30 for 30 Shorts
Unprecedented documentary series featuring sports films from today's finest directors.
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Seasons
ESPN 30 for 30 Shorts
1.Here Now
15-05-20128mEveryday Pete Rose is surrounded by baseball memorabilia. But instead of a dugout, he's seated on a folding chair in a memorabilia store in Vegas.
2.Arnold's Blueprint
26-09-201212mA look at how a young Arnold Schwarzenegger's compulsory service in the Austrian Army played a critical role in his path to international bodybuilding fame.
3.Jake
25-10-2012The career of Alfred Slote, an author of sports-oriented children's books (Jake being his personal favorite) whose interest was not so much the games played but the drama that the...
4.The Arnold Palmer
28-11-20129mAn exploration into the history, mystery and industry surrounding "The Arnold Palmer", the lemonade-and-iced tea beverage created by the same-named golfing legend that has become a...
5.Ali The Mission
13-01-201314mThe efforts of Muhammad Ali to negotiate with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein for the release of U.S. civilians taken hostage after Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
- Ep 6
6.Disdain the Mundane
13-02-20138mThe style evolution of New York Knicks player and broadcaster Walt Frazier, from his cool-as-ice look in the 1970s to his use of vibrant colors and patterns today.
7.Holy Grail: The T206 Honus Wagner
27-02-201314mThe story of the rare and valuable T206 Honus Wagner baseball card—over a century old and valued in the millions of dollars—and the myths and realities that surround it.
- Ep 8
8.Silver Reunion
27-03-201313mThe members of the 1972 USA men's Olympic basketball team gather to deliberate 12 Angry Men-style on whether to finally accept or continue to refuse silver medals from the 1972 Sum...
9.The Irrelevant Giant
17-04-201311mBill Parcells recalls his rookie year as a head coach with the New York Giants in 1983 and the impact of John Tuggle, a running back the Giants selected with the final pick in that...
10.Cutthroat
29-05-201311mThe struggles of Clint Malarchuk, the "Cowboy Goalie", from a childhood spent riding horses and suffering from OCD to the grueling recovery period after his carotid artery was seve...
11.Tommy and Frank
24-07-201311mAn intimate, funny and compelling take on the unique relationship and shared legacy of Tommy John, the chatty Indiana lefty who won nearly 300 Major League games, and Dr. Frank Job...
12.Wilt Chamberlain: Borscht Belt Bellhop
14-08-20139mRarely seen archival footage and interviews with people who lived and worked with Wilt Chamberlain give a fascinating glimpse into the basketball star's experiences in the Borscht...
13.Arthur & Johnnie
28-08-201312mJohnnie Ashe tells of a personal sacrifice: After finishing a tour of service in the Vietnam War, Johnnie, a U.S. Marine, volunteers to serve another tour in place of his older bro...
14.Collision Course: The Murder of Don Aronow
25-09-201314mThe intriguing life and tragic death of businessman Donald Aronow, a prominent name in the world of powerboat racing.
15.The Schedule Makers
06-11-201312mUsing only a computer, a pencil and paper, and cooperation, the husband-and-wife duo of Henry and Holly Stephenson spent almost a quarter-century creating Major League Baseball's s...
16.The Great Imposter
20-11-201310mBeginning with stealing a player's warm-up outfit and posing as a player at the 1979 NBA All-Star Game, Barry Bremen begins a playful run fulfilling the average sports fan's ultima...
17.Judging Jewell
31-01-201421mSecurity guard Richard Jewell received praise in the aftermath of a bombing during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta when he helped clear the area and found the bag that containe...
18.The Deal
12-02-201417mThe battle between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees to trade for Alex Rodriguez during the 2003–2004 baseball offseason.
19.Untucked
12-03-201415mPlayer Bo Ellis designs a rebellious, nonconformist jersey that would exemplify the Al McGuire-era Marquette men's basketball team.
20.From Harlem With Love
23-04-201412mHow the Harlem Globetrotters became unlikely ambassadors during the Cold War when they played a series of games in Moscow in 1959.
21.Posterized
21-05-201412mA profile of Shawn Bradley, a 7-foot-6 center who spent the majority of his NBA career on the wrong end of epic dunks (the kind usually found on posters), and how he went from a bu...
22.MECCA: The Floor That Made Milwaukee Famous
11-06-201414mThe story behind the iconic, multicolored basketball court Robert Indiana designed for the MECCA Arena, home to the Milwaukee Bucks and Marquette Warriors until 1988, and how one B...
23.The High Five
23-07-201410mWhen L.A. Dodger Dusty Baker hit his 30th home run of the 1977 season, the first man to greet him at home plate was his friend and teammate, rookie Glenn Burke. Overcome with happi...
24.Kid Danny
13-08-201418mA team from The Bronx makes it to the 2001 Little League World Series, only to be disqualified when pitcher Danny Almonte is revealed to be two years too old to play in Little Leag...
