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30 for 30

30 for 30

2009Returning Series4 Seasons138 Episodes7.4TMDB
ESPN

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

Created by: Bill Simmons, Connor Schell, John Dahl

Specials

Browse every episode and jump into details.

Episode 1: 30 for 30 Shorts: Here Now

May 15, 2012

An interview with Pete Rose, Major League Baseball's all-time hits leader, at The Forum Shops at Las Vegas' Caesars Palace, where he signs autographs and memorabilia while store employees act as barkers to lure shoppers into the store.

Episode 3: 30 for 30 Shorts: Jake

Oct 25, 2012

The career of Alfred Slote, an author of sports-oriented children's books (Jake being his personal favorite) whose interest was not so much the games played but the drama that the characters encountered.

Episode 4: 30 for 30 Shorts: The Arnold Palmer

Nov 28, 2012

An exploration into the history, mystery, and industry surrounding "The Arnold Palmer", the lemonade-and-iced tea beverage created by the same-named golfing legend that has become a fixture of nineteenth hole lore and American leisure.

Episode 8: 30 for 30 Shorts: Silver Reunion

Mar 27, 2013

During the summer of 2012, a secret meeting took place among the 12 members of the 1972 U.S. men's Olympic basketball team. Reuniting more than four decades after the controversial gold-medal game in which they lost to the Soviet Union and then declined to accept the silver medal, the team members met in Lexington, Kentucky, to make a final decision: to accept, or forever refuse, the medals for a game many of them believe they never lost. And, like with the jury in 12 Angry Men, the verdict needed to be unanimous.

Episode 9: 30 for 30 Shorts: The Irrelevant Giant

Apr 17, 2013

John Tuggle, the 1983 NFL draft's Mr. Irrelevant, was anything but irrelevant to legendary coach Bill Parcells. The normally tough and gruff coach will guide us on an emotional journey as he recounts his own rookie season as the head coach of the New York Giants and the year he came to know this very special athlete who made his team against all odds. But only one year later, a rare and unbeatable form of cancer would change both John's and Coach Parcells' destinies leaving behind a lasting impact on teammates and the life of the coach who understands just how fragile life can be.

Episode 10: 30 for 30 Shorts: Cutthroat

May 29, 2013

Clint Malarchuk was the "Cowboy Goalie." He grew up riding horses with a severe childhood OCD problem. He would ultimately go down in hockey history for suffering one of the most gruesome injuries in sports when he severed his carotid artery by an opposing player's skate blade. "Cutthroat," will cover the injury, his remarkable physical recovery in under two weeks and his grueling emotional and mental one.

Episode 11: 30 for 30 Shorts: Tommy and Frank

Jul 24, 2013

An intimate, funny and compelling take on the unique relationship and shared legacy of Tommy John, the chatty Indiana lefty who won nearly 300 Major League games, and Dr. Frank Jobe, the unassuming L.A. orthopedist who conceived and performed a revolutionary elbow operation on John in 1974.

Episode 13: 30 for 30 Shorts: Arthur & Johnnie

Aug 28, 2013

Johnnie Ashe tells of a personal sacrifice: After finishing a tour of service in the Vietnam War, Johnnie, a U.S. Marine, volunteers to serve another tour in place of his older brother, Army 2nd Lieutenant Arthur Ashe. Johnnie's selfless move allows Arthur to continue his budding tennis career.

Episode 15: 30 for 30 Shorts: The Schedule Makers

Nov 6, 2013

Using only a computer, a pencil and paper, and cooperation, the husband-and-wife duo of Henry and Holly Stephenson spent almost a quarter-century creating Major League Baseball's season schedule.

Episode 16: 30 for 30 Shorts: The Great Imposter

Nov 20, 2013

Beginning with stealing a player's warm-up outfit and posing as a player at the 1979 NBA All-Star Game, Barry Bremen begins a playful run fulfilling the average sports fan's ultimate fantasy, sneaking into the fields of play to pose as players, golfers, game officials, and even a cheerleader.

Episode 17: 30 for 30 Shorts: Judging Jewell

Jan 31, 2014

Security guard Richard Jewell received praise in the aftermath of a bombing during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta when he helped clear the area and found the bag that contained the pipe bomb. Praise turned into loss of honor when Jewell was wrongfully accused of planting the bomb in the ensuing investigation.

Episode 21: 30 for 30 Shorts: Posterized

May 21, 2014

A profile of Shawn Bradley, a 7-foot-6 center who spent the majority of his NBA career on the wrong end of epic dunks (the kind usually found on posters), and how he went from a bust on the basketball court to a superstar off of it.

