrown by both parties involved, only Iverson and his friends Melvin Stephens, Samuel Wynn and Michael Simmons, were charged in the incident. Iverson was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but after four months at Newport News City Farm correctional facility, Iverson was pardoned by Governor Doug Wilder and was released from custody."
2010-04-20
"Silly Little Game is a film directed by Lucas Jansen and Adam Kurland."
2010-04-27
"Run Ricky Run is a film directed by Sean Pamphilon and Royce Toni."
2010-05-04
"The 16th Man is a documentary film directed by Cliff Bestall that aired as part of ESPN's film series 30 for 30."
2010-05-11
"\"For rapper-turned-filmmaker Ice Cube, the emergence of gangster rap will be forever linked to the Oakland Raiders' move to Los Angeles in 1982. Ice Cube turns the camera on himself to tell how his genre-defining group NWA forged an unlikely relationship with the Raiders, a team whose swagger and style captivated LA during their troubled 13-season stay.\"\n\nQuoting the program notes from the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival site."
2010-06-16
"June 17th, 1994 is a documentary film directed by Brett Morgen that aired as part of ESPN's film series 30 for 30."
2010-06-22
"\"Born in the same city in Colombia but not related, Andr\u00e9s Escobar and Pablo Escobar shared a fanatical love of soccer. Andr\u00e9s grew up to become one of Colombia's most beloved players, while Pablo became the most notorious drug baron of all time. While adeptly investigating the secret marriage of crime and sports, Michael Zimbalist and Jeff Zimbalist (Favela Rising, TFF '05) reveal the surprising connections between the murders of Andr\u00e9s and Pablo.\"\n\nQuoting the description from the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival site."
2010-07-29
"The Birth of Big Air is a documentary film directed by Jeff Tremaine that aired as part of ESPN's film series 30 for 30."
2010-08-24
"Jordan Rides the Bus is a documentary film directed by Ron Shelton that aired as part of ESPN's film series 30 for 30."
2010-08-31
"The 16th Man is a documentary film directed by Al Szymanski that aired as part of ESPN's film series 30 for 30."
2010-09-07
"One Night in Vegas is a documentary film directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood that aired as part of ESPN's film series 30 for 30."
2010-09-14
"Unmatched is a documentary about tennis players Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert Lloyd, their decades-long fierce rivalry on the tennis court and their lifelong friendship. They met in 80 matches, 60 finals and 14 grand slam finals with Navratilova sporting a 43-37 advantage. Navratilova was sometimes described as the lesbian tennis player from a communist country: \"As one of the first openly gay sports figures, she has spent much of her career overcoming prejudices and stereotypes, giving up millions of dollars in endorsements and sponsorships as a result of her insistence on living a life of integrity and honesty.\" Evert Lloyd was described as the all-American girl next door. Today Navratilova is often cited as the greatest tennis player of all-time; she has won 167 singles titles, 177 doubles championships titles and 59 Grand Slam titles, she has been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, was the WTA\u2019s \u201cTour Player of the Year\u201d seven times, was declared one of the \u201cTop Forty Athletes of All-time\u201d by Sports Illustrated and was named \u201cFemale Athlete of the Year\u201d by the Associated Press. Navratilova has served as AARP\u2019s Health and Fitness Ambassador and is also involved with the LGBT movement, The Rainbow Card \u00ae and Rainbow Endowment. Evert Lloyd on the other hand reached more Grand Slam singles finals than any player, she has been president of the Women's Tennis Association and in 2005 she was named fourth on the list of the 40 Greatest Players of the Tennis Era by TENNIS Magazine. Evert Lloyd won 157 singles championships, 29 doubles titles and she won 18 Grand Slam singles championships and three doubles titles."
2010-09-21
"The House of Steinbrenner is a documentary film directed by Barbara Kopple that aired as part of ESPN's film series 30 for 30."
2010-09-28
"Into the Wind is a 2010 documentary film which chronicles the story of Terry Fox. At the age of 18, Fox was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. The cancer had taken over his right leg, which was then amputated six inches above the knee. However, three years later, Fox set out to raise funds for cancer research and raise awareness by running 30 miles a day from the Atlantic Ocean in Newfoundland to the Pacific Ocean in British Columbia, totaling over 4000 miles. The film was directed by the NBA star Steve Nash who grew up in Canada and followed Fox\u2019s run across the country as a kid in 1980, and narrated by Taylor Kitsch. Two thirds across Canada, Fox was once again diagnosed with cancer, which had spread to his lungs. Fox died at the age of 22, inspiring the Terry Fox Foundation.\n\nThe film aired on TSN2, in Canada on September 19, 2010, and on ESPN, in the United States on September 28, 2010, as part of the 30 for 30 series."
2010-10-05
"Four Days in October is a documentary film directed by Gary Waksman that aired as part of ESPN's film series 30 for 30."
2010-10-12
"Once Brothers is a 2010 sports documentary film written and directed by Michael Tolajian. It was co-produced by ESPN and NBA Entertainment for ESPN's 30 for 30 series.\n\nThe film chronicles the relationship of two basketball players from SFR Yugoslavia\u2014Vlade Divac and Dra\u017een Petrovi\u0107. The duo played together on the Yugoslavia national basketball team from 1986 to 1990 and were at one time close friends, but the Yugoslav Wars drove them apart emotionally, as they came from opposing sides. Petrovi\u0107 died in an automobile accident in 1993 before the two could reconcile; much of film focuses on Divac's regret that they were never able to resolve their differences.\n\nParticipants in the film include: Toni Kuko\u010d, Dino Ra\u0111a, \u017darko Paspalj, Clyde Drexler, Danny Ainge, Rick Adelman, Kenny Anderson, Derrick Coleman, Bill Fitch, Larry Bird, Jan Hubbard, Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Aleksandar Petrovi\u0107, Biserka Petrovi\u0107, etc.\n\nThe film's first ever public showing took place on 10 October 2010 at the Hamptons International Film Festival. Two days later on 12 October it had its television premiere on ESPN."
2010-10-19
"Tim Richmond: To the Limit is a documentary film directed by Rory Karpf that aired as part of ESPN's film series 30 for 30."
2010-10-26
"Fernando Nation is a documentary film directed by Cruz Angeles that aired as part of ESPN's film series 30 for 30."
2010-11-02
"Marion Jones: Press Pause is a documentary film directed by John Singleton that aired as part of ESPN's film series 30 for 30."
2010-11-09
"The Best That Never Was is a documentary film directed by Jonathan Hock that aired as part of ESPN's film series 30 for 30."
2010-12-11
"Pony Excess is a documentary film directed by Thaddeus D. Matula that aired as part of ESPN's film series 30 for 30."
Season 2 - 30 for 30
Season 3 - 30 for 30
Season 4 - 30 for 30