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NFL coaches open up about their lives to Andrea Kremer; Ryan regrets not being there for birth of child

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Wanted to pass along an interesting series Andrea Kremer is doing on NFL Network this week.

NFL Network’s four-part series titled ‘Coach Speak’ began last tonight on NFL Total Access. Kremer sat down with Jets head coach Rex Ryan, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians for a roundtable discussion on a variety of topics. A new edition of ‘Coach Speak’ will air each night on NFL Total Access through Thursday.

Tonight’s topic will focus on their coaching staffs and their weekly schedule.

Here’s the link to watch last night’s segment.

Some interesting stuff in the excerpts:

On how many births they missed:

Rex Ryan: “I missed one. Not recommended. It was my first year coaching in the National Football League; I was coaching under my father in Arizona and you know how you fight that nepotism and all of the kind of stuff. It was actually at a minicamp. My wife was like 10 days over but she was still teaching. She was supposed to hang in there like two more days and [Michelle] is tough. But I got that call and then I realized how stupid it was that I wasn’t there. That’s my biggest regret in coaching. Absolutely.”

On how to maximize time spent with family while being a head coach:

Bruce Arians: “You have to have a very special woman. I’ve moved mine 16 times. Worst thing that could happen is my daughter had to go ninth, 10th and 11th grade to different schools. And I said I will not move you your 12th grade year – I got fired. I moved so she stayed.”

Tom Coughlin: “I moved my daughter when she was going to be a senior, moved her to Green Bay. I said I’m sorry to do this Kelly but we have to work, we have to eat.”

Ryan: “There are two kinds of coaches wives: great ones and ex ones. There is so much truth to that. One of the huge reasons that all of us are in the position we’re in is because of our wives.”

On what from their wives is non-negotiable:

Coughlin: “She has to have five days at the end of the season. She calls it her contract; we’re going, there is no dispute, there is no discussion.”

John Harbaugh: “All I know is that when the season is over and they finally get us back, and we start getting involved in the daily routine, I always get scolded. ‘We have a routine, you can come along if you want but don’t mess up my schedule.’”

Coughlin: “It used to be I come roaring in after the end of the season, start giving orders. ‘Who do you think you are? You just got here, I’ve been running this ship here for four, five, six months and you haven’t even been around.’ You learn your place real quick.”

Coughlin: “Because of the nature of the game and what the game has given to all of us, it has benefited our children tremendously. My youngest is so passionate. She is unbelievable, and my two sons think they’re personnel directors. They’ll text me stuff, I don’t know how they do it. They get information before anybody else does.”

Harbaugh: “My wife, she has the app on her phone and she calls me up and says you guys just did this. I’m like, we did? She has a ding on her phone sometimes before I know what we’ve done. It’s like hey Ozzie, what did we do [laughing]?”

On Friday nights with his daughter:

Harbaugh: “I can’t wait to get home to see her. The best time is one of her practices or one of her games sitting in the stands and watching your kid do the sport. That’s what Friday night is for us. So Ingrid and I, our date is to go watch her practice and stop by Chipotle on the way home. That’s what we end up doing. I can’t wait for it.”

On Rex Ryan’s decision to go watch his son Seth play for Clemson and the criticism he received for it:

Coughlin: “If that’s all you have to write about, then you have to think about your job.”

Ryan: “It was the first college game. It’s something that I’d do a zillion times over again. What’s great is that I think there were five other coaches that did the same thing – I’m the only one they singled out for some reason…But you know what, they can write it next year too. If I get that opportunity, I’ll go again.”

On their children:

Harbaugh: “Right before the Super Bowl, Allison was on the sideline and just when they got done with the National Anthem – and your kids are a part of this thing whether you want to believe it or not; they know. So she looks up at me and this right before the kickoff, she says, ‘Daddy, we can do this.’ I got a lump in my throat.”

Coughlin: “I was an assistant and we won the Super Bowl against Buffalo in Tampa. I went around to the back door and opened it and I let my two sons in. I said all of the moving and all of the things that you guys have gone through, I asked them if they thought it was worth it. ‘Yeah Dad, it was worth it.’ That meant a lot to me.”

