Is ESPN2 Turning Into The Sundance Channel?
Thursday, April 03, 2008
It's been no secret that ESPN has been focusing a lot of their efforts on creating and distributing Sports films to the masses as of late. ESPN Films has been a staple at the Tribeca Film Festival the past few years and their "Black Magic" documentary got critical acclaim.
The newest set of films were set to debut at the TFF at the end of this Month, but ESPN has decided to air them on ESPN2 the day before the Festival kicks off.
On April 22 at 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2 will begin airing the first of four inspirational and revealing documentary films - all making their televised world premieres – as part of the new ESPN Films initiative. The slate will feature: Hellfighters (about an against-all-odds high school football team); The Streak (about a high school wrestling team’s 34-year win streak); Bud Greenspan: At the Heart of the Games (about the famed Olympics filmographer) and The Zen of Bobby V (about Bobby Valentine and baseball in Japan).I brought this up only because I remember a lot of you said that films seemed interesting when I first posted on this. The larger question though is what ESPN is planning to do with ESPN2. Anything is better than poker and pool at this point.
(Via ESPN)
8 Comments:
I don't know if this is apropos or not, but I just heard Rick Reilly on youknowwho's show, and he said that part of his deal with the WWL was that they(and Disney) consider any scripts he pitches(he co-wrote "Leatherheads", btw).
As long they're documentaries, I don't mind. ESPN shouldn't do anymore "The Bronx is Burning"-type movies. That sucked.
Ah, the good old days when "the Deuce" was my hockey salvation.
Dissing on pool??? For shame. Mike Massey will kick your ass in all of his tuxedo'ed glory.
ESPN announcers have been quite lame recently, but so have the NBA TV guys. I was watching a game on my laptop and had to mute it because it was so pathetic. Can't the NBA channel hire some legit guys to do all the games so that we aren't subjected to small hometown guys?
Daniel - http://www.laballtalk.com
Why doesn't ESPN show Quantum Hoops? Its been critically acclaimed but its in "limited release" whatever that means. For a second there I thought the movie "The Streak" was it... Quantum Hoops is also about a streak - Caltech's 25 year LOSING streak in basketball.
Bring back Australian Rules football!
Wow! I guess all have to do to get an ESPN documentary is have a connection to New York City!