25.Fields of Fear
16-09-201415mA profile of the mental side of sports focuses on Mackey Sasser, a talented catcher who suddenly couldn't perform the routine task of throwing the ball back to the pitcher, and how...
26.The Great Trade Robbery
07-10-201412mFormer Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson recalls the team's October 1989 trade of Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings, as well as the roster maneuvers involving the play...
27.Our Tough Guy
12-11-201411mA look inside the mindset of legendary Boston Bruins enforcer John Wensink, who endeared himself to fans when he infamously challenged the entire Minnesota North Stars bench to a f...
28.Robbed
03-10-201417mA look at the 1976 Muhammad Ali/Ken Norton fight at Yankee Stadium. The fight's controversial decision is only part of the story, as gang activity and theft in the wake of a NYPD s...
29.Student/Athlete
07-01-201513mGrowing up in Hawaii, Reggie Ho always thought he would follow his father's footsteps into medicine, yet he becomes a crucial contributor to Notre Dame's undefeated 1988 season as...
30.The Sweat Solution
21-01-201518mDr. Robert Cade, a renowned kidney specialist at the University of Florida, leads a research team that develops a drink designed to help replenish body fluids lost by the school's...
31.An Immortal Man
28-01-201516mA look at the issue of the cryogenic preservation of Ted Williams' body.
32.Wrestling the Curse
27-02-201516mKevin Von Erich was part of a legendary wrestling family (he and fellow brothers David, Mike, Chris, and Kerry). The only surviving brother (the other four were lost to drug addict...
33.The Billion Dollar Game
18-03-201514mA recollection of how the Princeton Tigers, a heavy underdog, nearly defeated top-seeded Georgetown in the first round of the 1989 NCAA Tournament, a game that would forever change...
34.Unhittable: Sidd Finch and the Tibetan Fastball
01-04-201523mFor Sports Illustrated's April 1, 1985, issue, George Plimpton profiled Sidd Finch, a highly eccentric New York Mets prospect who could throw a fastball at an unheard-of 168 mph......
35.The Anti-Mascot
20-05-201512mAiming to satirize the loveable team mascot craze of the late 1970s and early 1980s, the 1984 San Francisco Giants introduce an "anti-mascot" named "Crazy Crab". With fans encourag...
36.Ted Turner's Greatest Race
03-06-201514mAlready a proven broadcasting and sports executive, as well as an America's Cup-winning yachtsman, Ted Turner enters and skippers Tenacious in the 1979 Fastnet yachting race. Here,...
37.Spyball
08-07-201518mThe story of Moe Berg, a 15-year veteran of Major League Baseball who went on to become a World War II spy for the United States.
38.Brave in the Attempt
28-07-201524mHow seeing the treatment of her intellectually disabled sister propelled Eunice Kennedy Shriver to create the Special Olympics.
39.Delaney
19-08-201517mA profile of Kansas City Chiefs star Joe Delaney, whose reputation for helping others lasted until his drowning death in 1983, when he attempted to save the lives of three boys in...
40.First Pitch
11-09-201523mA look at President George W. Bush's ceremonial first pitch at New York's Yankee Stadium prior to Game 3 of the 2001 World Series, just seven weeks after the September 11 attacks i...
41.The Pittsburgh Drug Trials
28-09-201523mThough the 1979 Pirates thrilled Pittsburgh with a World Series win, many of their stars succumbed to the lure of cocaine, leading to baseball's first major drug scandal.
42.#BringBackSungWoo
07-10-201523mA mid-season visit to Kansas City by South Korean native and avid Royals fan Lee Sung-woo is followed by a Royals' surge to the 2014 playoffs. With the team in the World Series, an...
43.Every Day
28-10-201511mThe story of Joy Johnson, who took up running at age 59 after raising four children and went on to run 25 New York City Marathons.
- Ep 44
44.Chattanooga Strong
09-11-201510mThe story behind the Chattanooga Heroes Fund, started by University of Tennessee alum Peyton Manning to benefit the families of the service members and police officers who were kil...
45.Tose: The Movie
11-11-201515mA look at the life and legacy of late Philadelphia Eagles owner Leonard Tose.
46.Thicker the Water
01-12-201514mHow diver Greg Louganis dealt with two different pressures surrounding him at the 1988 Olympics—his attempt to defend his double gold medal performance from 1984 and the discovery...
47.Friedman's Shoes
09-02-201612mThe story of Friedman's, an Atlanta shoe store that specialized in really big (think size 22), really expensive shoes for the six-foot-something athlete.
48.Slick, Nancy, and the Telethon
17-02-201615mThe story of how the Indiana Pacers avoided financial ruin by holding a telethon in the summer of 1977.
49.The Bad Boy of Bowling
24-02-201619mA look at the life of Pete Weber, the self-declared "bad boy of bowling" and the sport's first rock star.