Ryan: “I was in college when the ‘85 Bears [won the Super Bowl]. So my brother and I – and I think there was a reason why we were on the sideline. Number one I think my dad had sold the tickets [laughing]. But literally, we’re down there on the sideline and that was when they picked him up on their shoulders and carried him out. I think the only time it’s ever happened in the history of the National Football League [they carried] an assistant coach. You talk about feeling great, that was unbelievable. And then being there yourself as a coach and then looking around like, ‘Oh my gosh, I made it myself.’ It’s incredible.”

 

 


Truly memorable dinner with Babe Ruth’s daughter; ‘He was just Daddy to me’

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Working in this business for more than 30 years, I have been fortunate to meet some incredible people. I hung with George Bush (41) and Michael Jordan on the same day at a Ryder Cup; stupidly turned down a ride from Clint Eastwood at Pebble Beach; spent two hours with Ernie Banks looking at his picture file at Tribune Tower.

However, never in my wildest dreams, from the day I first held Babe Ruth’s homer-laden card while playing Strato-O-Matic as a kid, did I ever imagine that I would have dinner with someone who calls him “Daddy.”

Yet there I was last Friday with Julia Ruth Stevens, still going strong and talking proudly about her famous father at the age of 97. We were joined by Julia’s son and the Babe’s grandson, Tom Stevens, his wife, Anita, and my wife, Ilene (All pictured above).

I interviewed Julia for my book, Babe Ruth’s Called Shot: The Myth and Mystery Behind Baseball’s Greatest Home Run. While she wasn’t at the famous Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, there never was a doubt her mind about her father’s intentions.

She heard direct testimony from a couple key witnesses at the game: Her mother, Claire, and Francis Cardinal Spellman, the long-time Archbishop of New York. “Daddy certainly did point,” Julia said. “He always seemed to rise to the occasion. He just wanted to beat the Cubs. If he had missed, he’d have been very, very disappointed. (Cardinal Spellman) said there’s no question that he pointed. I’ll take his word and my mother’s.”

The Cubs invited Julia and Tom to Friday’s game as part of its Wrigley Field 100th anniversary celebration. It was Babe Ruth bobblehead day. Julia threw out the first pitch and she and Tom sang “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh inning stretch.

Earlier in the week, Tom called and asked if we would like to have dinner with Julia and his wife on Friday.

“We really enjoyed your book and would like to meet you,” she said.

Of course, I said yes and made reservations for Joe’s Stone Crab in downtown Chicago. Scanning the packed restaurant, I thought if people only knew of the history sitting at our table.

Naturally, we talked about her life with Babe. Julia was the daughter of Babe’s second wife, Claire. He adopted her shortly after they got married in 1929.

For all the legendary stories about Ruth’s wild lifestyle in his younger years, he became a changed man, a family man, after his marriage to Claire. Julia recalled how “Daddy” enjoyed staying at home, occasionally inviting friends over. If he did go out, it was to a favorite Italian restaurant nearby.

Ruth became very close to Claire’s brothers, Julia’s uncles. If anything, after a terrible childhood when he was abandoned by his parents, Ruth finally had the family he never had during the years Julia lived with him.

While Julia has vivid images of Ruth as a player, her lasting memories was of him as a father. She recalled how he taught her how to dance.

“Daddy really was wonderful to me,” Julia said.

Ruth died before Tom was born, but he and Anita had vivid memories of his grandmother, Claire. “She truly was a lovely, sweet lady,” Anita said.

Being Ruth’s grandson does have its advantages. Tom recalled going to a Yankees game at the age of 10 with Claire. She arranged for him to meet the Yankees of the Mickey Mantle era in the locker room.

Julia then chimed in. “Oh, I loved Mickey. He was so much fun,” he said.

Indeed, through the years, Julia and Tom have become close with a virtual who’s-who in baseball while representing Ruth at various functions, including the annual Hall of Fame ceremonies. Ted Williams was “a great guy” and the Steinbrenner family couldn’t do enough for them during appearances at Yankee Stadium.

Age is not a friend to Julia now, but she and Tom try to get a few events each year.

“It’s always an honor to represent Daddy,” Julia said.

“We want to continue to tell people about his legacy,” Tom said.