Episode 23: 30 for 30 Shorts: The High Five

Jul 23, 2014

When L.A. Dodger Dusty Baker hit his 30th home run of the 1977 season, the first man to greet him at home plate was his friend and teammate, rookie Glenn Burke. Overcome with happiness, Burke did the first thing that came to mind—he put his hand straight in the air and had Baker slap it, thus in fact creating the high five gesture.

Episode 24: 30 for 30 Shorts: Kid Danny

Aug 13, 2014

A team from The Bronx makes it to the 2001 Little League World Series, only to be disqualified when pitcher Danny Almonte is revealed to be two years too old to play in Little League.

Episode 25: 30 for 30 Shorts: Fields of Fear

Sep 16, 2014

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.

Episode 26: 30 for 30 Shorts: The Great Trade Robbery

Oct 7, 2014

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.

Episode 27: 30 for 30 Shorts: Our Tough Guy

Nov 12, 2014

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.

Episode 28: 30 for 30 Shorts: Robbed

Dec 3, 2014

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.

Episode 29: 30 for 30 Shorts: Student/Athlete

Jan 7, 2015

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.

Episode 30: 30 for 30 Shorts: The Sweat Solution

Jan 21, 2015

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.

Episode 32: 30 for 30 Shorts: Wrestling the Curse

Feb 27, 2015

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.

Episode 34: 30 for 30 Shorts: Unhittable: Sidd Finch and the Tibetan Fastball

Apr 1, 2015

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.

Episode 35: 30 for 30 Shorts: The Anti-Mascot

May 20, 2015

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.

Episode 36: 30 for 30 Shorts: Ted Turner's Greatest Race

Jun 3, 2015

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.

Episode 39: 30 for 30 Shorts: Delaney

Aug 19, 2015

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).

Episode 40: 30 for 30 Shorts: First Pitch

Sep 11, 2015

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.

Episode 42: 30 for 30 Shorts: #BringBackSungWoo

Oct 7, 2015

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.

Episode 44: 30 for 30 Shorts: Chattanooga Strong

Nov 9, 2015

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.

Episode 46: 30 for 30 Shorts: Thicker Than Water

Dec 1, 2015

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.

Episode 50: 30 for 30 Shorts: I Am Yup'ik

Mar 2, 2016

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.

Episode 51: 30 for 30 Shorts: No Kin to Me

Mar 9, 2016

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.

Episode 52: 30 for 30 Shorts: Tiger Hood

Apr 12, 2016

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".

Episode 54: 30 for 30 Shorts: Gonzo @ The Derby

May 3, 2016

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.

Episode 55: 30 for 30 Shorts: A. C. Green: Iron Virgin

May 10, 2016

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.

Episode 57: 30 for 30 Shorts: We Are

May 24, 2016

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.

Episode 58: 30 for 30 Shorts: Eternal Princess

May 24, 2016

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.

Episode 61: 30 for 30 Shorts: The Throwback

Dec 3, 2016

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.

Episode 66: 30 for 30 Shorts: Locked In

Aug 3, 2018

Victoria Arlen had it all as a young girl—athletic talent and a loving family—until falling into a coma at age 11. When she awakened three years later, she was literally trapped in her body, unable to communicate that she was still there. With the help of family and therapy, she came out of her prison unable to walk... but could still swim, all the way to one gold and three silver medals at the 2012 Paralympics. But she wasn't done yet, enrolling in a program called Project Walk—and ending up as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.

Episode 67: 30 for 30 Shorts: Sonic Break

Sep 23, 2018

Chronicles the anxiety experienced by Felix Baumgartner during the lead-up to his ultimately successful attempt to become the first human to break the sound barrier without the benefit of engine power.

Episode 68: Mack Wrestles

Sep 22, 2019

The story of Mack Beggs and his desire to compete in boys' wrestling in Texas, even though state interscholastic officials, who recognized him as female (Beggs is a trans male), forced him to compete in girls' competitions.

Episode 71: Down In The Valley

Oct 20, 2015 · 1h 17m

The fight of Sacramento and its mayor Kevin Johnson to keep the Kings from moving to Seattle. Episode pulled before airing, intended to be Season 03 Episode 03.

Season 0 FAQ

Quick answers about this season's release timeline and episode lineup.

When did 30 for 30 Season 0 premiere?

30 for 30 Season 0 premiered on May 15, 2012.

How many episodes are in 30 for 30 Season 0?

30 for 30 Season 0 has 71 episodes.

What is the first episode of 30 for 30 Season 0?

The season opens with Season 0 Episode 1, "30 for 30 Shorts: Here Now". It aired on May 15, 2012.

Go to Season 0 Episode 1

Where to Watch

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