ESPN's acclaimed 30 for 30 series will be returning in the fall (which kind of ruins the point of the name "30 for 30", right?), and six of the films have been announced, along with a schedule. It appears the scheduled time for the documentaries will be Tuesdays at 8 PM, with five of the six films taking place at that time.  Here's a full list of the announced films so far along with a recently released trailer

 October 2nd: Broke, directed by Billy Corben, will focus on athletes and their quick rise to fortune, and their quick fall to bankruptcy. It features Bernie Kosar, Andre Rison, and Cliff Floyd (among others) discussing managing their money, and the many perils that come with being a multi-millionaire sports star.

October 9th: 9.79*, directed by Daniel Gordon, will take a look at the 100 meter race from the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and Ben Johnson's positive steroid test. It will also look at the stories behind the eight competitors in the race.

October 16th: There's No Place Like Home, directed by Maura Mandt and Josh Swade, follows the 2010 Sotheby's auction of James Naismith's Original Rules of Basketball, and a fan's desire to bring the documented rules back to Lawrence, Kansas.

October 23rd: Benji, directed by Coodie and Chike, looks back at the life and death of Ben Wilson, an immensely talented high school basketball prospect.

October 30th: Ghosts of Ole Miss, directed by Fritz Mitchell, looks back 50 years to 1962, when the University of Mississippi's campus was a divisive place to be due to integration as well as an unbeaten football team.

December 8th (a Saturday, airing at 9 PM instead of 8): You Don't Know Bo, directed by Michael Bonfiglio, examines the myths and truths behind Bo Jackson, as well as the Nike marketing machine behind him and Jackson's legacy to this day.

All of these doucmentaries look pretty interesting, some moreso than others. Broke is the most appealing to me personally, because stories of athletes making nine figures during a career and then having nothing a few years later perplex the hell out of me. ESPN is going with a full-court digital press with these six films also, making them available on iTunes the day after they air, and releasing a DVD set on December 11th, just three days after the Jackson documentary airs. I'm curious if availablility on Netflix streaming is also in the works, due to the first 30 films recently being released on the streaming service last week.

It's a little disappointing to see only six films being released, but if this project continues to succeed, I can't imagine ESPN *not* going back to the well for more. 30 for 30 has been one of the greatest successes of ESPN over the last few years, and I don't think anyone can find fault with the series returning.

[h/t: ESPN Media Zone]

About Joe Lucia

I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.

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