When I told friends about my dinner with Ruth’s family, they all asked what were they like. Well, they were terrific, down-to-Earth people who just happened to be related to the greatest baseball player of all time.

Tom, a civil engineer who builds bridges, has had a fascinating life in his own right, working all over the world, including a long stint in Afghanistan. Anita is a retired school teacher. Julia lives with them outside of Las Vegas.

Throughout dinner, the conversation centered on Tom’s work, their kids, our kids as much as on baseball and Ruth. At the end of the day, we’re all ordinary people with concerns and interests like everyone else. I would like to think Ruth would be proud with how they turned out.

All in all, it was a wonderful evening. As we finished our dinner, I asked Julia and Tom to inscribe my book. Julia wrote: “Thanks for doing such a great job on your book about my Dad. Julia Ruth Stevens.”

Tom wrote: “What a great book. I enjoyed every page. Babe’s Grandson. Tom Stevens.”

I will cherish those inscriptions. They always will serve as my closest connection to The Babe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three’s a crowd: ESPN’s addition of Jackson to means less Van Gundy on lead NBA team

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I’m a big Jeff Van Gundy fan. Unpredictable and outspoken, he definitely is on the short list for best sports TV analyst.

So I’m not pleased that with the biggest games of the NBA season finally here, ESPN/ABC is turning its excellent combo of Van Gundy and Mike Breen into a three-man set-up by adding Mark Jackson.

ESPN welcomed their one-time analyst and now former Golden State coach back into the fold last weekend. They promptly stuck him on the No. 1 team with Van Gundy and Breen and will keep him there for the remainder of the playoffs.

The trio worked well together for five years before Jackson stepped over the line to coach the Warriors in 2011. Van Gundy, though, has since flourished as a solo analyst act with Breen as his foil.

While listening to the Indiana-Miami game Sunday, I found myself wanting more Van Gundy and less Jackson. That’s not a knock against Jackson, who is very good. It’s just that now is not the time for Van Gundy to be sharing his minutes.

If ESPN wanted to add Jackson to the mix immediately, the studio show would have been a better fit.

Also, interesting to note that Jackson signed a multi-year deal with ESPN. Putting Jackson on the No. 1 team for the playoffs could have been a preemptive strike from TNT snagging him as a replacement for Steve Kerr.

For more on Jackson returning to ESPN, here’s Richard Deitsch at SI.com.

And Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News.

 

 

 

Door remains open: MMQB takes a tour of Steve Sabol’s office; still intact at NFL Films

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Definitely make some time to read this story by Emily Kaplan of MMQB about Steve Sabol’s office at NFL Films. Feels good to know that everything remains untouched nearly two years after his death.

From the story:

The door to Steve Sabol’s office remains open, as always. The lights are on and the computer is plugged in, even though the man who worked behind the large mahogany desk, with a nameplate that reads “King of Football Movies,” died nearly two years ago, at 69, of a tumor on the left side of his brain. Despite his absence, his life’s work pulsates inside these four tan walls, filling the 21-by-22-foot room with a creative energy that spills into the hallways of NFL Films.

Here, in a hideaway corner on the second floor, is where Sabol reviewed highlight films, edited scripts, read as many as five books a week, snipped passages from poems and hosted 5 o’clock cocktails on Fridays. It is where the visionary helped mythologize football, and where the man’s legacy lives on.

A few days after Sabol’s passing, a janitor locked the office. When the staff returned to work the next morning, the building didn’t seem right. NFL Films COO Howard Katz had an assistant unlock the oak door, and it hasn’t been shut since. The space has become a sanctuary for protégés to brainstorm, and a gathering place for an occasional Ketel One on the rocks. Everything in the office remains exactly as Sabol left it, down to the lunch order he scribbled on a white post-it note in September 2012: a wrap and a smoothie.

“Every time I walk by, I say, ‘Hi boss,’ ” says Ken Rodgers, a senior supervising producer. “Maybe you think I’m crazy. Maybe I sound crazy. But I still feel his presence here, like he is still sitting at that desk. It is as if he never left.”