50.I Am Yup'ik
02-03-201617mA 16-year-old Yup'ik Eskimo leaves his tiny village and travels across the frozen tundra to compete in an all-Yup'ik basketball tournament and bring pride to his village.
51.No Kin to Me
09-03-201614mThe last consolation game in the NCAA Tournament, held in 1981 between LSU and Virginia, was overshadowed by the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan earlier that day,...
- Ep 52
52.Tiger Hood
12-04-20167mWhen Patrick Q. F. Barr found a discarded golf club in the trash, he decided to save it and play street golf in New York City using paper milk cartons stuffed with newspaper, earni...
53.When The King Held Court
19-04-20169mHow Elvis Presley became a racquetball enthusiast in the final years of his life, going so far as to build a court at his mansion and proposing a chain of racquetball centers.
54.Gonzo @ The Derby
03-05-201613mThe lasting legacy of the 1970 Kentucky Derby has nothing to do with the winner, Dust Commander. Its true impact came from the assignment that Scanlan's Monthly gave to a 32-year-o...
55.A.C. Green: Iron Virgin
10-05-20169mWhile A. C. Green is well-known for his basketball talents (winning 3 NBA titles with the "Showtime"-era Lakers and playing in a league-record 1,192 consecutive games), he is also...
56.The Shining Star of Losers Everywhere
17-05-201619mHow Japanese thoroughbred Haru Urara, who never won a race in her career, became a symbol of hope to her country and saved the racetrack where she was based.
57.We Are
24-05-201610mA look back at the aftermath of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal, focusing specifically on the removal of Joe Paterno's statue from the campus and the design of its replaceme...
- Ep 58
58.Eternal Princess
25-05-201618mIt's a long way from Bucharest, Romania to Norman, Oklahoma, and it's been a long time since the 1976 Olympics, where Nadia Comăneci scored seven perfect 10s on her way to three go...
- Ep 59
59.The Guerrilla Fighter
27-07-201618mThe story of Alexis Argüello, legendary in Nicaragua as both one of the greatest boxers of the 20th century and a political figure.
- Ep 60
60.What the Hell Happened to Jai Alai
02-08-201615mHow jai alai went from drawing crowds of thousands in Miami in the 1970s and 1980s to being fortunate to draw 100 a match today.
61.The Throwback
03-12-201610mA look back at the college career of Gordie Lockbaum, who became a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist in the 1980s at Division I-AA Holy Cross as a figurative throwback to an earlier...
- Ep 62
62.The Counterfeiter
17-05-201722mThe story of Greg Marino, master forger and target of a 1990s FBI investigation known as Operation Bullpen.
63.Strike Team
12-09-201724mThe U.S. Marshal Service set up sting operation to lure area criminals to the Washington Convention Center to pick up free tickets to a Redskins game. The film retells the story of...
- Ep 64
64.24 Strong
28-09-201726mExamining the heroics of high school football player Zaevion Dobson that lead to his death.
65.The Amazing Adventures of Wally and The Worm
15-12-201715mIn 1997, Phil Jackson assigned a young assistant trainer Wally Blasé to oversee the rehab of Dennis Rodman's sprained knee. What was supposed to be a 10-day trip to California turn...
66.Locked In
03-08-201833mAs a young girl Victoria Arlen truly had the world ahead of her. But at the age of 11, she began to suffer from an illness that baffled her doctors and kept Victoria locked in her...
67.Sonic Break
23-09-201822mSomebody would need to be crazy to become the first human to break the sound barrier in a freefall. That somebody was Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner.
68.Mack Wrestles
09-03-201926mMack Wrestles tells the story of Mack Beggs, a transgender high school wrestler from Euless, Texas, who much compete under the gender he was assigned at birth rather than how he id...
69.Subject to Review
22-12-201937mIn tennis, measurement - specifically, judging whether a ball is in or out - is particularly crucial. And in the new ESPN Films 30 for 30 short "Subject to Review" comes a close lo...
70.Revolution in the Ring
02-04-202123mThe story of Cuban boxer Teofilo Stevenson, who in 1962 chose to stay in his home country rather than defect, this film examines through the lens of Cuban-American politics how his...
71.Make Him Known
25-08-202120mThis ESPN 30 for 30 documentary tells their story of Maya Moore, who skipped two seasons in the WNBA to seek justice for an innocent man, Jonathan Irons. Her efforts to seek justic...
72.Deerfoot of the Diamond
27-09-202229mThe tragic story of Louis Sockalexis, the first Native American to play Major League Baseball and how his mythic, controversial legacy still raises questions about prejudice and tr...
73.Black Girls Play: The Story of Hand Games
12-11-202218mAn illuminating look at the influence that hand games played by Black girls has had on the American creative landscape.
- Ep 74
74.Motorcycle Mary
16-11-202223m“Motorcycle Mary” tells the untold story of legendary motorsports pioneer Mary McGee a.k.a. “Motorcycle Mary”, whose racing career spanned thirty years and saw her shatter gender n...
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