The latest reboot isn’t a scripted TV series, but an early-2000s-launched sport that always had a strong TV component. That would be SlamBall, the basketball variant with more contact, four trampolines around each net, and boards around the court. Mason Gordon came up with the idea for the sport in 1999 while working at Tollin/Robbins Productions (the TV and film production company from Mike Tollin and Brian Robbins), and Tollin invested in it and helped build an early prototype court.
That led to an exhibition series in 2001, two pro seasons televised on The National Network (later known as Spike TV and Paramount Network) in 2002 and 2003, and a 2008 revival that aired on Versus and CBS. And now, after a viral #BringBackSlamBall campaign on social media, Gordon (seen above in a 2008 SlamBall dunk contest) and Tollin are doing just that, with Front Office Sports’ Doug Greenberg writing Tuesday on how the sport is now set for a July return. That follows an initial announcement last year, and a newly-announced Series A funding round that brought in $11 million and included many prominent sports figures:
NEW: SlamBall is officially returning this July with a six-week regular season and one week of playoffs in Las Vegas
The early 2000s phenomenon is bringing a star group of investors with it this time around
Full story @FOS https://t.co/h8c1s0mwE4
— Doug Greenberg (@DougGreenberg) March 21, 2023
Those investors include the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils co-owner Doug Adelman, Real Salt Lake co-owner (and investor in several other teams) David Blitzer, and agent and entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk. So that’s a group with some star power. And while there isn’t a TV deal signed for the series yet, Greenberg wrote that television distribution discussions “are underway,” and Mandalay Sports Media (owned by Tollin, with Gordon as an executive producer there) is also developing a docuseries on the sport. Here’s a quote from Gordon in Greenberg’s piece:
“It’s an incredible feeling to be back, and especially by popular demand,” Gordon said. “I want to thank SlamBall’s persistent and passionate fans for making this comeback possible and our investors for helping make the dream real. This is a true Cinderella story — only with helmets, pads, and trampolines.”
We’ll see where the sport’s live events land, as well as this docuseries. But having sports TV veterans Gordon (whose production credits include a producer role on Carmelo Anthony: Made In New York and Into Africa: CP3 and Luol) and Tollin (known for everything from Arli$$ to Coach Carter (actual Coach Carter was a coach in the 2008 Slamball revival) to Radio, Morningside 5, and an executive producer role on The Last Dance) involved certainly should help sell this to TV. And SlamBall was quite an entertaining TV product in the first place:
But the sports, TV, and streaming landscapes are all a lot more crowded now than they were in the early 2000s. It will be interesting to see where SlamBall is broadcast this time around, and if it can gain much traction.
[Front Office Sports; top image from Nick Whitehead on YouTube]
