Posts by ESPN Films

  • 30 for 30 Shorts: Every Day

    Our latest film, directed by Gabe Spitzer, tells the story of how the journey to a million steps starts with taking one at a time.

  • 30 for 30 Shorts: #BringBackSungWoo

    Our latest film, directed by Josh Swade and Josh Shelov, tells the story of the Kansas City Royals’ frenzied fan base and, more importantly, its biggest fan of all.

  • 30 for 30: ‘Sole Man,’ Chapter 6 — Sonny, Ed, and the NCAA

    In the sixth and final chapter of the latest 30 for 30, ‘Sole Man,’ we see Sonny Vaccaro’s life accomplishments brought to reckoning after he left the shoe business in 2007, and the steps he’s taken since to bring down the multibillion-dollar monster he helped create.

  • 30 for 30: ‘Sole Man,’ Chapter 5 — The LeBron Affair

    The fifth chapter of the latest 30 for 30, ‘Sole Man,’ flashes back to Sonny Vaccaro’s first glimpse of LeBron James, whom Vaccaro declared to be the greatest high school player he’d ever seen — after only 10 minutes in a pickup game. With Adidas losing out to Nike for LeBron’s signature, Sonny indulges in what could have been.

  • 30 for 30: ‘Sole Man,’ Chapter 4 — There Are Victims Here

    Chapter 4 of the latest 30 for 30 looks at the battle for young basketball talent that turned into a deeply personal and all-consuming crusade that affected players, coaches, and executives at all levels of the industry.

  • 30 for 30: ‘Sole Man,’ Chapter 3 — Kobe and the Gunslinger

    After being fired by Nike in a haze of controversy, Vaccaro resurfaces at Adidas, which at that time had virtually no presence in the U.S. basketball market. In the first big strike for his new employer, Vaccaro signs a phenom named Kobe Bryant to a multimillion-dollar contract, an unprecedented deal for a player making the risky (and much-criticized) jump from high school to the NBA.

  • 30 for 30: ‘Sole Man,’ Chapter 2 — The Jordan Effect

    In 1984, Vaccaro and Nike executives plotted a strategy to get into the world of pro basketball. How they ended up signing Michael Jordan and launching the brand known as “Air Jordan” is a Hollywood story that features secret phone calls, a six-figure check, a mansion in Oregon, and a plate of ribs at a Tony Roma’s restaurant in Santa Monica.

  • 30 for 30: ‘Sole Man,’ Chapter 1 — How Sonny Became Sonny

    In the first of six chapters of ‘Sole Man,’ we meet John Paul Vaccaro, the pudgy native of Trafford, Pennsylvania, whose success at identifying and befriending top basketball players changed the game forever.

  • It’s Not Crazy, It’s Sports: ‘Chrome’

    “You can tell a lot from a horse by looking at the eye.” Steve Coburn talks about California Chrome, the horse who nearly became the first Triple Crown winner in 36 years in the 2014 campaign. By looking into Coburn’s eyes, you’ll see why we love horses.

  • It’s Not Crazy, It’s Sports: ‘Most Valuable Whatever’

    What would possess someone to pay $8,000 for Ty Cobb’s dentures? Or $5,300 for the toilet that the Toronto Maple Leafs sat on? Or $820 for the butt fumble jersey?

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