Later, Kaplan writes:

Yet there are also large patches of exposed corkboard, a reminder that Sabol left us too soon. On the board to the right he usually posted items about the current season: articles he liked, trends he noticed. Save for a printout of a Washington Post article and a 2012 calendar—turned to the month of September, when he passed—there are few markers of time.

One notecard offers a clue. It is a note Sabol posted while he was undergoing treatment after aphasia began to take his voice.

“Listening to me is like a blocked punt,” it reads. “Life is a process of reinvention… moving on.”

 

PBS George Plimpton documentary: Sports’ ultimate participatory journalist; Producer Q/A

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PBS produced a hockey card of George Plimpton to commemorate its American Masters film, Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself (Friday, 9 p.m. ET).

It is fitting that PBS chose hockey over football, which produced Plimpton’s more famous Paper Lion. He was a complete failure as a quarterback for the Detroit Lions.

However, Plimpton was far more successful when at age 50, he played goalie for the Boston Bruins in a preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Sure, he flopped around the ice and looked woefully out-of-place. But on a penalty shot, deftly set up by the Bruins, he somehow managed to stop the Flyers’ high-scoring Reggie Leach.

As Plimpton skated off the ice to a standing ovation to the crowd, you could see the absolute joy in his face. He definitely was a man who lived life to his fullest.

And what a life.

The PBS documentary goes over the many facets of a true American original. While he was known in literary circles for being editor of the Paris Review and was close friends with Robert Kennedy, he made a huge impact as a participatory journalist with his best-selling books and work for Sports Illustrated.

I did a Q/A with Jerry Barca, one of the producers, on Plimpton’s work in sports. And I highly recommend the film.

What attracted Plimpton to sports? 

First and foremost, George had a boundless curiosity. He also liked to play sports growing up. Then you combine the curiosity and the enjoyment of the games with his talent as a writer and it becomes natural for him to craft these very unique sports stories.

Then to follow up, why do you think he went with participatory angle?

There are two key elements. As a writer, George really wanted to know what it was like to stand in the ring and take a punch from a boxing champ or get under center as a quarterback, stare at the defense, and bark out the snap count. What better way to write about those ventures than to truly experience them, and experience all the dynamics they entail — the teammates, the locker room comradery, and psychological aspect of having to perform under pressure. The other element is that oftentimes people watch sports, watch these great athletes, and say, “Oh, I can do that.” Well, George’s participatory endeavors in sports show it ain’t easy. As a matter of fact there is a great wide gap between the guy watching sports as a fan and the ones actually doing it. George’s pursuits prove that.

What do you think was his favorite experience from the sports front?

I really don’t know what George would pick here. I’d pick Paper Lion, where he played quarterback for the Detroit Lions. It was a look inside the NFL well before it became the mega-league it is today. There was nothing like it. The book took off with great success, and George became sort of a sex symbol along the way.

What was the craziest?

Well, he had scheduled to fight Muhammad Ali in the mid-1970s, but Ali got injured. Playing an April Fool’s Day trick in 1985 on the country through his Sports Illustrated article on the fictitious New York Mets pitcher Sidd Finch was pretty crazy, too. But, he was 50 years old when he got in goal for the Boston Bruins and faced the Philadelphia Flyers during the Broad Street Bullies era. That’s nuts. That book – Open Net – is my favorite one by Plimpton.

How did the literary folks regard the sports aspect of his life? Did they look down on him because he was a sportswriter?

Some did. For sure. Having read George pretty thoroughly though, he was a great writer, whether it was the realm of sports writing or any writing. On the surface, Plimpton is known for what some might call “stunts”. Those “stunts”, they are the literary devices that serve as the entry point, one where George takes you into the world of each endeavor. Then as you’re reading, at some point you realize, Plimpton is way in the background and you’re left with the complete picture of what it is like to be an athlete in that sport.

How do you view his legacy from a sportswriting perspective?

He was phenomenal and groundbreaking. Sports as an industry has changed so much, today you’ll never see what George did back then. Never. People try, and there are great writers that try today. But there are too many handlers for the players and clubs to replicate what George achieved in his era. That unadulterated access Plimpton had is something that is highly unlikely to happen again today, or at anytime in the near future.

 

 

 

 

 

Right move? Browns limit media access to Johnny Manziel during rookie mini-camp

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The Browns are trying to make sure the circus doesn’t roll into town along with Johnny Football.

