The latest in ESPN’s excellent Nine for IX documentaries is The Diplomat (Tuesday, 8 p.m.).

From ESPN:

Known as “the most beautiful face of socialism” Katarina Witt’s success gave her a unique status in East Germany. It also triggered constant surveillance by the Stasi, East Germany’s notorious secret police force. This film chronicles how Witt, one of the greatest skaters of all time, fought for her future in socialist East Germany, how she faced the great changes that occurred after the fall of The Berlin Wall and, ultimately, how she ended up both a beneficiary and victim of the East German regime.

Last week, Austin Karp of Sports Business Daily ran the following item:

ESPN averaged 377,000 viewers for the premieres of the first four “Nine for IX” documentaries. The top audience remains the first premiere, which was “Venus Vs” on July 2 with 460,000 viewers. Since the start of “30 for 30” in October ‘09, the four “Nine for IX” films would rank as four of the five least-viewed documentary premieres on ESPN.

For starters, these films are airing in the summer, when TV audiences are traditionally lower than in the fall, winter and spring, when the bulk of the 30 for 30 films air.

However, I am sure there is going to be the perception that fewer people are tuning in because this series is about women. That would be unfortunate.

These films are outstanding. They definitely should be appointment viewing for everybody. And that goes double if you have young daughters.

There aren’t many films that highlight women in sports, especially for nine straight weeks. In fact, they go beyond sports. They are history lessons, documenting in many cases the challenges women have encountered through the years. In the process, many of them have become important role models.

ESPN should be lauded for investing considerable time and money into this initiative. Just like the 30 for 30 concept, which was supposed to be a one-time deal, hopefully, Nine for IX will continue past this year.

ESPN has been dominating this story. T.J. Quinn and others have been doing terrific reporting the latest twists and turns.

So it was a bit stunning to see SportsCenter having to credit Fox Sports when the news finally broke a few minutes ago.

ESPN had Fox Sports on its crawl for several minutes before it was changed to “ESPN and media reports.”

You can be sure the execs at Fox Sports savored those moments.

Forget for a minute about what he says. It is just a pleasure to read Robert Lipsyte’s writing in his new role as ESPN’s ombudsman.

Lipsyte’s latest column came out this week. And there were some gems.

His first reference to Keith Olbermann was as “the former He Who Must Not Be Named.”

And there was this passage about early women sportswriters:

If those women could be stopped at the locker room door, thus stymied in picking up the quotes and the moods that are so often the heart of postgame coverage, they could be kept at a reporting disadvantage. The blame for that last stand has usually been heaped on players, coaches and officials, but male sports writers, jealous of their own access to the testosterone tree house, were at least complicit. I often wondered whether they were afraid the world would find out just how tenuous were their own relationships with the athletes, who often treated sportswriters as if they were, in the players’ phrase, “green ants at the picnic.”

Yes, Lipsyte can write a little.

As for what he said, Lipsyte objected to ESPN airing the Let Them Towels documentary on women sportswriters at the same time as the All-Star Game.

He writes:

So, why did this terrific film have to go up against the All-Star Game?

According to Norby Williamson, ESPN’s executive vice president of programming and acquisitions, the Tuesday night airing was part of ESPN’s programming plan to create a consistent schedule to showcase the Nine for IX documentaries throughout the summer.

“It was not counterprogramming,” Williamson said. “It was part of a long-term strategy to create a flight for the marketing of quality shows — not that all ESPN shows aren’t quality. But we wanted a window, almost appointment TV, for documentaries throughout the year. And Tuesday night was the night least likely to have a game.”

I like the idea of “classy Tuesday,” of a date with quality, but it makes me uneasy, too. Yes, the documentaries will air some 18 times each (on numerous ESPN channels, including ESPN Classic), and ratings indicate that the electorate prefers games and studio shows. But the word “marginalizing” still comes to mind.

Also, Lipsyte doesn’t like what ESPN is doing to Outside The Lines:

Even while we were talking about all this, OTL is being moved on Sundays from ESPN at 9 a.m. to ESPN2 at 8 a.m., coinciding with the football season, starting Sept. 8. Even with DVRs, that sends a message — and not about quality.

Lipsyte had this observation about the ESPYs:

But the ESPYS offer another message, much like the annual White House Correspondents’ dinner: We’re all in this together. It’s fine for news executives, columnists and anchors to party with politicians and lobbyists, to get to know them as human beings, just as it is fine for ESPN executives, columnists and anchors, to party with athletes (and maybe not to feel like green ants.)

