ESPN: 30 for 30 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

ESPN: 30 for 30 Blu-ray Movie Review

Thirty films, six discs, one good Blu-ray set.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 28, 2011

Who I am, what I do, is only the reaction I get from you.

Who better than "the worldwide leader in sports" to assemble a collection of thirty films focused on thirty of the most important sports stories of the past thirty years? ESPN has become synonymous with the sporting landscape with its signature sports highlight show "SportsCenter" and through its coverage of everything from the World Series to the World Series of Poker, from the NBA playoffs to the NFL draft, and pretty much everything else, except, maybe, for professional wrestling. The concept behind "30 for 30," the umbrella title given this collection of films crafted by some of the entertainment business' top names, originated with the company's .com Writer Bill Simmons (of "Page 2" fame) as a means of more thoroughly covering sports stories that were as complex and involved off the field as on, those stories with a decided human interest element that rose above the usual highlight reels, recaps, and analysis which made ESPN such a powerhouse-hold name across the country and, indeed, around the world. Each of the thirty films encapsulate the idea of sports as something of a metaphor for life, reflecting the need to love and be loved; the magical mirror looking back into the glory days of yesteryear, at the transitory nature of the present, and towards the great uncertainty of the future; the intertwining of destiny and tragedy; the rise and fall of greatness; and the importance of a belief in something special, that anything's possible, that anything can happen on any given day in any given place by any given person. The 30 for 30 films reflect life, too, in that they will leave audiences laughing, crying, joyous, intrigued, surprised, and educated, factors all that, through these sports stories, can shape viewers for the better.

The image that defined a decade in sports news.

30 for 30's premiere episode curiously begins with a sport that's by all accounts lost some of its luster, a sport that's no longer televised on ESPN and always relegated to second-class status behind the network's love of all things NBA, that league's season and playoffs more or less overlapping that of the NHL. But the series also begins with one of the finest athletes ever to compete and certainly one of the top three ever to lace up skates. What follows are twenty nine additional segments that focus on everything from each of the three additional major sports (Reggie Miller's antics versus the Knicks, the Baltimore Colts' shocking move to Indianapolis, the Boston Red Sox miracle 2004 ALCS comeback) and more obscure but no less fascinating stories such as that of a one-legged Terry Fox running across Canada or the story of the broken friendship between Vlade Divac and Dražen Petrović in the face of ethic conflict between their home nations. It's the human interest stories that come from sports rather than the films that focus on sports itself that are the true highlights of the collection, though there's something to be said for those that seamlessly intertwine the two; the examination of George Steinbrenner's legacy as New York Yankees owner is a powerful account of his unbridled passion for the team and his unflinching demand for success. The piece humanizes one of the most reviled figures in sports and gives an even and sometimes even heartwarming glimpse into his life and his team, itself perhaps the most divisive sports franchise in the entire world. The series is perhaps best encapsulated by the title of a single entry, "Without Bias." That's what 30 for 30 is all about; there's no rah-rah, no sportscaster catchphrases. This is a steady, serious, honest portrayal of the stories behind the stories and behind the people who made them, that for the past thirty years have shaped the sports landscape for better or for worse and generated some of the most influential and interesting stories the sports world has ever known.

Below are brief synopses of all thirty films.