FoxSports.com has an AP story:

Cleveland’s rookie minicamp under first-year coach Mike Pettine will be open — for one day — only to local reporters and photographers. The Browns turned down several requests from national outlets, some of which were not pleased with being denied.

”We wanted to give those in the media who cover us on a daily basis access to the members of the draft class they’ve yet to meet, and also to circle back with our first two picks,” Browns spokesman Zak Gilbert said.

Yes, there’s a lot of demand for Justin Gilbert, Cleveland’s first pick.

Right move by the Browns, a franchise that is looking to be relevant beyond Cleveland? Probably not. It’s only a rookie minicamp. A little access probably won’t derail things too much.

 

Big April lifts Bleacher Report into second place among sports sites

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Turner Broadcasting spent a reported $175 million to acquire Bleacher Report in 2012, and has made some high-profile hires since then in reshaping the shape.

Apparently, Bleacher Report is going in the right direction based on its April results.

From Turner:

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For the first time in its history, Bleacher Report was the second-leading standalone sports website in the U.S. among multiplatform users with 35.6 million uniques for the month of April, according to comScore’s just-released data. Compared to last year, that represents a 64% year over year increase for the site, which provides real-time, comprehensive coverage of sports fans on the team and topic levels.

News of Bleacher Report’s milestone comScore ranking comes after a hugely-successful week for the company, as its comprehensive coverage of the 2014 NFL Draft delivered record-setting results across all key metrics. More than 42 million Team Stream visits [i] were generated over the NFL Draft period (Thursday, May 8 – Sunday, May 11), up 123% over last year and, during the four-day blitz, nearly 8.3 million unique users accessed Bleacher Report’s NFL content across its website, mobile web and via its top-rated Team Stream app, marking a 39% increase over last year. Users also spent a significantly longer amount of time with the content, as time spent was up 60% versus 2013 with 140 million minutes spent on the site during the draft period [ii]. Additionally, there were 4.1 million NFL video stream starts during draft week, an increase of 175% during the same time period last year [iii].

Additional noteworthy stats:

Bolstered largely by its NFL Draft coverage, Bleacher Report as a whole had its highest-trafficked day ever on Friday, May 9, with nearly 90 million page views, shattering its previous record day by 34% [iv].

Bleacher Report’s NFL section visits hit 21.9 million, an increase of 35% versus last year [v].

More than 1.6 million users came to Bleacher Report from social channels, a massive increase of 1,067% over 2013’s NFL Draft period [vi].

Bleacher Report’s NFL Team Stream mobile and tablet app usage saw huge spikes with 7.5 million sessions, accounting for 72% growth year over year [vii].

Bleacher Report’s NFL Draft coverage, anchored by its mobile-first Team Stream Now video content, included real-time news and analysis of all 256 NFL draft selections programmed directly to team-specific and NFL Draft streams and web pages, delivering the most comprehensive experience possible for fans of all 32 NFL teams. Team Stream Now video host Adam Lefkoe, alongside NFL Draft Lead Writer Matt Miller, NFL Draft Insider Chris Simms, and Featured Columnists Michael Felder and Aaron Nagler produced 445 videos within the draft period, ranging from news and analysis to recaps, reactions and predictions.

 

 

 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: HBO working on new documentary on a complicated man

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In his new book, Showtime on the ’80s Lakers, Jeff Pearlman painted an unflattering portrait of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He was withdrawn, moody, and most definitely a jerk to the media.

Upon hearing that HBO is planning a new documentary on Abdul-Jabbar, Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News asked executive producer Mike Tollin if it would serve as an image rehabilitation vehicle for him?

“I think I’m like a lot of people who have an impression of him based on nothing, and I can take a fresh look at this,” said Tollin, who had only briefly met Abdul-Jabbar prior to this project that has already began filming. “The challenge is always to tell the story that people think they know and then have a version which they had no idea about. The plan is to make this far-reaching and free-wheeling – jazz, literature, politics, yoga, martial arts, baseball. He’s in a pretty comfortable place in his life. I hope this will open a lot of eyes.”

Abdul-Jabbar was one of the most interesting and important athletes of his generation. Definitely worth a documentary.

