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30 for 30

30 for 30
★ 7.6/10•2009•TV-PG•Documentary
Similars

30 for 30 is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This currently includes four "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series under the ESPN Films Presents title in 2011–2012, and a series of 30 for 30 Shorts shown through the ESPN.com website. The series has also expanded to include Soccer Stories, which aired in advance of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and audio podcasts. This entry refers to the main Volumes of the series presented by ESPN

StatusReturning Series
LanguageEN
First Air DateOct 6, 2009

Episodes

Episode 1 - King's RansomE151m

King's Ransom

The 1988 trade of Wayne Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings and the effect it had on Gretzky, the fans in Edmonton, and the popularity of hockey in Southern California.

Oct 6, 2009

Episode 2 - The Band That Wouldn't DieE253m

The Band That Wouldn't Die

A profile of Baltimore's love affair with football and the Colts, focusing on the Colts Marching Band. After the Colts decamped for Indianapolis in 1984, the band stayed behind to help promote the eventual return of the NFL to the city.

Oct 13, 2009

Episode 3 - Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?E351m

Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?

Fresh interviews and archival footage track the life and demise of the United States Football League in the mid-1980s. A highlight is Tollin's interview with Donald Trump, the former New Jersey Generals owner whose post-interview comments on the league give this documentary its title.

Oct 20, 2009

Episode 4 - Muhammad and LarryE452m

Muhammad and Larry

A look at the October 1980 Muhammad Ali–Larry Holmes fight and its impact on both fighters, featuring fresh interviews with participants and previously unseen lead-up footage from both fighters' camps.

Oct 27, 2009

Episode 5 - Without BiasE551m

Without Bias

The death of Len Bias from a cocaine-induced heart attack, two days after Boston selected him as the second overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft, and its impact on casual drug use, especially by the sports community.

Nov 3, 2009

Episode 6 - The Legend of Jimmy the GreekE651m

The Legend of Jimmy the Greek

The life of Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder, from his career as a Las Vegas bookmaker to his tenure on The NFL Today, from which he was fired in 1988.

Nov 10, 2009

Episode 7 - The UE7102m

The U

The racial and cultural evolution of Miami during the 1980s as represented within the University of Miami football team.

Dec 12, 2009

Episode 8 - Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. the New York KnicksE869m

Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. the New York Knicks

The impact of Indiana Pacer Reggie Miller on the New York Knicks in the 1990s, specifically focusing on the Pacers/Knicks battles in the 1994 and 1995 NBA Playoffs and on Miller's interaction with Knicks fan Spike Lee.

Mar 14, 2010

Episode 9 - Guru of GoE952m

Guru of Go

A profile of Paul Westhead's coaching tenure at Loyola Marymount University (1985–1990), where his Lions' team was known for its high-scoring run-and-gun offense, use of talented players such as Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers, and a pall cast by Gathers's on-court death in 1990.

Apr 3, 2010

Episode 10 - No Crossover: The Trial of Allen IversonE1081m

No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson

The 1993 trial of Hampton, Virginia, high school athlete Allen Iverson, convicted for his role in a racially tinged melee, and its impact on both the community and on Iverson's life.

Apr 13, 2010

Episode 11 - Silly Little GameE1151m

Silly Little Game

Meeting at New York City's La Rotisserie Francaise restaurant in 1980, a group of writers and academics develop Rotisserie Fantasy baseball, only to see it take off in popularity and leave them behind.

Apr 20, 2010

Episode 12 - Run Ricky RunE1252m

Run Ricky Run

A profile of Ricky Williams focuses on his brief 2004 departure from the NFL, when he sought self-redemption amidst media criticism and fresh rumors of marijuana use.

Apr 27, 2010

Episode 13 - The 16th ManE1352m

The 16th Man

How hosting (and winning) the 1995 Rugby World Cup, combined with Nelson Mandela's support of the Springboks national team, affected post-apartheid South Africa.

May 4, 2010

Episode 14 - Straight Outta L.A.E1451m

Straight Outta L.A.

