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Browse 245 movies from ESPN Films
The first time Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova stepped onto a tennis court together, the world scarcely noticed. Only a few hundred spectators saw the pert 18-year-old beat the scrappy 16-year-old Czech in 1973. “I remember that she was fat,” Evert recalled. “She was very emotional on the court, whining if she didn't feel she was playing well. But I remember thinking, if she loses weight, we’re all in trouble.” Said Navratilova, “My goal was for her to remember my name.” Eighty matches later – amid the extraordinary growth of women’s tennis – Evert not only remembered, but became a tried and true friend and confidante, remarkable considering the two appeared to be polar opposites in upbringing, life styles and personal relationships. Through a series of personal conversations, this documentary will tell the story of one of the greatest one-on-one sports rivalries and capture these two extraordinary athletes’ views on tennis and an ever-changing world.
Sep 2010
In the world of motorsports, the Indianapolis 500 has long been considered the only race. In May 1977, Janet Guthrie — the first woman to attempt Indy — earned herself a spot in the prestigious field of 33. A year later, overcoming impossible odds, Guthrie cobbled together her own team for a stunning success. Yet just when her career should have rocketed forward, it suddenly, inexplicably stalled.
Mar 2019
When Bernard King arrived at Knoxville, he was only the third African-American ever to play for the Vols' varsity team. By the time he left he was a legend. Along with talented teammate Ernie Grunfeld, they gained national acclaim as part of what was known as "The Ernie and Bernie Show." Director Jason Hehir follows King's strict upbringing in Brooklyn, New York, the challenges he faced at the University of Tennessee, and the obstacles he overcame in the NBA as he looked to live up to the promise of his college career.
Nov 2013
The remarkable life and career of the legendary Dick Vitale, ESPN's voice of college basketball for more than four decades, and an inspiration as he battles cancer, a disease he's been fighting on behalf of others for years as well. The film features more than 40 original interviews including Magic Johnson, Mike Krzyzewski, Charles Barkley, John Calipari, Robin Roberts, Chris Berman and Mike Tirico, among many leading voices from college basketball, sports broadcasting, and beyond, "Dickie V" is a fun, unforgettable, moving, inspirational ride through an incredible life still being lived, and a poignant tribute to a man still spreading love and joy wherever he goes.
Jul 2022
Free Spirits tells the colorful story of the Spirits of St. Louis – an entertaining and at times controversial team featuring stars like Marvin "Bad News" Barnes and James "Fly" Williams with an upstart sportscaster named Bob Costas calling the play-by-play.
Oct 2013
Alabama's Mykal Riley hits a desperate 3-pointer to send a 2008 SEC men's basketball tournament quarterfinal game into overtime. Had he missed it, thousands of fans departing the Georgia Dome would have been exposed to a major tornado that swept through downtown Atlanta. Instead, Riley's "Miracle Three" prevented a major tragedy, united rivals, revealed heroes, and allowed one underdog (Georgia) to claim the conference's automatic NCAA tournament bid.
Jan 2013
The Drive. The Fumble. The Shot. The Decision. José Mesa. And so it goes for Cleveland sports fans. BELIEVELAND attempts to explain the masochistic devotion many Browns, Indians, and Cavs fans have when it comes to cheering for teams that continue to break our hearts. Including interviews with ghosts of sports heroes past, current Cleveland personalities, and many of the very fanatics that keep taking their licks, BELIEVELAND is like group therapy where the patients are the ones asking “why, Why, WHY!” Only true Clevelanders can understand our love for our city, our loyalty to our teams, and the mentality that hungers for more even though it’s been 50 years since our last championship. And that’s because one day–one day–we’ll be able to say, “I told you so” to everyone who refuses to believe.
May 2016
In 1965, a truck driver and exotic pet dealer from New Jersey decided that he could join an elite group of men who had been to the final frontier -- space.
Jun 2015
A chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent of American racial tensions, revealing a fractured and divided nation.
In 1976, a 14-year-old Nadia Comăneci became an overnight sensation after she accomplished what no one had ever done before in professional gymnastics—she scored a perfect 10. ETERNAL PRINCESS is an intimate look at her inner struggles, personal dedication, and greatest success.
Apr 2015
Throughout the 1980s, Miami, Florida, was at the center of a racial and cultural shift taking place throughout the country. Overwhelmed by riots and tensions, Miami was a city in flux, and the University of Miami football team served as a microcosm for this evolution. The image of the predominantly white university was forever changed when coach Howard Schnellenberger scoured some of the toughest ghettos in Florida to recruit mostly black players for his team. With a newly branded swagger, inspired and fueled by the quickly growing local Miami hip hop culture, these Hurricanes took on larger-than-life personalities and won four national titles between 1983 and 1991. Filmmaker Billy Corben, a Miami native and University of Miami alum, will tell the story of how these “Bad Boys” of football changed the attitude of the game they played, and how this serene campus was transformed into “The U.”
Dec 2009
Following the July 2015 shooting in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Peyton Manning sets up a fund to benefit the families of the service members and police officers who were killed.
Nov 2015
One night in Durham, North Carolina, a rape accusation set fire to the reputations of three college athletes and their elite university. As the Duke lacrosse players grappled with their transition from model student to the criminally accused, several wars were launched on different fronts.
Mar 2016
From 1981-1984, a small private school in Dallas owned the best record in college football. The Mustangs of Southern Methodist University were riding high on the backs of the vaunted "Pony Express" backfield. But as the middle of the decade approached, the program was coming apart at the seams. Wins became the only thing that mattered as the University increasingly ceded power of the football program to the city's oil barons and real estate tycoons and flagrant and frequent NCAA violations became the norm. In 1987, the school and the sport were rocked, as the NCAA meted out "the death penalty" on a college football program for the first and only time in its history. SMU would be without football for two years, and the fan base would be without an identity for 20 more until the win in the 2009 Hawaii Bowl. This is the story of Dallas in the 1980's and the greed, power, and corruption that spilled from the oil fields onto the football field and all the way to the Governor's Mansion.
Dec 2010
Profiling Notre Dame kicker Reggie Ho, who played for one season and helped the team go undefeated in 1988. As a walk-on, Ho received no financial support from the school. He was a pure student-athlete who played for the love of the game and for the love of Notre Dame.
Jan 2015
Future NBA players rise to prominence at Dunbar High, located in a troubled Baltimore neighborhood in the 1980s. Despite that environment, David Wingate, Reggie Williams, Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues and Reggie Lewis all persevere and reach the NBA.
Aug 2017
As 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 own body.
Aug 2018
Randy Moss has long been an enigma known for his brilliance on the football field and his problems off it. Sometimes there's even been an intersection of those two qualities. "Rand University" gets to that crossing by going back to where he came from - Rand, West Virginia - and exploring what almost derailed him before he ever became nationally known for his extraordinary abilities as a wide receiver.
Nov 2014
A comprehensive reminisce at each chapter of former NFL quarterback Michael Vick’s saga–the incredible rise, shocking fall and polarizing return.
Jan 2020
Mack Beggs loved wrestling—it gave him a sense of purpose and a sense of self. "Mack Wrestles" takes the audience behind the scenes as this gifted athlete from Euless, Texas, struggles against the outside forces that stigmatize transgender athletes.