ESPN's ongoing '30 for 30' series is beloved by sports fans for taking a look back at some of the seminal moments in sports history. Most of them go back five, 10, 20 years and older. The next one in line, however, has a story that only just finished, and in many ways is beginning again.
'30 for 30' will premiere Requiem for the Big East on March 16 at 9 p.m. ET. That, of course, is the day that the NCAA Tournament field gets filled out, so it'll already be a big college hoops day. ESPN promotes that the film will air after a Bracketology special.
Directed by Peabody Award winner Ezra Edelman, the film is about "the meteoric ascension" of the old Big East conference. The film celebrates the league as "a groundbreaking athletic and business creation" that "in less than a decade under the innovative leadership of founder and Commissioner Dave Gavitt, became the most successful college sports league in America."
Many of the big name coaches and players are involved: Jim Boeheim, Lou Carnesecca, Rick Pitino, John Thompson, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, Ed Pinckney. Former commissioner Mike Trangese also participates. The film covers the era of the league starting with its founding in 1979.
Requiem explores what the league's relationship with a then growing ESPN meant to its growth. It also deals with the harsh reality that led to the Big East, as we know it, to come to an end in 2013. Following the film's original broadcast, ESPNU will air “Big East Extras,” a special featuring bonus material such as extended highlights and interviews from the film.
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