RIVALS: A new Tennis Channel Doc on "The Game"
LOL yep. Tennis Channel nationally. Sinclair RSNs locally.
Sinclair is adding an original documentary to their lineup of content in the coming weeks.
The film is entitled RIVALS (yes, in all caps) and spotlights the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry. It’ll air on Sinclair’s various RSNs across the country, often after live NBA and NHL games, and will eventually premiere on Big Ten Network on November 26th.
The film premieres on November 5th (times vary based on your location), and airs nationally on Tennis Channel (I know, this is a documentary about football, and Tennis Channel airs tennis) on November 20th at 7 PM ET.
And then a blurb from the Press Release
RIVALS takes a comprehensive look back at the storied history between two of the top Division I football programs in NCAA history. Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor J.K. Simmons (who was born in Michigan but remains a rabid Ohio State fan), the show gleans the perspective of more than 30 others whose lives have been similarly impacted by the never-ending fight between the two schools. Among them are Archie Griffin, the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner; legendary players Dan Dierdorf and Keith Byars; broadcasters Rich Eisen and Joel Klatt; historians Jack Park and John Bacon; and veteran journalists from the Columbus, Ohio, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, markets, the homes of Ohio State and Michigan, respectively. The two-hour documentary reveals the science behind what makes a sports rivalry so compelling, how the matchup repeatedly delivers nail biting performances and why it has been historically revered as The Game.
Here's the trailer:
October 27th, 2022 at 6:04 PM ^
Another one of these? I hope they at least get Keith Jackson's unbiased perspective for this one.
October 27th, 2022 at 6:37 PM ^
You mean before he dies? I hear he’s not well.
October 27th, 2022 at 8:57 PM ^
Oh my god, no! Tell me this is not true!
October 27th, 2022 at 6:04 PM ^
some of the names involved (Rich Eisen, Joel Klatt, John U Bacon, and Jack Park) are encouraging - I hope it doesn't suck.
October 27th, 2022 at 6:11 PM ^
RE: Archie Griffin, 2x Heisman "Winner"
1975: 262 carries, 1,450 Yards, 4 TD (Four)
LOLz.
October 27th, 2022 at 6:21 PM ^
damn, I didn’t know JK was a buckeye. All cool points have been revoked.
October 27th, 2022 at 6:30 PM ^
He's been in a ton of movies that I've seen, but for some reason I can only remember him for the Farmers Insurance commercials and his roles as the doctor on Law and Order and SVU.
I see he has a Bacon number of 2 (in two different ways). Anyone want to take the challenge?
October 27th, 2022 at 6:58 PM ^
I remember him as the spiderman newspaper boss character and miles teller's drum instructor
October 27th, 2022 at 7:46 PM ^
He's ends up a badass in The Tomorrow War, on Prime.
October 27th, 2022 at 8:24 PM ^
Right? He’s such a Tigers fan too. Wikipedia says he went to Montana for college so how the heck does he become a rabid OSU fan? What a bummer. I guess my argument that Judy Greer is the best actress/actor from the east side just gets stronger.
October 27th, 2022 at 6:30 PM ^
Sinclair? LOL
October 27th, 2022 at 10:27 PM ^
This was my thought too. But after the day on the board, I was keeping my snicker on the inside. Way to be the voice for the voiceless Don.
October 27th, 2022 at 7:18 PM ^
It's going to be difficult to beat the HBO documentary on the rivalry from about 15 years or so ago. I'm definitely watching, though.
October 28th, 2022 at 9:04 AM ^
Sinclair owns 185 tv stations nationally and the Bally's regional sports networks and Tennis Channel, etc. Anyways, they need content for their stations when things besides live sports or local news are on. With ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW, Netflix, Hulu, Prime, there is so much competition for a new show. A majority of shows don't pan out ratings wise and if the show does end up hitting it big like Big Bang Theory or Modern Family, the actors want to get paid so much that it almost becomes not worth it. So, Sinclair is going the route of original content.
The other thing that happened here to cause this is Tiger King. The Oklahoma TV stations had thousands of hours of Tiger King footage that they were just sitting on from all the local news stories that they ran over the years. Literally a gold mine, and they did nothing with it. Then Netflix came in a filmed their documentary and it swept the country and became the most watched show of 2020.
Sinclair realized they missed a golden opportunity, so they are going to start developing original content like Rivals, or other documentaries using news footage they've already got. For instance, they hired the guy who created CSI and he is now creating a docuseries for Sinclair on the Las Vegas shooting in 2017.
Source: I'm a manager at a Sinclair owned TV station.
October 28th, 2022 at 10:07 AM ^
I love the Tennis Channel. If you’re looking for sports, they are always showing tennis matches.