Episode Hive Logo
Show cover for 30 for 30

The Best Episodes of 30 for 30 Season 1

Every episode of 30 for 30 Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of 30 for 30 Season 1!

30 for 30 is the umbrella title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN and its sister networks and online properties. The series, which highlights people and events in the sports world that have generally received small amounts of attention, has featured two "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series under the ESPN Films Presents title in 2011-2012, and a series of 30 for 30 Shorts shown through the ESPN.com website.

Genre:Documentary
Network:ESPN

Season 1 Ratings Summary

The best episode of "30 for 30" season 1 is "King's Ransom", rated 6.7/10 from 1594 user votes. It was directed by Peter Berg and written by N/A. "King's Ransom" aired on 10/6/2009 and is rated 0.0 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "The Band That Wouldn't Die".

  • King's Ransom
    6.7/10 1,594 votes

    #1 - King's Ransom

    Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 10/6/2009

    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

  • The Band That Wouldn't Die
    6.7/10 1,003 votes

    #2 - The Band That Wouldn't Die

    Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 10/13/2009

    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

  • Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?
    7.3/10 1,301 votes

    #3 - Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 10/20/2009

    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

  • Muhammad and Larry
    7.0/10 913 votes

    #4 - Muhammad and Larry

    Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 10/27/2009

    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

  • Without Bias
    7.2/10 1,357 votes

    #5 - Without Bias

    Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 11/3/2009

    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: Kirk Fraser, Sam Bardley

  • The Legend of Jimmy the Greek
    6.5/10 935 votes

    #6 - The Legend of Jimmy the Greek

    Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 11/10/2009

    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 U
    7.9/10 1,866 votes

    #7 - The U

    Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 12/12/2009

    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

  • Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. the New York Knicks
    8.0/10 2,215 votes

    #8 - Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. the New York Knicks

    Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 3/14/2010

    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

  • Guru of Go
    7.3/10 1,065 votes

    #9 - Guru of Go

    Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 4/3/2010

    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

  • No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson
    6.9/10 1,449 votes

    #10 - No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson

    Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 4/13/2010

    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

  • Silly Little Game
    6.4/10 827 votes

    #11 - Silly Little Game

    Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 4/20/2010

    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

  • Run Ricky Run
    7.0/10 1,220 votes

    #12 - Run Ricky Run

    Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 4/27/2010

    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 16th Man
    7.7/10 764 votes

    #13 - The 16th Man

    Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 5/4/2010

    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

  • Straight Outta L.A.
    6.5/10 1,112 votes

    #14 - Straight Outta L.A.

    Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 5/11/2010

    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

  • June 17, 1994
    7.7/10 1,683 votes

    #15 - June 17, 1994

    Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 6/16/2010

    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

  • The Two Escobars
    8.4/10 3,462 votes

    #16 - The Two Escobars

    Season 1 Episode 16 - Aired 6/22/2010

    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: N/A

  • The Birth of Big Air
    7.0/10 843 votes

    #17 - The Birth of Big Air

    Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 7/29/2010

    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

  • Jordan Rides the Bus
    6.8/10 1,602 votes

    #18 - Jordan Rides the Bus

    Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 8/24/2010

    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

  • Little Big Men
    6.4/10 628 votes

    #19 - Little Big Men

    Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 8/31/2010

    A look at the Kirkland National Little League team's success at the 1982 Little League World Series, examining why their title win is considered one of the biggest upsets in the event's history.

    Director: Al Szymanski

    Writer: N/A

  • One Night in Vegas
    6.1/10 633 votes

    #20 - One Night in Vegas

    Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 9/7/2010

    The friendship of boxer Mike Tyson and rapper Tupac Shakur and the night of September 7, 1996, when Shakur was murdered after attending the Tyson-Bruce Seldon fight in Las Vegas.

    Director: Reggie Rock Bythewood

    Writer: N/A

  • Unmatched
    6.4/10 611 votes

    #21 - Unmatched

    Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 9/14/2010

    A look at the rivalry and friendship between tennis legends Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova.

    Director: Lisa Lax, Nancy Stern Winters

    Writer: N/A

  • The House of Steinbrenner
    6.3/10 793 votes

    #22 - The House of Steinbrenner

    Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 9/21/2010

    The legacy of George Steinbrenner's ownership of the New York Yankees.

    Director: Barbara Kopple

    Writer: N/A

  • Into the Wind
    7.8/10 713 votes

    #23 - Into the Wind

    Season 1 Episode 23 - Aired 9/28/2010

    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

  • Four Days In October
    7.4/10 1,400 votes

    #24 - Four Days In October

    Season 1 Episode 24 - Aired 10/5/2010

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

    Director: Gary Waksman

    Writer: N/A

  • Once Brothers
    8.5/10 3,469 votes

    #25 - Once Brothers

    Season 1 Episode 25 - Aired 10/12/2010

    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