The concern, though, is that viewers might be getting the idea that they are the rubes at these circuses, that the jocks and the pols who show up can expect, in return, access and favors from the media.

This might be why the audience doesn’t always trust political reporters and sometimes wonders whether ESPN is protecting a pal — an employee of one of its partner leagues — when “SportsCenter” is perceived as late or timid in reporting an athlete’s latest DUI or sexual assault charge. Most of the time, I think the typical ESPN explanation — “We were exercising responsible caution” — is true.

Still, it’s hard not to get the impression that certain athletes, like certain politicians, get a pass because members of the media hobnobbed with them and expect to do so again — not to mention the revolving doors in which senators, QBs, generals and coaches rotate in and out of studios and anchor booths.

Great stuff. Can’t wait for next column.

Tonight at 8 p.m. ET, Jason Sudeikis, now formerly of Saturday Night Live, examines the best of the best from ESPN’s legendary “This is SportsCenter” campaign. Preview below.

From Tim Nudd of Ad Week:

ESPN’s “This Is SportsCenter” is among the handful of classic sports ad campaigns of all time. Launched in 1995 by Wieden + Kennedy in New York, the campaign—originally inspired by the mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap—hasn’t changed much over the years. And why would it? You don’t mess with a winning formula.

The premise of the ads, as we’ve noted before, is that ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., offices are the center of the sports universe—a surreal yet mundane fantasy world where athletes and mascots live and work together with anchors and journalists. Where other marketers portray athletes as superhuman, “This Is SportsCenter” presents them as comically, relatably human. Eighteen years and more than 400 spots later, the campaign continues.

There have been so many good ones. I always loved the ad featuring the young anchor drafted out of high school who couldn’t handle it emotionally.

“Jimmy Key? What’s he like 45? I could hit him.”

Of it’s hard to top the epic John Clayton ad.

Sheryl Swoopes is the focus on tonight’s documentary on ESPN at 8 p.m.

The rundown from ESPN:

Sheryl Swoopes has famously been labeled as the female Michael Jordan, but that’s only part of the story.

On the court, she was nearly as dominant as Jordan, winning a national championship with Texas Tech, three Olympic gold medals, three MVP awards and four consecutive championships with the Houston Comets of the WNBA, the league she helped start. She even had a Nike shoe named after her, the Air Swoopes. Off the court, she has had a life full of transitions. She gave birth to her son, Jordan, during the inaugural season of the WNBA. Later, she divorced her high school sweetheart and became the highest-profile athlete in her sport to acknowledge she was gay.

She has struggled with love, money and personal identity, but has never lost her spirit. In this portrait, you will meet someone who is not your everyday superstar, a woman who has defied a multitude of labels.

Storm on the film:

I had just had my first child when NBC gave me a daunting assignment: first ever play-by-play voice of the newly established WNBA. It required a summer of travel and untold hours of preparation, developing a new broadcast skill … a stressful task for a new mother. Little could I have imagined that the league’s biggest star was about to undergo a similar journey.

Sheryl Swoopes was counted upon to launch the fledgling WNBA. She became the first woman to have a Nike shoe named after her, the “Air Swoopes” under the Jordan brand. A superstar who led Texas Tech to a national championship, Swoopes became pregnant before the start of the season. When she returned for the final one-third of the season to play for my hometown team, the Houston Comets, we had an immediate connection, as young mothers trying to find our way in uncharted waters. Swoopes delivered the first of a remarkable four WNBA championships for the Comets. As the confetti rained down at the Houston Summit in that first August, I felt an inexorable sense of pride in Sheryl, in my city and in myself. It was that connection with Sheryl that inspired me to tell her story.

I feel honored that Sheryl has entrusted her story to me, as it has been largely untold in her voice. It’s a rich story indeed, punctuated with an honesty that few public figures possess.

Somebody has to do it. I’m just glad it wasn’t me.

Patrick Burns of Deadspin watched every minute of the 11 p.m. edition of SportsCenter in 2012. Added together, it came to 16 full days of his life that he never will get back.

All in the name of science, right?

Burns comes up with many interesting observations. Here are some of the highlights:

NH-what?: Despite ESPN claiming its covers hockey, it doesn’t. According to Burns, NHL news accounted for only 2.7 percent of the telecast. That trailed golf (3.3 percent). However, it was ahead of “other” at 1.8 percent. So hockey has that going for them.

