Connect with us
blank

Sports TV News

Derek Jeter Docuseries Headed To ESPN In 2022

Jeter played his entire 20-year MLB career with the New York Yankees.

Russ Heltman

Published

on

blank
Courtesy: Darren Calabrese/AP

First The GOAT, and now The Captain. 

ESPN Films rolled out the red carpet last spring for “The Last Dance” and they appear to be doing the same on a new Derek Jeter project. “The Captain” was announced this week by ESPN Films. The six-part documentary follows Jeter’s baseball career and debuts on ESPN and ESPN+ sometime next year.

“Emmy-winning director Randy Wilkins (“86-32,” “Docket 32357,” “Dear…”) will tell the story of Jeter’s professional and personal triumphs and challenges,” The announcement said. “The documentary series will use Jeter’s journey as a vessel to tell a larger cultural story that explores race, family, community, rivalries, and more. The heartbeat of the project is candid access to the man who helped restore shine to a team, a city, and a culture.”

Legend and Jeter go hand-in-hand after his 20-year run with the New York Yankees that ended with his retirement in 2014. “The Captain” is a part of the 2021 Baseball Hall of Fame Class after being voted in his first time on the ballot. 

“I’ve held onto this news since last September. I’m incredibly honored & proud to announce I will be directing ‘The Captain,’ Wilkins said on Twitter. “It’s a six-episode docuseries on Derek Jeter. Spike Lee is Executive Producer and the Producers of The Last Dance are on board. This is a dream come true. I never thought I would be given the responsibility to tell Derek’s story. I take great pride in this. I won’t get too deep into this now, but trust me, this will not be a baseball highlight package. We’re going to tell a robust story that extends beyond the field.”

As mentioned above, the series is being executive produced by Spike Lee, Mike Tollin, Mandalay Sports Media, Excel Sports Management’s media arm Excel Media, and Connor Schell, in association with The Players’ Tribune and Major League Baseball.

Sports TV News

Sean McManus: LIV Golfers Won’t Get Different Treatment During The Masters

“We’re not gonna put our heads in the sand.”

blank

Published

on

blank

CBS Sports is preparing for coverage of its 68th consecutive year of The Masters, but the 2023 event could prove to be unlike any before it, and CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus is cognizant of the situation.

After several former Masters champions departed the PGA Tour for the upstart LIV Golf, many pondered what that meant for the sport’s major championships. The Masters decided to continue to allow the golfers who are now playing exclusively with the Saudi-backed league to compete for the green jacket. McManus shared that CBS will continue the showcase the golfers as it always has.

“We’re not gonna cover up or hide anything,” McManus said, as reported by Golf Digest. “As I’ve said so often, our job is to cover the golf tournament. We’re not gonna show any different treatment for the golfers who have played on the LIV tour than we do the other golfers. And if there’s a pertinent point or something that we need to, or we feel that we should bring up in our coverage on Saturday and Sunday, or on our other coverage throughout the week, you know, we’re not gonna put our heads in the sand.

“Having said that, unless it really affects the story that’s taking place on the golf course, we’re not gonna go out of our way to cover it. I’m not sure there’s anything that we could add to the story as it already exists. We’ll cover it as, as is suitable.”

Continue Reading

Sports TV News

NFL Owners Not Voting on Flex Scheduling For Thursday Night Football

“The owners have simply decided to wait until May to make their decision.”

blank

Published

on

Thursday Night Football

Amazon will have to wait for flex scheduling. NFL owners decided to table a proposal that would allow the league to create more compelling matchups for Thursday Night Football later in the season.

That doesn’t mean flex scheduling won’t be a reality on Thursday nights this season. The owners have simply decided to wait until May to make their decision.

Earlier this week, Peter King of NBC Sports reported that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is pushing the idea. Coaches have been outspoken about how much they dislike it, complaining about managing injuries and the competitive disadvantage that would come with finding out you suddenly have a shorter week of preparation than expected. According to King, Goodell is trying to make Amazon happy after the first season of Thursday Night Football failed to deliver projected audience numbers for Prime Video.

League owners did take a step they hope will lead to fewer games between losing teams. Last season, teams could only be scheduled once for a Thursday night game. The owners decided to bump that limit up to twice per season.

Goodell defended the proposal against accusations that the league is prioritizing revenue over player safety. 

“We always look at the data with respect to injuries,” he told the media gathered at the league meetings. “That is what drove our decisions throughout the first 12 or so years of Thursday Night Football and how it’s evolved. I think the data was very clear: it doesn’t show a higher injury rate. But we recognize shorter weeks. We went through this with COVID, too.”

When the idea of flex scheduling is revisited in May, it will require the support of 24 team owners in order to become a reality. 

Continue Reading

Sports TV News

Eric Shanks Got Approval From Alex Rodriguez Before FOX Hired Derek Jeter

“Why wouldn’t we reach out?”

blank

Published

on

blank

Derek Jeter is going to work a very limited schedule for FOX next season. Still, before he came on board, FOX Sports CEO Eric Shanks wanted the support of Jeter’s former Yankees teammate and on-again/off-again friend Alex Rodriguez.

Andrew Marchand is reporting that Shanks reached out to ARod personally. Rodriguez gave his approval to the network.

“Why wouldn’t we reach out?” a Fox Sports spokesman said when The New York Post reached out for confirmation.

While Derek Jeter is now part of the FOX family, fans shouldn’t expect to see him every time baseball is on the network. He is only scheduled to work “marquee events”. This season, those include the London series, the All-Star Game, and the World Series.

He will be at the desk alongside Kevin Burkhardt, David Ortíz, and Rodriguez.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

blank

Barrett Media Writers

Copyright © 2023 Barrett Media.