• Kings Ransom: Director Peter Berg’s film examines the aftermath of a date which will live in sports infamy. On August 9, 1988, the Edmonton Oilers traded Wayne Gretzky, holder of 49 NHL records, to the Los Angeles Kings. Examined is the impact on both franchises, on both cities, on both fan bases, the league, and the entirety of the sports landscape. The trade solidified the notion that nobody -- even the sport’s all-time great superstars -- was immune from the personal and professional upheaval brought on by the business end of sports.
• The Band That Wouldn't Die: Director Barry Levinson’s film is the perfect segue from the Gretzky film in that it, too, examines the transitory nature of sports, this time focusing not on the relocation of a franchise player, but an entire franchise itself. On March 28, 1984, Mayflower moving trucks literally packed up the entire Baltimore Colts football team and moved it to Indianapolis in the dead of night and under the cover of darkness, with no fanfare and no prior announcement, leaving startled and angry fans with an uncertain football future and a city without a team.
• Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?: Director Mike Tollin looks at what was probably the most dominant professional football alternative ever to the National Football League, besting even the big money, Vince McMahon-backed XFL that died after a single season in 2001. This film looks at the rise and fall of this springtime league that drew great players like Heisman winner Herschel Walker, legendary coaches like Steve Spurrier, backers like Burt Reynolds, and hundreds of thousands of loyal fans. Why did it survive for only three short years?
• Muhammad and Larry: There may not be a more revered name in all of sports than "Muhammad Ali," but on a Las Vegas October night in 1980, the world's greatest boxer was humiliated in the ring by Larry Holmes. The high profile fight took a turn for the worst when an aging Ali, with a declining skill set but driven by as prideful an ego as ever, refused to go down despite repeated blows from the obviously superior -- and younger -- Holmes, who had been Ali's sparring partner years prior. This film contains raw, little-seen footage leading up to the fight, shot by Filmmakers Albert Maysles and Bradley Kaplan.
• Without Bias: Director Kirk Fraser’s 30 for 30 film looks back at the tragic death of NBA draftee Len Bias, a promising player already on the verge of NBA superstardom who passed a mere two days following his selection by the Boston Celtics as the second overall pick of the 1986 player draft. This film contains interviews Bias family, friends, and teammates in a search for answers as to what happened to this gifted basketball talent whose life was tragically cut far too short.
• The Legend of Jimmy the Greek: Director Fritz Mitchell offers up a raw and infinitely fascinating examination of the rise and fall of one of the most popular figures in sports television history. Through original NFL pre-game analysis footage and interviews with former colleagues and acquaintances, the film examines his body of work, the controversies, and the accomplishments of one of the most revered icons in sports broadcasting history.
• The U: Filmmaker Billy Corben opens by taking a brief look at the lowly history of the Coral Gables, Florida-based Miami Hurricanes football program. With the hiring of Howard Schnellenberger as head coach, the team's fortunes changed, but did they change for the better? The new-look, new feel, newly relevant Hurricanes took the field with big ideas, new directions, aggressive recruiting, and promises of greatness, brought together through a new attitude on and off the field, an attitude that was well ahead of its time and proved to be a winning combination that would take the program to incredible heights in the sporting world.
• Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks: Dan Klores' film focuses on one of the NBA's greatest rivalries, not necessarily between two athletes or two teams, but between an athlete and a team and a clashing of cultures. This is the story of "hicks versus Knicks," of Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers' legendary battles with the New York Knicks in the 1990s NBA Eastern Conference playoff landscape. Vintage footage and athlete, commentator, and sports reporter interviews paint a compelling picture of one of basketball's most fascinating long-running feuds.
• Guru of Go: The second 30 for 30 film to look at the passing of a promising basketball player before his time, Director Bill Couturie's Guru of Go sheds light on the story of Loyola Marymount University's Hank Gathers who suddenly died from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy on the court in a game against the Portland Pilots on March 4, 1990. Also featured is the coaching tenure of Paul Westhead and his dynamic offense.
• No Crossover: The Trial of Allan Iverson: Future NBA superstar Allen Iverson, at the age of 17, found himself a centerpiece in a racially-charged altercation in Hampton, Virginia, on Valentine's Day 1993. Iverson, perhaps the finest player of his size in NBA history, almost never had a career following a guilty conviction and a years-long prison sentence. Director Steve James' film examines the impact of the trial on Iverson and the world around him.
• Silly Little Game: Filmmakers Adam Kurland and Lucas Jansen explore the development of fantasy, or "Rotisserie," sports, as told through a movie created mostly through fantasy. It's the story of the men and woman who built what has become a national phenomenon that generates billions of dollars, none of which has found its way into the pockets of the people who made it happen. Theirs is a game that employs new and old baseball statistics, culled over the course of a season, to determine which player is most adept at assembling a winning roster.
• Run Ricky Run: Directors Sean Pamphilon and Royce Toni examine in-depth the life and times of the enigmatic Ricky Williams at the request of Williams himself, one of the most skilled running backs the collegiate and professional ranks have ever known. Williams was drafted by the New Orleans Saints via one of the most daring and most bizarre draft trades of all time. He would ultimately leave behind the fortune and glory of the NFL to rediscover himself during a stint in Grass Valley, California following positive tests for marijuana usage.
• The 16th Man: Morgan Freeman narrates Director Clifford Bestall's film that examines the South African racial divide, or apartheid, in the 1990s. The film focuses on the impact of the anti-apartheid movement, the imprisonment and release of Nelson Mandela, and the historical importance and symbolism of his attendance at the finals match and his hand-shaking with the South African victors following the 1995 Rugby World Championship, a team previously reviled by the nation's oppressed populace.
• Straight Outta L.A.: They're better known as the Oakland Raiders, the upstate football team that's a bridge away from cross-bay rival San Francisco. But for 13 seasons, the Raiders played down I-5 in the city of Angels where their brand of rebel football and silver-and-black colors were embraced by dedicated Hip Hop fans who could relate to the team's silver-and-black-and-blue hardcore style of play that clashed with the city's upscale, glamourous Beverly Hills styling. Rapper/Director Ice Cube helms this film that examines the Raiders' brief but memorable time in L.A., their influence on the area's popular culture, and their subsequent departure back North to Oakland, leaving one of America's largest and premiere cities without a professional football team.
