ESPN premiered its NFL Films documentary, "A Lifetime of Sundays," yesterday, and Co-Exec Producer Jane Skinner Goodell, wife of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, said the "hardest part" was getting the four female owners to participate, according to Bob Glauber of NEWSDAY. The film features Bears Principal Owner Virginia McCaskey, Lions Owner & Chair Martha Firestone Ford, the Chiefs’ Norma Hunt and Steelers’ Patricia Rooney. Jane Skinner Goodell added, "They come from the generation of ‘we.’ We live in a generation of ‘me.’ It’s about talking about yourself." Glauber wrote the film is "meaningful" and "worth" viewers' time (NEWSDAY, 8/25). In Pittsburgh, Joshua Axelrod noted Rooney spoke about how her late husband, former Steelers Owner Dan Rooney, "would feel about her involvement" in the documentary. She said, "Jane and the folks at NFL Films have done such a wonderful job that he would have enjoyed it once he saw the final version" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 8/24).
DOC TALK: In Chicago, Phil Rosenthal wrote while the film's production is a "bit stiff and doesn’t get much below the surface, the real problem is that sadness courses through it." It is "important that how tough, dedicated and shrewd these women have been doesn’t get lost in the flood of nostalgia," for they have "achievements in their own right" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 8/25). In Detroit, Justin Rogers notes the documentary "paints a clear picture" of the 93-year old Ford as a "highly active participant in the direction of her franchise" after taking over ownership of the Lions following the passing of her husband, William Clay Ford Sr., in '14 (DETROIT NEWS, 8/26). Patriots coach Bill Belichick said of Ford, "She is very sharp. She's so passionate about her team" (MLIVE.com, 8/25). FanSided's Patrick Schmidt wrote on Twitter, "A Lifetime of Sundays on ESPN is really good. The part about Virginia McCaskey and the Bears was quite emotional" (TWITTER.com, 8/25).
