6.8 /10 1 Votes
| 6.8/10 IMDb | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Similar NFL Insiders, SportsNation, NBA on ESPN, Bound for Glory, Quite Frankly with Step | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Production
“ESPN SportsFigures” was originally produced by Julie Anderson at Sea Lion Productions. The SportsFigures pilot was shot November 15, 1994 at the Ardsley, NY High School Basketball court. A Sea Lion production, Directed and co-produced by Mal Karlin [1]. The topic was using statistical analysis to predict whether the next shot will be a basket or not a basket.
Contents
The show was written by A. Dean Bell and directed by Bell, Eric Rosenthal and Kim Nye Zeiss. The program’s original educational consultant was Richard Rusczyk. After 1996 the show was written and directed exclusively by Bell at Black Canyon Productions and in 1997 Bell became executive producer along with Holly Faison. At this point the show moved to Highland Productions with Don Wells as co-executive producer and Peter Brancazio as educational consultant. Bell and Faison then formed New York-based Factory Films Inc. which produced the show from 1999-2007 in association with ESPN. Noted science educator Arthur Eisenkraft consulted the show from 1999 – 2007. The supervising producer at ESPN from 1995 - 2005 was Dennis Deninger and Dave Miller for 2005-2007.
The series aired on ESPN2 and then aired on ESPN Classic in reruns.
SportsFigures is broadcast as part of Cable in the Classroom. Cable in the Classroom is an industry initiative to air commercial-free educational programming in the late night hours which schools can tape and use with relaxed copyright regulation. Free teachers guides and lesson plans also accompany the shows. In 1999 ESPN together with the Go Network distributed 18,000 7 half-hour boxed sets of “ESPN SportsFigures” free to high schools across the USA. The event was announced at a reception for “ESPN SportsFigures” in the US Capitol hosted by Senator Trent Lott. Today, the program is still used in schools across the country.
Hosts
The original host of the series was educational consultant Richard Rusczyk. He was followed by stand-up comedian and actor Kevin Flynn and actress Marissa Copeland for the 1996 season. Copeland went on to share hosting duties with comedian Jacqui Malouf and actor Greg Abbey until 2007.