LeBron James, Chance The Rapper & Dwyane Wade Executive Produce Sports Documentaries
“MAGNIFY” observes cultural struggles through the lens of sports.
Fox Sports Films has just announced a sports focused documentary series called “MAGNIFY.” The series will use sports to examine cultural stories and explore the on and off-the-field struggles and successes of athletes and how that connects, challenges and changes a community. NBA superstars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are executive producers along with Chicago’s Chance The Rapper.
The first documentary in the series is “89 Blocks” and is executive produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s UNINTERRUPTED media company alongside Sports Illustrated. Airing on November 26, the 82-minute film highlights the East St. Louis High School Flyers football team and their journey during the 2016 season. Following “89 Blocks” will be “Shot in the Dark” which is produced by Los Angeles Media Fund and executive produced by both Dwyane Wade and Chance The Rapper. Set to air in February 2018, this series is set in Chicago and follows the Orr Academy basketball team and its star players Tyquone Greer and Marquise Pryor who struggle to achieve greatness under the pressures of growing up on the South Side of Chicago.
“Basketball empowered me to overcome the challenges of growing up on the South Side of Chicago. The odds were stacked against me, and the game change the course of my life. It’s important to share these true stories of triumph to inspire the next generation to achieve their dreams when faced with life’s obstacles,” said Wade. “It’s not really a game for some of us,” added Chance. Charlie Dixon, the EVP of content at Fox Sports said, “this commitment to deeper storytelling — pointing the cameras where they’re needed most — diversifies our voice and gets audiences thinking about sports in a broader context beyond wins and losses. The aim is to create dialogue and hopefully affect change in the communities where these stories are told.”
You can watch the trailer for “MAGNIFY” above. Future series will include one on the Associação Chapecoense de Futebol, the Brazilian soccer club which suffered a tragic plane trash in 2016 and a closer look at NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. Are there any sports institutions or individuals that you think should be featured in a film? Chime in below.
