The Best Episodes of 30 for 30 Season 1

The story of Croatian Dražen Petrović and Serbian Vlade Divac, NBA players and Yugoslavian national teammates, and how upheaval in their homeland adversely and irretrievably affected their friendship. (90 minutes in length)

Director: Michael Tolajian

Writer: N/A

The lives of soccer player Andrés Escobar and drug lord Pablo Escobar; the intertwining of crime and soccer in their native Colombia; and the connections between the deaths of both men. (2 hours in length)

Director: Jeff Zimbalist, Michael Zimbalist

Writer: Jeff Zimbalist, Michael Zimbalist

The 1981 recruiting of high school football player Marcus Dupree by multiple big-time college programs, his resulting injury-prone college and professional career, and how his pursuit by college and USFL teams changed the recruiting process. (2 hours in length)

Director: Jonathan Hock

Writer: N/A

The impact of Indiana Pacer Reggie Miller on the New York Knicks in the 1990s, specifically focusing on the Pacers/Knicks battles in the 1994 and 1995 NBA Playoffs and on Miller's interaction with Knicks fan Spike Lee.

Director: Dan Klores

Writer: N/A

The racial and cultural evolution of Miami during the 1980s as represented within the University of Miami football team.

Director: Billy Corben

Writer: N/A

Terry Fox's attempt to run 5,373 kilometres (3,339 mi) across Canada in support of fundraising for cancer research captures the attention of his fellow Canadians and the world.

Director: Steve Nash, Ezra Holland

Writer: N/A

Quick-cut archival footage captures the various US sporting events on the day in question and the emotions they generated, including the opening of the World Cup soccer tournament, the Knicks/Rockets NBA Finals, Arnold Palmer's last round in the U.S. Open, and the New York Rangers' Stanley Cup victory celebration. One event, however, overshadows them all: O. J. Simpson's run from the police.

Director: Brett Morgen

Writer: N/A

How hosting (and winning) the 1995 Rugby World Cup, combined with Nelson Mandela's support of the Springboks national team, affected post-apartheid South Africa.

Director: Cliff Bestall

Writer: N/A

The rise, fall, and rebirth of the SMU Mustangs football program, which received a 1-year "death penalty" for major infractions after former SMU player David Stanley blew the whistle on the long-suspected program. Patrick Duffy, known for starring in TV's Dallas at the time of the scandal, narrates. (2 hours in length)

Director: Thaddeus D. Matula

Writer: N/A

The remarkable comeback of the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees in the 2004 ALCS.

Director: Gary Waksman

Writer: N/A

Fresh interviews and archival footage track the life and demise of the United States Football League in the mid-1980s. A highlight is Tollin's interview with Donald Trump, the former New Jersey Generals owner whose post-interview comments on the league give this documentary its title.

Director: Michael Tollin

Writer: N/A

A profile of Paul Westhead's coaching tenure at Loyola Marymount University (1985–1990), where his Lions' team was known for its high-scoring run-and-gun offense, use of talented players such as Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers, and a pall cast by Gathers's on-court death in 1990.

Director: Bill Couturié

Writer: N/A

The death of Len Bias from a cocaine-induced heart attack, two days after Boston selected him as the second overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft, and its impact on casual drug use, especially by the sports community.

Director: Kirk Fraser

Writer: Sam Bardley, Kirk Fraser

A look at the October 1980 Muhammad Ali–Larry Holmes fight and its impact on both fighters, featuring fresh interviews with participants and previously unseen lead-up footage from both fighters' camps.

Director: Bradley Kaplan, Albert Maysles

Writer: N/A

A profile of Ricky Williams focuses on his brief 2004 departure from the NFL, when he sought self-redemption amidst media criticism and fresh rumors of marijuana use.

Director: Royce Toni, Sean Pamphilon

Writer: N/A

The life of Mat Hoffman and his 25-year career of advancing, in creative and promotional avenues, BMX riding.

Director: Jeff Tremaine

Writer: N/A

The 1993 trial of Hampton, Virginia, high school athlete Allen Iverson, convicted for his role in a racially tinged melee, and its impact on both the community and on Iverson's life.

Director: Steve James

Writer: N/A

Motivated by the dream his late father had for him, Michael Jordan retires from basketball and has a brief career in minor league baseball.

Director: Ron Shelton

Writer: N/A

The euphoria created by Fernando Valenzuela's 1981 arrival with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Director: Cruz Angeles

Writer: N/A

The 1988 trade of Wayne Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings and the effect it had on Gretzky, the fans in Edmonton, and the popularity of hockey in Southern California.

Director: Peter Berg

Writer: N/A

A profile of Baltimore's love affair with football and the Colts, focusing on the Colts Marching Band. After the Colts decamped for Indianapolis in 1984, the band stayed behind to help promote the eventual return of the NFL to the city.

Director: Barry Levinson

Writer: N/A

The career of NASCAR driver Tim Richmond, his flamboyant lifestyle, and his 1989 death from AIDS.

Director: Rory Karpf

Writer: N/A

The life of Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder, from his career as a Las Vegas bookmaker to his tenure on The NFL Today, from which he was fired in 1988.

Director: Fritz Mitchell

Writer: N/A

The relationship between the Raiders and the minority fan base in Los Angeles during the team's 13 seasons in L.A.

Director: Ice Cube

Writer: N/A

Meeting at New York City's La Rotisserie Francaise restaurant in 1980, a group of writers and academics develop Rotisserie Fantasy baseball, only to see it take off in popularity and leave them behind.

Director: Adam Kurland, Lucas Jansen

Writer: N/A