With New Films, Sports Illustrated Hopes To Catch Some Of That ‘30 For 30’ Magic

ESPN’s 30 for 30 series is great. The Worldwide Leader in Sports’ documentary program, which covers a wide range of sporting topics, has earned Emmy, Peaboy, and Streamy nominations. 30 for 30 has been such a big success that ESPN’s competitors are looking to put their own spins on its formula. Specifically, Sports Illustrated has now launched the first two of six planned films that will explore intriguing sports topics in a high-quality documentary format.

Sports Illustrated’s documentary series, known as SI Films, was previously teased at a Newfronts presentation hosted by the publication’s parent company, Time Inc. The six films will follow 30 for 30’s lead by offering a wide variety. The first two entries, for example, are very different. One “Brett Favre in Autumn,” follows the former quarterback through his post-NFL days. Meanwhile, for those of us who are still sick of the media circus Favre generated with his infamous string of retirement announcements, SI Films has offered “Goals, Goons, and Garbage,” which profiles a now-defunct hockey team called the Danbury Trashers.

The SI Films series is available via a landing page on the Sports Illustrated website. There, viewers can also access several other videos produced by the 61-year-old sports magazine.

“With changing consumption habits, especially among millennials, and the plethora of popular distribution outlets at hand, there are limitless opportunities to offer an independent voice and quality video programming,” said Sports Illustrated group editor Paul Fichtenbaum. “Sports Illustrated Films aims to capitalize on all of that.”

Sports Illustrated is legendary for the high quality of its reportage, so for sports fans, it’s a safe bet that the videos in the SI Films series will be worth watching. Check back in the coming months to catch new installments as they arrive.