30 for 30 Shorts

ESPN 30 for 30 Shorts

30 for 30 Shorts Season 1 release dates →

1. S1 E74

   E74

   74. Motorcycle Mary

   3 years ago

   “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 norms while mastering multiple racing disciplines. The documentary short will feature stunning never-before-seen archival footage and photographs from McGee’s life. “Racing was never just about competition for me—it was about freedom, courage, and pushing myself beyond limits,” says Mary McGee. “I’m proud to share my journey in ‘Motorcycle Mary.’ I hope my story inspires women and shows that with determination, anyone can carve their own path, no matter the odds.” Born in Alaska on the eve of World War II, McGee’s early life is riddled with fear but, with her older brother Jim’s guidance, she conquers her apprehensive nature and discovers the art of composure—a skill that serves her to take on the racetrack. Following in her brother’s footsteps, her remarkable racing odyssey begins in the world of cars, wher

2. E73

   73. Black Girls Play: The Story of Hand Games

   3 years ago

   An illuminating look at the influence that hand games played by Black girls has had on the American creative landscape.

3. E72

   72. Deerfoot of the Diamond

   4 years ago

   The 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 tradition in the game today.

4. E71

   71. Make Him Known

   5 years ago

   This 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 justice led to Irons' release, and their relationship became a romance that culminated in marriage.

5. E70

   70. Revolution in the Ring

   5 years ago

   The 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 life and the life of the Cuban people were dramatically altered by the embargo.

6. E69

   69. Subject to Review

   6 years ago

   In 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 look at not just the technology that's been developed to determine the right calls with better accuracy, but the meaning and significance of that pursuit. Tracing the history of photographic review back more than a hundred years, and chronicling controversial moments before and after the age of review in tennis, the film explores the mechanisms of the cameras and computerized simulations that now serve as the final word on close calls - but also the limits of the veracity of those calls. Ultimately, it's a story about technology in sports - but also a study of what we want from our machines, and our minds, well beyond any court of play.

7. E68

   68. Mack Wrestles

   7 years ago

   Mack 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 identifies. His resolute journey is artfully told as we watch him struggle against the outside forces that stigmatize these athletes. The film is a deeply personal look at the debate around sports and who gets to play.

8. E67

   67. Sonic Break

   8 years ago

   Somebody 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.

9. E66

   66. Locked In

   8 years ago

   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.

10. E65

    65. The Amazing Adventures of Wally and The Worm

    8 years ago

    In 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 turned into fancy dinners, VIP access, chartered choppers, brushes with celebrity and a lifelong friendship.

11. S1 E64

    E64

    64. 24 Strong

    9 years ago

    Examining the heroics of high school football player Zaevion Dobson that lead to his death.

12. E63

    63. Strike Team

    9 years ago

    The 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 the operation, from the planning stages through its suspenseful execution.

13. S1 E62

    E62

    62. The Counterfeiter

    9 years ago

    The story of Greg Marino, master forger and target of a 1990s FBI investigation known as Operation Bullpen.

14. E61

    61. The Throwback

    9 years ago

    A 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 era of football, sometimes participating in more than 80% of his team's plays (offense and defense) in a given game.

15. S1 E60

    E60

    60. What the Hell Happened to Jai Alai

    10 years ago

    How jai alai went from drawing crowds of thousands in Miami in the 1970s and 1980s to being fortunate to draw 100 a match today.

16. S1 E59

    E59

    59. The Guerrilla Fighter

    10 years ago

    The story of Alexis Argüello, legendary in Nicaragua as both one of the greatest boxers of the 20th century and a political figure.

17. S1 E58

    E58

    58. Eternal Princess

    10 years ago

    It'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 gold medals.

18. E57

    57. We Are

    10 years ago

    A 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 replacement.

19. E56

    56. The Shining Star of Losers Everywhere

    10 years ago

    How 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.

20. E55

    55. A.C. Green: Iron Virgin

    10 years ago

    While 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 known for abiding by his Christian beliefs and remaining celibate throughout his entire NBA career

21. E54

    54. Gonzo @ The Derby

    10 years ago

    The 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-old writer from Louisville named Hunter S. Thompson.

