As mentioned here last month, the Gotham Chopra/Tom Brady/Michael Strahan Religion of Sports brand has partnered with NBC Sports’ regional networks for a multi-platform HeadStrong: Mental Health And Sports mental health/men’s health initiative. That initiative is going to be featured all month across NBC’s platforms, but the central 60-minute documentary HeadStrong: Mental Health and Sports premieres this week across the regional networks, featuring the stories of former Miami Heat player Justise Winslow, former Oregon State soccer player Hayden Hurst, former Baltimore Ravens tight end Hayden Hurst, and former NHL goalie Clint Malarchuk. The NBC HeadStrong website has put out several trailers and short segments featuring those athletes and others; here are a couple of those.
The documentary also features former NFL receiver Brandon Marshall as an executive producer, and he appears on camera as well. Here are the times for the documentary’s debuts across the NBC Sports regional networks and NBCSN (it will also receive reruns on each network after the debut):
NBC Sports Bay Area: Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. PT
NBC Sports Boston: Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. ET
NBC Sports California: Nov. 9 at 10:30 p.m. PT
NBC Sports Chicago: Nov. 9 at 9 p.m. CT
NBC Sports Northwest: Nov. 8 at 10 p.m. PT
NBC Sports Philadelphia: Nov. 7 at 10 p.m. ET
NBC Sports Washington: Nov. 7 at 10 p.m. ET
NBCSN: Nov. 20 at 4 p.m. ET
In addition to the main documentary, more than 35 short-form digital features on mental health and/or men’s health issues will be released on the national NBC HeadStrong website throughout November, and each of the regional networks will add further local content on these fronts. NBC Sports is also hosting special events in several markets centered around HeadStrong content, with those events featuring insights from medical experts and those who have experienced mental health issues. And more than 15 NBC Sports Regional Networks hosts, analysts and reporters are growing mustaches this month in partnership with Movember’s annual men’s health campaign to generate awareness and raise funds for men’s health issues. More on the HeadStrong efforts can be found here.
[Screengrab from the HeadStrong Clint Malarchuk feature]
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.