Here’s the official rundown from HBO:

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HBO Sports and Mandalay Sports Media, in association with Iconomy® Multi-Media & Entertainment, have begun production and commenced photography in Los Angeles on a documentary about the life and career of Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the National Basketball Association’s all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points, and six-time MVP and world champion.

Scheduled to debut in early 2015 on HBO, the film will be directed by Ron Yassen, produced by Deborah Morales, whose credits include the award-winning documentary “On the Shoulders of Giants,” and executive produced by Mike Tollin, whose credits include the Oscar®-nominated documentary “Hank Aaron: Chasing The Dream,” the hit HBO series “Arli$$” and such feature films as “Coach Carter,” “Radio” and “Varsity Blues.” The documentary on Abdul-Jabbar will spotlight an athlete who had unparalleled impact on and success in basketball, and has journeyed through many controversial and landmark moments over the past 50 years.

“Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a legendary figure and an American sports icon,” says Ken Hershman, president, HBO Sports. “While he has lived so much of his life in the media spotlight, his extraordinary story has never been explored in depth, and we are grateful to Kareem and his team for allowing us to bring this story to life.”

Tollin, co-chairman of Mandalay Sports Media, says the film will “reveal the complexity and genius of Kareem both on and off the court. By his own admission, Abdul-Jabbar has had a complicated and occasionally hostile relationship with the media. This is a unique opportunity to tell all sides of his story.”

Ferdinand Lewis (Lew) Alcindor, Jr. was born in New York City in 1947. After leading his high school team to three consecutive New York City Catholic championships, the 7’1” Alcindor headed west to play for John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins, where he dominated college basketball like never before. Alcindor was a two-time Player of the Year (1967, 1969) and a three-time First-Team All-American (1967-69), setting multiple UCLA records, including highest scoring average (29 points per game) and most points in a single game (61). During his three years on the UCLA varsity team, Alcindor and the Bruins were 88-2 and won three consecutive NCAA Championships.

He remains the only player in history to be named Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament three years in a row and received the first Naismith College Player of the Year Award. After the slam dunk was banned, Alcindor crafted one of the most remarkable collegiate careers in history with his signature skyhook shot. But he was also no stranger to controversy, and did not shy away from taking an unpopular stand when he felt compelled to address cultural and political issues.

Drafted No. 1 overall by the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and the ABA’s New York Nets in 1969, Alcindor opted for the NBA, where he captured Rookie of the Year honors in 1970. In 1971, he continued his winning ways alongside newly acquired guard Oscar Robertson, and won the NBA Championship, as well as his first NBA scoring title, NBA MVP and NBA Finals MVP.

After winning the NBA Championship, Alcindor officially changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The NBA superstar attributed the name change to his family’s lineage from slavery and the importance of Islamic tradition during that trying time in American history.

In 1974, he requested a trade to a more diverse market and went to the Los Angeles Lakers, where the future NBA Hall of Famer became world-renowned, later pairing with Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Jr., the first overall draft pick in 1979. During the ensuing era, the Lakers became one of the most famous and glamorous teams in NBA history. Abdul-Jabbar and the Lakers won five of their eight appearances in the NBA Finals. In 1989, after playing 20 professional seasons and scoring 38,387 points, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar retired.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s successes didn’t end with his playing days. He has never been shy about speaking candidly on a wide variety of subjects and expanding his intellectual and personal horizons beyond the hardwood. Abdul-Jabbar has appeared in dozens of TV shows and movies, often lampooning his own persona, as in memorable cameos in “Airplane!” and “Game of Death,” Bruce Lee’s final film. He has also written eight books, four of them New York Times bestsellers. In Jan. 2012, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton appointed him a Cultural Ambassador for the United States.

Abdul-Jabbar’s personal journey dovetails with an explosive period in American history. He was – and remains – equipped with a unique and remarkable perspective through which to interpret the past half-century of the country’s narrative. This film will provide an intimate glimpse at Abdul-Jabbar through incisive interviews and rare archival footage.

Noted for its unique storytelling ability, HBO Sports has collected 33 Sports Emmy® Awards for production excellence in the documentary genre and has won the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Documentary in five of the last seven years.