• June 17, 1994: Director Brett Morgen looks at one of the most memorable days in sports history: Arnold Palmer played in his final U.S. Open round, The FIFA World Cup began play in Chicago, The New York Rangers celebrated their long-overdue Stanley Cup victory, the New York Knicks battled the Houston Rockets for an NBA title, and a Major League Baseball strike loomed on the horizon, threatening to cancel out the amazing accomplishments of the Montreal Expos, Tony Gwynn, and Matt Williams. But it was all overshadowed by an incredible media frenzy scene playing out in the greater L.A. area where Hall-of-Famer O.J. Simpson's wife lie dead and the former Buffalo Bills running back led police on a low-speed chase in a white Bronco.
• The Two Escobars: The deaths of Columbian soccer athlete Andrés Escobar and Colombian drug czar Pablo Escobar are examined and connected against the backdrop of Colombia's drug violence and the nation's rapid rise to soccer prominence and shocking, "unthinkable" loss to the U.S. team during the 1994 World Cup following an "own goal" at the foot of Andrés Escobar. Directors Jeff and Michael Zimbalist paint a captivating true-life drama of sport, drugs, and corruption through interviews and archival footage.
• The Birth of Big Air: Mat Hoffman isn't a household sports name in the same category of a Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, Mario Lemieux, or Dan Marino, but anyone who's into extreme sports knows the name of the BMX biking legend and 10-time X-Games world champion. Director Jeff Tremaine and Producers Johnny Knoxville and Spike Jonze look at the career of one of the most broken but also most complete athletes who ever lived.
• Jordan Rides the Bus: Perhaps the most dominant athlete to ever live, Michael Jordan had done it all. The holder of multiple NBA championships and MVPs and the leader of the U.S. olympic "Dream Team," there was little more he could professionally accomplish on the basketball court (other than come back and win a few more titles), so he turned his focus towards the baseball diamond where he played in the Chicago White Sox minor league system with the AA Birmingham Barons where he proved capable, but not able to perform at the all-world level he displayed on the hardwood. Director Ron Shelton's film examines his basketball and baseball careers and his transition to the diamond from the court in the shadow of his father's untimely death.
• Little Big Men: Kids play sports, too, and sometimes, they play in games that shape the sports landscape in ways big leaguers never could. When a bunch of kids from Kirkland, Washington won the 1982 Little League World Series against a long-dominant Taiwanese team, their futures would forever be defined by their accomplishments on the Williamsport, PA diamond. Directors Al Szymanski and Peter Franchella look at what's become of the members of this miracle team almost three decades removed from the greatest moment of their lives.
• One Night in Vegas: One is perhaps the most enigmatic sports figure of the past several decades, the other one of the most beloved music icons whose life was cut tragically short at the pinnacle of his success. Mike Tyson's and Tupac Shakur's relationship is explored in this hybrid Documentary/Graphic Novel film, directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood, that leads up to the night of Tupac's murder on September 13, 1996.
• Unmatched: 30 for 30 turns to the hard court for a look at one of tennis' most dynamic and heated rivalries. Directors Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern Winters and Producer Hannah Storm examine two of tennis' elite female players -- Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova -- who combined for eighty matches, sixty finals appearances, fourteen grand slam finals, two championships, and one friendship that spanned their sixteen years dominating the tennis court.
• The House of Steinbrenner: Oscar-winning Filmmaker Barbara Kopple closely examines the George Steinbrenner era in New York. "The Boss" would meddle in his team to a level rarely attempted by ownership and craft a high-dollar and perennially favored team that would return the Yankees to the glory expected of its fans and in the great tradition of the club's storied past. The film looks at the closing of the "old" House that Ruth built, the opening of the new "House that George Built," Steinbrenner's handing of the reigns over to his son Hal, and his passing in 2010.
• Into the Wind: Directors Steve Nash and Ezra Holland follow Terry Fox's journey to raise funds for cancer by running a daily marathon across Canada. He covered 3,339 miles in 143 days, a feat that anyone could be proud of, and a feat that's worthy of story and perpetuity in film when the story centers on a runner who has lost a leg to cancer.
• Four Days in October: The Boston Red Sox could only lift "The Curse of the Bambino" against their hated rivals, the New York Yankees. And it would take a group of self-proclaimed "idiots" to do it. The Sox had failed time and again to capture a World Series title since last winning it with the Bambino himself on the 1918 team. 2004 looked to be another "one of those years" for the men in red. The Sox found themselves down three-games-to-none against the Yankees in the American League Championship Series, but a ninth-inning stolen base by Dave Roberts in game four would begin the most unlikely postseason turnaround in sports history and forever change the landscape of Major League Baseball, the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, and the definition of a comeback for the ages.
• Once Brothers: NBA Entertainment presents a story of basketball success and friendship lost under the shadow of war. Once friends and teammates, Croatian Dražen Petrović and Serbian Vlade Divac drifted apart when their nations went to war and ethnic tensions divided the once inseparable friends.
• Tim Richmond: To the Limit: NASCAR Media Group and Director Rory Karpf presents Tim Richmond: To the Limit, a film that looks deeply into the life and times of one of the greatest ever to strap himself into a race car. A hard partier and a ridiculously talented driver, Richmond lived fast and loose on and off the track, but his sudden retirement sparked rumors about his health, but little did most fans know that the driver was fighting a losing battle with AIDS.
• Fernando Nation: Director Cruz Angeles explores "Fernando Mania," a term used to describe the incredible popularity and one-of-a-kind pitching prowess of Mexican-born Los Angeles Dodger hurler Fernando Valenzuela. The film explores not only Valenzuela's baseball abilities, but his story off the mound, his impact on the L.A. Mexican community, and the lasting mark he left on Major League Baseball.
• Marion Jones: Press Pause: Marin Jones was one of the all-time great female Olympians, revered for her talents by the sports community and feared for her talents by her fellow racing competitors. Director John Singleton examines her career and her ultimate downfall via an admission of performance-enhancing substance abuse, leading to the loss of her medals and her subsequent imprisonment.
• The Best that Never Was: Director Jonathan Hock explores one of the most unique and short-lived sports careers of all time, that of former high school standout football player Marcus Dupree. Dupree was destined for stardom and greatness on the gridiron, but his career never materialized following a brief stint at Oklahoma, his recruitment into the USFL, a devastating knee injury, and parts of two seasons with the Los Angeles Rams.
• Pony Excess: A look at the "death penalty" inflicted on the Southern Methodist University football program in 1987 following reports of recruiting corruptions, player payments, and other major NCAA violations. Director Thaddeus D. Matula examines the program's rise to success, fall from grace, and return to prominence.