1 guess at No. 1: No, it isn’t volleyball. The NFL rules at 23.3 percent, followed by the NBA at 19.2 percent.

Tebow: The top 10 list for the most mentions is comprised of sports’ biggest stars (LeBron James is No. 1)–with one exception, of course. Tim Tebow came in seventh, ahead of Tom Brady, Jeremy Lin, and Derrick Rose. Obsession? What obsession?

Speaking of obsessions, Burns has some interesting data on SportsCenter and Lin. But at least, Lin made an impact while he played.

And there’s more: Worth a look.

If you love ESPN’s 30 for 30 series, and I’m sure you do, this is kind of like finding out what you’re going to be getting for Christmas early.

The network unveiled its fall series of new documentaries that will run on six consecutive Tuesdays, beginning Oct. 1.

The complete rundown is below.

At first glance, the opener, featuring a Hawaiian big wave surfer, wouldn’t normally interest me. But since 30 for 30 is doing it, you know it will be riveting.

I am looking forward to the second film, Free Spirits. It documents the wild ABA team, the Spirits of St. Louis, that had Marvin Barnes, “Fly” Williams, and a young announcer named Bob Costas. Also, an executive who helped run that team was none other than Rudy Martzke, the future sports TV columnist for USA Today.

Tonya and Nancy should do strong ratings, just as the original did 20 years ago. The film features new interviews with Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan.

Interesting to note that Kevin Connolly, who played Eric in Entourage, is directing a documentary on the New York Islanders and their bizarre financial troubles in the mid-90s.

Anyway, all the films figure to be solid. Looking forward to  my gifts in October.

Here’s the rundown from ESPN:

*******

The second season of ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 series will continue this fall with six additional documentary films. The next slate in the Peabody Award-winning series will begin Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. Film topics include the tragic story of Hawaiian surfer Eddie Aikau, John Spano’s Islanders scandal, Jimmy Connors’ extraordinary run during the 1991 U.S. Open, and a revealing look at the Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding rivalry that resulted in the now-infamous attack.

The following films will premiere on consecutive Tuesday nights for six weeks this fall (all times Eastern).

Tuesday, Oct. 1, 8 p.m. – Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau

Tuesday, Oct. 8, 8 p.m. – Free Spirits

Tuesday, Oct. 15, 8 p.m. – No Mas

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 8 p.m. – Big Shot

Tuesday, Oct. 29, 8 p.m. – This Is What They Want

Tuesday, Nov. 5, 8 p.m. – Tonya and Nancy

“We continue to see an insatiable appetite for well-told sports stories that both tap into nostalgia and allow for discovery of new insight and detail.  We are proud to be the destination for fans looking for high-quality films that take them inside the worlds that they love,” says Connor Schell, vice president of ESPN Films. “Sports hold an increasingly prominent place in American culture, and our new slate of films exemplifies our ongoing goal of telling cultural stories that last.”

Each 30 for 30 film will be available on iTunes and Amazon Instant Video the day after its broadcast premiere. A six-disc collectible DVD Gift Set, featuring the first fifteen films from 30 for 30 Volume II, will be available at major retailers in-store and online on November 26, 2013.

Film summaries:

Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau (Director: Sam George)

“Eddie Would Go.”  It’s a phrase that has long carried deep meaning with countless Hawaiians and surfers worldwide.  Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau goes beyond those famous three words and chronicles the remarkable life and power of Eddie Aikau, the legendary Hawaiian big wave surfer, pioneering lifeguard and ultimately doomed crew member of the Polynesian voyaging canoe Hokule’a.  With a rich combination of archival imagery, contemporary interviews and meticulously researched historical source material, this film is a compelling exploration of the tragic decline and extraordinary re-birth of the Hawaiian culture as personified by a native son whose dynamic life and heroic death served as inspiration to an entire spiritual movement.

Free Spirits (Director: Daniel H. Forer)

When the NBA merged with the American Basketball Association in 1976, four ABA franchises joined the more established league – the Nets, Nuggets, Pacers and Spurs.  But one of the odd teams out found a different way to secure its future.  Free Spirits tells the colorful story of the Spirits of St. Louis – an entertaining and at times controversial team featuring stars like Marvin “Bad News” Barnes and James “Fly” Williams with an upstart sportscaster named Bob Costas calling the play-by-play. The Spirits managed to pull off a stunning playoff upset of the defending champions in their first season, and then, on their way to franchise extinction, co-owners Daniel and Ozzie Silna managed to negotiate a contract that has allowed the team to continue to exist in the most unusual fashion.