 

 

Behind scenes: Jeremy Schaap on E:60 story that documents abhorrent work conditions for ’22 World Cup in Qatar

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As I reported yesterday, Tuesday’s edition of E:60 featured a powerful and important story by Jeremy Schaap and producer Beein Gim about abhorrent conditions for migrant workers who are coming to Qatar to construct the $200 billion in facilities for the 2022 World Cup.

Things are so bad, there are estimates that 4,000 workers could die prior to the start of the matches. All so people could watch soccer.

The E:60 piece (preview above) shows Schaap and the crew defying regulations in Qatar and going to where the migrant workers are being housed. There’s also stark footage of the body of one of the workers being burned at a funeral in Nepal.

The Guardian broke the original story, but the graphic images of the E:60 piece takes it to another level. I talked to Schaap about one of the best pieces of journalism I have seen from ESPN. If you missed it, the E:60 episode will re-air Saturday at 7 a.m. ET on ESPN2. Set your DVR.

What was behind E:60’s decision to do this story?

This was a no-brainer for us. If there’s something we’ve done well at E:60, it is telling the stories of the disenfranchised. This is a story of the poorest people in the world being exploited by the richest people in the world in the service of the world’s most popular sporting event.

You documented the abhorrent conditions where these migrant workers are housed. In the piece, you said you risked arrest by shooting there.

We didn’t have permission to go to any of those places. Technically, we were breaking the law. I wouldn’t say we were nervous. We weren’t in a combat zone. But they could have arrested us and made things uncomfortable. We had to be discreet, or as discreet as you can with cameras and 7-8 people going through there.

I’ve seen wretched conditions before. What was so striking was the way it contrasts with the lives of the typical Qatari. The per capita income of Qatar is more than $100,000 per year. We were just a short drive from the luxury hotels. Everyone drives around $80,000-90,000 Toyota land cruisers. And then you see how these workers are living. It’s an incredible contrast between these two worlds.

How can anyone be allowed to live like this? The Qatari say (the workers) are making more money than they would (in their home countries). That doesn’t mean they should be treated like animals.

The piece went 17 minutes, and there were still so many harrowing things we saw and heard about that we couldn’t get in.

The final scene is intense. You show a body being burned during a funeral for one of the workers in Nepal. What was that like?

I wasn’t personally in Nepal, but Beein and the crew were. Our cameramen (Jesse Edwards, Joel Edwards and Mike Bove) literally were covered with human ashes after shooting that scene.

There are coffins coming back every day from Qatar. On average, one migrant worker per day is dying. That scene was so powerful because of the reality of what’s happening over there.

After this year, Fox Sports owns the rights to the next two World Cups, including the one in Qatar. If ESPN had the rights for the Qatar Cup, would E:60 still have done this story?

Definitely. ESPN still has a World Cup we’re showing in a few weeks. It is the biggest project in the history of the network. FIFA and ESPN work closely together. It’s not as if we’re going out of business. We will be bidding for future World Cups.

I know deep in bones this is something we would be doing regardless of who has the Cup in 2018 and 2022.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

’21st Century slave labor’: Shocking E:60 story on terrible conditions for workers preparing for 2022 World Cup in Qatar

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Update to update: ESPN just announced that it will re-air this episode on Saturday at 7 a.m. on ESPN2. Set your DVR.

Update: When I first did this post, I did have an embed for the video. A password has since put on the video, precluding access. Also, ESPN, due to various restraints, can’t post the piece on its site at this time.

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This story that aired on E:60 last night is nothing short of shocking. Remarkable journalism by Jeremy Schaap and producer Beein Gim, who risked arrest by filming the abhorrent conditions in Qatar where workers are being housed.

The final scene is chilling.

This piece also casts FIFA in a terrible light for awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. Thousands could die in constructing the lavish $200 billion operation.

Fox Sports has the rights to that event, along with 2018. It begs the question of whether ESPN would have done this story if it was in line to air the Qatar Cup.

“Our editorial and business relationship are always separate,” said ESPN PR rep David Scott, who also noted that ESPN could be dealing with FIFA on future World Cups.

The bottom line: Schaap and Gin told an important story that deserves the attention of the entire world.