ESPN: 30 for 30 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

ESPN 30 for 30 arrives on Blu-ray with a fair but mostly underwhelming 1080p transfer. Like most sports-themed releases such as those from the UFC and WWE, 30 for 30 contains a mixture of vintage standard-definition footage and newly-minted HD footage. The former varies wildly in quality; some of it appears steady and without tremendous flaw while other antique footage is riddled with so many issues that the material becomes nearly unwatchable. Old SportsCenter clips, highlights from the 1994 televised O.J. Simpson chase, and broadcast footage from 1990s NBA playoff games all to some degree suffer through various issues like cross-coloration, blockiness, and an absence of detail and color stability, but as always such footage doesn't factor into the overall score. The newer HD footage, consisting primarily of interviews crafted for the various films, yields a general stability that's expected of a mid-grade presentation. Crisp details and natural colors are the norm, but there's plenty of blocking, banding, and the like evident throughout. Several shots manage to look downright awful in terms of displaying disastrous compression issues, but such are few and far between. "Muhammad and Larry" features some nice-looking archival film elements that, despite some wear-and-tear, make for a nice change of pace from the video sources and yield the finest texture of any film in the series. Basically, this is a nice recreation of the OTA presentations as originally seen on ESPN. None of these films look striking, but they each deliver a fair viewing experience that does well to intermix the new with the old.

