Tonight in Unpacks: Sports entertainment is more popular than ever before. In this week’s magazine, SBJ’s Chris Smith reports on the power players of this intersection of Hollywood and the locker room in the debut of the 4SE in Sports Storytelling list.
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- ESPN adds diverse talent for NBA studio shows
- Wizards sign Robinhood as patch sponsor
- Rebranded EA Sports FC soccer game sees big sales growth
- Op-ed: How charlatans used greed and Malcolm Gladwell to transform youth sports
Listen to SBJ's most popular podcast, Morning Buzzcast, where Abe Madkour opens the week evaluating Messi’s first season in MLS, the strength of soccer in San Diego, stellar WNBA Finals viewership and more.
4SE in Sports Storytelling: Prime-time players
When ESPN debuted “The Last Dance” in April 2020, it did far more than just fill a lust for sports content created by the early days of the pandemic. The 10-part series, featuring candid reflections from Michael Jordan and never-before-seen footage of the 1997-98 Bulls, proved to be both a humongous success (an ESPN documentary record 5.6 million viewers) and a watershed moment amid a new golden era for original sports content.
From Ed Sabol’s NFL Films of the 1960s to HBO’s seminal releases of the 1990s to the modern era kicked off by ESPN’s “30 for 30” series in 2009, sports have long been a ripe field for exploration. These days, it seems every week brings news of another project. Just this fall multipart documentaries on David Beckham (Netflix) and Lionel Messi (Apple TV+) are capturing a global audience. All-access follow docs, once a rarity, today pull the curtain back on the NFL, F1, the PGA Tour, ATP and WTA, among others. Scripted sports projects such as “Winning Time,” “Ted Lasso” and “Air” have found critical acclaim. And that already crowded space is now being flooded with new releases, production companies, investors and personalities, including some of the sports world’s biggest names.
The explosion in sports content made this a perfect time to recognize those who are changing the world of sports entertainment. In this week's magazine, SBJ's Chris Smith debuts the first 4SE in Sports Storytelling list of 38 companies and 82 individuals who are doing the most prominent and compelling work in sports entertainment, whether in feature films, scripted TV series, documentaries, radio/podcasts or social and digital.
As part of our 4SE coverage, Lindsay Berra writes on how the documentary about her beloved grandfather Yogi Berra, “It Ain’t Over,” came together. The film has received nominations for two Critics Choice Awards (Best Sports Documentary and Best Archival Documentary) and is receiving Oscar buzz.