The coronavirus has brought just about the entire world to a halt, pausing, postponing or straight-up canceling sporting events in every corner of the globe. But ESPN apparently has gone into overdrive with one of its biggest projects and is helping out sports fans everywhere.
It’s not live sports, but ESPN announced Tuesday it has moved up the release date of its 10-part documentary series about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, “The Last Dance.” The series spans 20 hours and includes behind-the-scenes footage as well as countless interviews and was supposed to premiere in June. Instead, ESPN announced the series will begin April 19.
Here’s the trailer:
“As society navigates this time without live sports, viewers are still looking to the sports world to escape and enjoy a collective experience,” ESPN said in a statement. “We’ve heard the calls from fans asking us to move up the release date for this series, and we’re happy to announce that we’ve been able to accelerate the production schedule to do just that. This project celebrates one of the greatest players and dynasties ever, and we hope it can serve as a unifying entertainment experience to fill the role that sports often play in our lives, telling a story that will captivate everyone, not just sports fans.”
According to ESPN, the series begins Sunday, April 19, airing two new episodes every Sunday night through May 17. The episodes also will be released to Netflix.
There have been various and increasing calls from sports fans on social media to accelerate the process as it became clear sports weren’t coming back anytime soon. This is likely wishful thinking at this point, but here’s hoping this turns into a springboard for the return of live sports, too.