ESPN: 30 for 30 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

All thirty films in ESPN 30 for 30 contain DTS-HD MA 2.0 lossless soundtracks. Sonically, none of them are particularly memorable or exciting, but each manages to accomplish the meager goals set forth by each film's parameters. These tracks tend to play loudly at reference volumes; listeners with a set position on the dial are encouraged to tone it down a bit. With the emphasis on loudness comes a de-emphasis on clarity. Nothing is particularly bothersome, but the tracks certainly don't achieve the transparency and seamlessness of tracks of bigger pedigrees and superior sound editing. Music and sound effects both take advantage of the front-stage space allotted to them, but they play with a shakiness and crunchiness that denies them the superior clarity many lossless tracks deliver. Bass is rattly and unkempt in many spots, giving the tracks a rather sloppy feel. Dialogue never drifts far from the center, but it's occasionally sharp rather than smooth. Older sound effects -- background music at Madison Square Garden during an NBA finals game, public address announcements over the Yankee Stadium speakers -- lack much body or distinctiveness, but that's to be expected of material never intended for a future high definition Blu-ray release. All told, these tracks are adequate, but they won't be mistaken for anything even approaching top tier status.

ESPN: 30 for 30 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Each film in the ESPN 30 for 30 Blu-ray collection contains a few supplemental features.