The relationship between the Raiders and the minority fan base in Los Angeles during the team's 13 seasons in L.A.

May 11, 2010

Episode 15 - June 17, 1994E1551m

June 17, 1994

Quick-cut archival footage captures the various US sporting events on the day in question and the emotions they generated, including the opening of the World Cup soccer tournament, the Knicks/Rockets NBA Finals, Arnold Palmer's last round in the U.S. Open, and the New York Rangers' Stanley Cup victory celebration. One event, however, overshadows them all: O. J. Simpson's run from the police.

Jun 16, 2010

Episode 16 - The Two EscobarsE16103m

The Two Escobars

The lives of soccer player Andrés Escobar and drug lord Pablo Escobar; the intertwining of crime and soccer in their native Colombia; and the connections between the deaths of both men. (2 hours in length)

Jun 22, 2010

Episode 17 - The Birth of Big AirE1751m

The Birth of Big Air

The life of Mat Hoffman and his 25-year career of advancing, in creative and promotional avenues, BMX riding.

Jul 29, 2010

Episode 18 - Jordan Rides the BusE1851m

Jordan Rides the Bus

Motivated by the dream his late father had for him, Michael Jordan retires from basketball and has a brief career in minor league baseball.

Aug 24, 2010

Episode 19 - Little Big MenE1950m

Little Big Men

A look at the Kirkland National Little League team's success at the 1982 Little League World Series, examining why their title win is considered one of the biggest upsets in the event's history.

Aug 31, 2010

Episode 20 - One Night in VegasE2053m

One Night in Vegas

The friendship of boxer Mike Tyson and rapper Tupac Shakur and the night of September 7, 1996, when Shakur was murdered after attending the Tyson-Bruce Seldon fight in Las Vegas.

Sep 7, 2010

Episode 21 - UnmatchedE2152m

Unmatched

A look at the rivalry and friendship between tennis legends Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova.

Sep 14, 2010

Episode 22 - The House of SteinbrennerE2251m

The House of Steinbrenner

The legacy of George Steinbrenner's ownership of the New York Yankees.

Sep 21, 2010

Episode 23 - Into the WindE2351m

Into the Wind

Terry Fox's attempt to run 5,373 kilometres (3,339 mi) across Canada in support of fundraising for cancer research captures the attention of his fellow Canadians and the world.

Sep 28, 2010

Episode 24 - Four Days In OctoberE2451m

Four Days In October

The remarkable comeback of the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees in the 2004 ALCS.

Oct 5, 2010

Episode 25 - Once BrothersE2580m

Once Brothers

The story of Croatian Dražen Petrović and Serbian Vlade Divac, NBA players and Yugoslavian national teammates, and how upheaval in their homeland adversely and irretrievably affected their friendship. (90 minutes in length)

Oct 12, 2010

Episode 26 - Tim Richmond: To the LimitE2651m

Tim Richmond: To the Limit

The career of NASCAR driver Tim Richmond, his flamboyant lifestyle, and his 1989 death from AIDS.

Oct 19, 2010

Episode 27 - Fernando NationE2751m

Fernando Nation

The euphoria created by Fernando Valenzuela's 1981 arrival with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Oct 26, 2010

Episode 28 - Marion Jones: Press PauseE2851m

Marion Jones: Press Pause

The successful track and field career of Marion Jones, her 2007 admission of performance-enhancing drug use, and subsequent prison sentence.

Nov 2, 2010

Episode 29 - The Best that Never WasE29101m

The Best that Never Was

The 1981 recruiting of high school football player Marcus Dupree by multiple big-time college programs, his resulting injury-prone college and professional career, and how his pursuit by college and USFL teams changed the recruiting process. (2 hours in length)

Nov 9, 2010

Episode 30 - Pony ExcessE30102m

Pony Excess

The rise, fall, and rebirth of the SMU Mustangs football program, which received a 1-year "death penalty" for major infractions after former SMU player David Stanley blew the whistle on the long-suspected program. Patrick Duffy, known for starring in TV's Dallas at the time of the scandal, narrates. (2 hours in length)

Dec 11, 2010

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