22. E53

    53. When The King Held Court

    10 years ago

    How 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.

23. S1 E52

    E52

    52. Tiger Hood

    10 years ago

    When 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, earning him the nickname, "Tiger Hood".

24. E51

    51. No Kin to Me

    10 years ago

    The 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, and also by a postgame comment about Reagan by LSU star Rudy Macklin that haunted him for years.

25. E50

    50. I Am Yup'ik

    10 years ago

    A 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.

26. E49

    49. The Bad Boy of Bowling

    10 years ago

    A look at the life of Pete Weber, the self-declared "bad boy of bowling" and the sport's first rock star.

27. E48

    48. Slick, Nancy, and the Telethon

    10 years ago

    The story of how the Indiana Pacers avoided financial ruin by holding a telethon in the summer of 1977.

28. E47

    47. Friedman's Shoes

    10 years ago

    The 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.

29. E46

    46. Thicker the Water

    10 years ago

    How 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 of his HIV-positive status prior to the Games.

30. E45

    45. Tose: The Movie

    11 years ago

    A look at the life and legacy of late Philadelphia Eagles owner Leonard Tose.

31. S1 E44

    E44

    44. Chattanooga Strong

    11 years ago

    The 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 killed or wounded in a July 2015 shooting incident in Chattanooga.

32. E43

    43. Every Day

    11 years ago

    The 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.

33. E42

    42. #BringBackSungWoo

    11 years ago

    A 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 attempt is made by two Royals fans to bring their "good-luck charm" from Seoul back to KC.

34. E41

    41. The Pittsburgh Drug Trials

    11 years ago

    Though 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.

35. E40

    40. First Pitch

    11 years ago

    A 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 in the city.

36. E39

    39. Delaney

    11 years ago

    A 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 a Louisiana pond (though he himself could not swim).

37. E38

    38. Brave in the Attempt

    11 years ago

    How seeing the treatment of her intellectually disabled sister propelled Eunice Kennedy Shriver to create the Special Olympics.

38. E37

    37. Spyball

    11 years ago

    The 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.

39. E36

    36. Ted Turner's Greatest Race

    11 years ago

    Already 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, Turner and Tenacious's crew recall the harrowing race, an event marred by a deadly storm in the Celtic Sea.

40. E35

    35. The Anti-Mascot

    11 years ago

    Aiming 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 encouraged to take the "anti-" literally, Crazy Crab and the actor playing him, Wayne Doba, endure verbal and physical abuse over the course of the Giants' last-place season.

41. E34

    34. Unhittable: Sidd Finch and the Tibetan Fastball

    11 years ago

    For 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... and who was a product of Plimpton's imagination. On the 30th anniversary of the April Fools hoax, the surviving people responsible are profiled, including the Illinois middle-school teacher who posed as Finch for SI.

42. E33

    33. The Billion Dollar Game

    11 years ago

    A 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 March Madness.

43. E32

    32. Wrestling the Curse

    11 years ago

    Kevin 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 addiction or suicide), Kevin now finds peace living off the grid in a remote part of Hawaii.

44. E31

    31. An Immortal Man

    11 years ago

    A look at the issue of the cryogenic preservation of Ted Williams' body.

45. E30

    30. The Sweat Solution

    11 years ago

    Dr. 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 football team – a "magic elixir" that would later be called Gatorade.

46. E29

    29. Student/Athlete

    11 years ago

    Growing 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 a walk-on player.

47. E28

    28. Robbed

    12 years ago

    A 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 strike was happening right outside the stadium's gates.

48. E27

    27. Our Tough Guy

    11 years ago

    A 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 fight, and the journey his life took following his playing career.

49. E26

    26. The Great Trade Robbery

    12 years ago

    Former 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 players the Cowboys received in return that laid the foundations for the team's success in the 1990s.

50. E25

    25. Fields of Fear

    12 years ago

    A 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 confronting boyhood traumas helped in his mental recovery.