• Kings Ransom (480p): Peter Berg Director's Statement #1 (0:48), Peter Berg Director's Statement #2 (0:47), and Deleted Scene: Telling Messier About the Trade (7:07).
• The Band That Wouldn't Die (480p): Barry Levinson Director's Statement #1 (0:48), Barry Levinson Director's Statement #2 (0:47), 1984 Press Conference -- Robert Irsay (5:57), and Baltimore Colts Fight Song (1:05).
• Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL? (480p): Mike Tollin Director's Statement #1 (0:47), Mike Tollin Director's Statement #2 (0:46), Bloopers (1:43), and Deleted Scenes: Pitty Reflects (Chuck Pitcock) (1:28), USFL Players in the NFL (2:26), Who Killed the USFL? (3:37), ESPN & the USFL (1:24), and Who is Donald Trump? (3:37).
• Muhammad and Larry (480p): Albert Maysles and Bradley Kaplan Director's Statement #1 (0:48), Albert Maysles and Bradley Kaplan Director's Statement #2 (0:46), and Extended Interviews: Ali the Performer (3:12), Ali's Mind Games (1:22), Holmes' TV Presence (1:31), Ali in the Gym (1:01), Holmes' Childhood Memories (0:56), Holmes Attacked by His Brother (1:20), What Were They Thinking? (3:12), Betting on Ali (1:02), Holmes Left Ali in Africa (1:20), Ali was the Greatest (3:05), and Beating the Champ (0:52).
• Without Bias (480p): Kirk Fraser Director's Statement #1 (0:47), Kirk Fraser Director's Statement #2 (0:47), Deleted Scene: The Early Years (6:22), and Extended Interviews: Michael Wilbon (1:23), James Brown (2:10), Lefty Driesell (1:16), and Bob Wagner (1:25).
• The Legend of Jimmy the Greek (480p): Fritz Mitchell Director's Statement #1 (0:47), Fritz Mitchell Director's Statement #2 (0:47), and Extended Interviews: Irv Cross (2:38), Frank Deford (4:30), Hank Goldberg (2:23), Brent Musburger (2:24), Neal Pilson (8:05), Dan Rather (1:05), Anthony Snyder (3:29), and George Veras (1:58).
• The U (480p): Bill Corben Director's Statement #1 (0:46), Bill Corben Director's Statement #2 (0:46), and Deleted Scenes: Locker Rooms (0:57), Schnellenberger's Pipe (1:06), QB Contest: Kosar vs. Testaverde (1:39), Joe Namath at 1984 Orange Bowl (1:08), Michael Irvin Fight in Cafeteria (1:31), and Locker Room Speech 1988 (0:39).
• Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks (480p): Dan Klores Director's Statement #1 (0:46), Dan Klores Director's Statement #2 (0:46), Deleted Scene: Assassins (1:11), Deleted Scene: Larry Johnson's 4-Point Play (0:43), and Interview Extras: Jeff Van Gundy (3:26), Larry Brown on Gamefaces (0:55), Larry Brown on Coaching Stars (3:01), Spike Lee (1:30), John Starks' Struggles (1:37), and Fan Reactions (1:40).
• Guru of Go (480p): Bill Couturié Director's Statement #1 (0:47), Bill Couturié Director's Statement #2 (0:47), and Extended Interviews: Paul Westhead (5:55), Tom Peabody (3:52), Bo Kimble (5:48), Derrick Gathers (3:30), Corey Gaines (3:58), and Diana Taurasi (1:04).
• No Crossover: The Trail of Allen Iverson (480p): Steve James Director's Statement #1 (0:47), Steve James Director's Statement #2 (0:47), and Deleted Scenes: East End Community Center Discussion (1:24), Steve James Returns to a Crabbers Game (2:03), Ann Stephens -- Cherry's Act of Protest (1:08), and Fraternal Order of Police Discussion (1:05).
• Silly Little Game (480p): Adam Kurland & Lucas Jansen Director's Statement #1 (0:47) and Adam Kurland & Lucas Jansen Director's Statement #2 (0:46).
• Run Ricky Run (480p): Sean Pamphilon Director's Statement #2 (0:47) and Sean Pamphilon Director's Statement #2 (0:47).
• The 16th Man (480p): Clifford Bestall Director's Statement #1 (0:46) and Clifford Bestall Director's Statement #2 (0:46).
• Straight Outta L.A. (480p): Ice Cube Director's Statement #1 (0:51), Ice Cube Director's Statement #2 (0:46), Behind the Scenes: Ice Cube Interviews Al Davis (2:05), Behind the Scenes: Animator James Blagden (3:05), Deleted Scene: Snoop and Cube Enter the Coliseum (1:16), and Extended Interviews: Zev Yaroslavsky (3:36), Bill Plaschke (0:17), Steve Hartman (2:46), Ice T (2:24), and Marcus Allen (0:43).
• June 17th, 1994 (480p): Brett Morgen Director's Statement #1 (0:46) and Brett Morgen Director's Statement #2 (0:46).
• The Two Escobars (480p): Michael & Jeff Zimbalist Director's Statement #1 (0:47), Michael & Jeff Zimbalist Director's Statement #2 (0:46), Deleted Scene: Maturana's Soldiers (4:49), Deleted Scene: Cartel Games (2:55), and The Other Side (17:12).
• The Birth of Big Air (480p): Jeff Tremaine Director's Statement #1 (0:46); Jeff Tremaine Director's Statement #2 (0:47); Matt Hoffman's X Games Medal Winning Runs: BMX Vert Finals: 1995 (8:40), 1996 (10:46), 1997 (5:39), 2001 (5:34), and 2002 (6:48); and Tribeca Film Festival Premiere (1:39).