No Mas (Director: Eric Drath)

In the midst of boxing’s contemporary golden age -­ the 1980’s -­ stood two fighters who established a captivating rivalry. Their pair of bouts within a span of just over 5 months in 1980 had all the trappings of instant classics. Sugar Ray Leonard, an American hero, who had become a household name after a Gold Medal-winning performance at the 1976 Summer Olympics that led to numerous corporate sponsorships, versus the Latino champion, Roberto Duran, the toughest -­ some said meanest -­ fighter of all time. It was not just the drama and action of these fights that would endure, but those two words uttered in the second of their clashes, which would create a sense of mystery, bewilderment and intrigue to the present day.  No Mas unveils for the first time what really happened, going behind the scenes of these two showdowns with the help of boxing experts, family members and the two fighters themselves.

Big Shot (Director: Kevin Connolly)

In 1996, the once-dominant New York Islanders were in serious trouble.   Lousy performance and poor management were driving away the hockey franchise’s loyal fan base.  The team hit bottom.  Then along came a Dallas businessman named John Spano, who swooped in and agreed to buy the team for 165 million dollars.  Things began to look up for the Islanders –  way up.  But it was all smoke and mirrors.  Big Shot goes inside an extraordinary scandal that engulfed the Islanders.  Featuring the only interview Spano has ever given about the Islanders deal, this film is an unforgettable tale of a dream that became a lie – and how a scam of such epic proportions initially went undetected.

This is What They Want (Directors: Brian Koppelman and David Levien)

When Jimmy Connors arrived in New York for the 1991 U.S. Open, the one-time tennis superstar was 8 years removed from his last Grand Slam singles title, ranked 174th in the world and approaching his 39th birthday.  Not exactly a recipe for success.  But on the verge of a quick first-round exit, Connors suddenly and unexpectedly re-captured the magic, embarking on a stirring and extraordinary run than included an epic contest with Aaron Krickstein on his way to the semifinals.  This is What They Want not only illuminates this highly improbably march past a series of talented and youthful adversaries, it also explores how Connors became a polarizing and provocative personality who helped make tennis a high-octane spectator sport.

Tonya and Nancy (Director: Nanette Burstein)

American hopes for a gold medal in women’s figure skating at the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway rested on two very different but equally fascinating personalities: Nancy Kerrigan, the elegant brunette from Massachusetts, and Tonya Harding, the fiery blonde from Oregon. On January 6, 1994, after a practice session at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Kerrigan was stunningly clubbed on the right knee by an unknown assailant and left wailing, “Why, why, why?” As the bizarre “why” mystery unraveled, it was revealed that Harding’s ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, had plotted the attack with his misfit friends to literally eliminate Kerrigan from the competition.  Now two decades later, Tonya and Nancy takes a fresh look through revealing new interviews with the Harding and Kerrigan camps at a unique worldwide spectacle.

Sorry, I didn’t get to this yesterday. I watched No Limits last night on ESPN.

Wow. The film goes beyond sports and makes you wonder why people do what they do. The summary is below.

In case you missed it, the documentary airs again tonight at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. Don’t miss it.

As a teenager, Audrey Mestre suffered from scoliosis, but in those formative years, she discovered a passion for the ocean. It offered her a sense of freedom, and the burdens she faced on dry land soon dissipated as she slipped below the surface. In the final stages of her Ph.D., Mestre was drawn to Cabo San Lucas, where she became infatuated with free diver Pipin Ferreras, a Cuban defector whose dives had put him at the forefront of the sport.

The two became a couple, and Mestre followed the often elusive, often raucous Ferreras on his almost spiritual quest to push his limits underwater. Soon enough, Mestre moved from support team member to ardent free diver and then to a world-class competitor who outshone her husband.

In 2002, after news arrived that a rival female diver named Tanya Streeter had successfully gone to a record-breaking 525 feet, Ferreras began preparations for Mestre to make a 561-foot dive off the coast of the Canary Islands. Having completed practice dives even deeper in the weeks leading up to the record attempt, Mestre was prepared. But because of a fateful decision before the dive, Mestre never resurfaced alive.