• Jordan Rides the Bus (480p): Ron Shelton Director's Statement #1 (0:45), Ron Shelton Director's Statement #2 (0:44), Ron Shelton at Barons Game (6:04), Extended Interview: Phil Jackson (5:08), and Extended Interview: Terry Francona (3:53).
• Little Big Men (480p): Al Szymanski Director's Statement #1 (0:46), Al Szymanski Director's Statement #2 (0:54), Deleted Scene: Cody Webster, Batting Instructor (0:35), and Additional Interviews: Don Cochran (0:38), Erik Jonson (0:24), Mark Peterson (0:17), and Bill Cook (1:12).
• One Night in Vegas (480p): Reggie Rock Bythewood Director's Statement #1 (0:45), Reggie Rock Bythewood Director's Statement #2 (0:54), Deleted Scene: Civil Rights to Hip Hop (3:50), Deleted Scene: Ali vs. Tyson (5:11), Tyson/Seldon Post-Fight Feature (4:42), Tyson/Seldon Pre-Fight Feature (3:15), and Tyson/Seldon Fight Preview (2:21).
• Unmatched (480p): Lisa Lax & Nancy Stern Winters Director's Statement #1 (0:47), Lisa Lax & Nancy Stern Winters Director's Statement #2 (0:55), Additional Scene: Playing as a Child (0:44), Additional Scene: Muscles (2:10), Extended Interview: Chris Evert (2:46), Extended Interview: Martina Navratilova (7:40), and Production Stills Slide Show (2:21).
• The House of Steinbrenner (480p): Barbara Kopple Director's Statement #1 (0:46), Barbara Kopple Director's Statement #2 (0:54), Yankees Spring Training (3:39), and Extended Interviews: Ray Negron (5:43), Joe Torre (5:27), and George Steinbrenner (8:27).
• Into the Wind (480p): Steve Nash Director's Statement #1 (0:47), Steve Nash Director's Statement #2 (0:55), Behind the Scenes with Steve Nash (2:39), Chasing the Van (3:01), Terry Fox Memorial Run (2:52), and Extended Interviews (8:02).
• Four Days in October (480p): Gary Waksman Director's Statement (0:46); Deleted Scene: No More Yankeeography (1:14); Bill Simmons and Lenny Clarke: Boston After Game Six (1:09), Schilling's Ankle (0:53), Are They Really Dead? (0:22), Should OCtober 20th Be a Holiday? (1:26), and Four Days of a Lifetime (0:26); As it Happened: Game Four Walkoff Home Run (1:19), and As it Happened: Last Out of ALCS (1:09).
• Once Brothers (480p): Vlade Divac Director's Statement #1 (0:46), Vlade Divac Director's Statement #2 (0:54), and Deleted Scenes: Soccer Story (0:59), Vlade and Zarko (1:19), Final Practice (0:47), and Vlade and Magic (1:56).
• Tim Richmond: To the Limit (480p): Rory Karpf Director's Statement #1 (0:46), Rory Karpf Director's Statement #2 (0:54), Deleted Scene: Dale Earnhardt (1:02), Deleted Scene: Miss Winston (1:34), 1981 Tim Richmond Feature (2:31), Tim and His Dad (0:34), 1985 Tim Richmond Interview (6:07), 1986 Tim Richmond and Darrell Waltrip Interview (4:13), and 1987 Tim Richmond Interview (4:41).
• Fernando Nation (480p): Cruz Angeles Director's Statement #1 (0:47), Cruz Angeles Director's Statement #2 (0:54), Cruz Angeles Director's Statement (Spanish Version) (0:46), Extended Scene: Holdout (0:45), Extended Scene: Screwball (3:08), and Deleted Scenes: El Toro (1:50), Fernando's Legacy (2:05), and Chicago (1:33).
• Marion Jones: Press Pause (480p): John Singleton Director's Statement #1 (0:47), John Singleton Director's Statement #2 (0:47), Deleted Scene: Basketball vs. Track (1:21), Extended Interview: Sylvia Hatchell (1:59), Extended Interview: Ron Rapoport (1:37), and Uncut: Marion's Confession (4:12).
• The Best That Never Was (480p): Jonathan Hock Director's Statement #1 (0:47) and Jonathan Hock Director's Statement #2 (0:55).
• Pony Excess (480p): Thaddeus D. Matula Director's Statement #1 (0:47) and Thaddeus D. Matula Director's Statement #2 (0:56).

ESPN: 30 for 30 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

ESPN 30 for 30 is an engaging, strongly-produced collection of thirty films that feature subjects that transcend the world of sports, painting very human, very captivating pictures of people and time and ideas and events that speak on any number of issues, good and bad, that have shaped both the sports and general worldwide landscapes of the past thirty years. Each film is unique; there's no formula, no set runtime, no specific rules of adherence. The movies are built on an idea of free reign and offer wholly distinctive and compelling insights into the stories sports fans care about most, but also stories that have in some way transcended sport and impacted a much larger pool of humanity. While not every film will appeal to every viewer, there's something special about each one and all perform admirably and shape 30 for 30 into compelling must-see filmmaking for the die-hard sports enthusiast and the human interest casual observer alike. ESPN's Blu-ray release of 30 for 30 yields fair video and audio, and each film comes with a few supplements. Recommended.