Recent from talks
Nothing was collected or created yet.
Nine for IX
View on Wikipedia
| Nine for IX | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sports documentary |
| Directed by | various |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 9 Shorts: 7[1] |
| Production | |
| Producers | Robin Roberts Jane Rosenthal[2] |
| Original release | |
| Network | ESPN |
| Release | July 2 – August 27, 2013 |
| Related | |
| 30 for 30 | |
Nine for IX is the title for a series of documentary films which aired on ESPN. The documentaries were produced by ESPN Films in conjunction with espnW, and were intended to have the same creative, story-driven aspect as ESPN Films' other series, 30 for 30, with the series focusing on captivating stories of women in sports told through the lens of female filmmakers.[2] The series' name is inspired by Title IX, federal civil rights legislation passed in 1972 that prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex in educational institutions receiving federal aid; Title IX has also been regarded as helping to expand women's and girls' access to athletic opportunities. The first film, Venus Vs., premiered on July 2, 2013.
List of Nine for IX films
[edit]The following films are all 60 minutes in length (including commercials).
| No. | Title | Directed by | Original release date | US viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Venus Vs. | Ava DuVernay | July 2, 2013 | 0.460[3] | |
|
A look at a significant victory Venus Williams earned off the tennis court: the fight to have women competitors earn the same winnings as men at the French Open and Wimbledon. | |||||
| 2 | Pat XO | Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern Winter | July 9, 2013 | 0.311[4] | |
|
An in-depth look at the legendary career of Pat Summitt, University of Tennessee Lady Vols basketball coach, and her new battle against early-onset Alzheimer's. | |||||
| 3 | Let Them Wear Towels | Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg | July 16, 2013 | 0.197[5] | |
|
The efforts of Melissa Ludtke, Lisa Olson, and other pioneering female sports journalists to gain equal access with their male brethren to the intimidating sanctum of the all-male sports locker room. | |||||
| 4 | No Limits | Alison Ellwood | July 23, 2013 | 0.400[6] | |
|
An exploration of the life of world-class freediver Audrey Mestre and the events leading up to the dive that ultimately took her life. | |||||
| 5 | Swoopes | Hannah Storm | July 30, 2013 | 0.397[7] | |
|
The life of Sheryl Swoopes, whose basketball accomplishments led her to be labeled as "the female Michael Jordan," but who also defied labels in terms of athletic longevity (playing into her 40s) and sexuality (one of the first high-profile athletes to come out of the closet). | |||||
| 6 | The Diplomat | Jennifer Arnold and Senain Kheshgi | August 6, 2013 | 0.437[8] | |
|
Katarina Witt was one of East Germany's most successful athletes, enduring constant surveillance by the Stasi, but also faced great changes after the fall of the Berlin Wall. | |||||
| 7 | Runner | Shola Lynch | August 13, 2013 | 0.548[9] | |
|
How Mary Decker became one of the greatest distance runners of the 1970s and 80s, and how a crushing experience at the 1984 Olympics defined her career. | |||||
| 8 | The '99ers | Erin Leyden | August 20, 2013 | 0.491[10] | |
|
Intimate behind-the-scenes footage (shot by the players themselves) details the story of the United States women's national soccer team, whose championship performance at the 1999 World Cup served as the inspiring touchstone for women's soccer and women's athletics as a whole. | |||||
| 9 | Branded | Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady | August 27, 2013 | 0.633[11] | |
|
How some women athletes, in particular tennis player Anna Kournikova, feel the need to emphasize sex-appeal attractiveness in an effort to advance their standing in the sports and marketing worlds. | |||||
Short films
[edit]After the first short aired with the full-length films, six additional short films were created, to begin airing in June 2014. The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth shorts debuted at the 2014 Los Angeles Film Festival on June 17, before airing with the additional shorts on espnW.com. Additionally, all Nine for IX Shorts aired back-to-back on August 2, 2014, on ESPN.[1]
| No. | Title | Directed by | Original release date | Length (mins) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coach | Bess Kargman | June 18, 2013 | 17:00 | |
|
A look at Rutgers women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer, and how she handled on-court pressure and off-court adversity after racial slurs were directed at her players. | |||||
| 2 | Love & Payne | Hannah Storm | June 4, 2014 | 12:30 | |
|
Tracey Stewart offers an intimate, personal, and poignant glimpse of her relationship with her late husband, golfer Payne Stewart. | |||||
| 3 | Rowdy Ronda Rousey | Nadine Mundo and Rena Mundo Croshere | July 28, 2014 | 14:00 | |
|
A look at the life of Ronda Rousey, and how her victory in a 2013 UFC title fight helped her pave the way for women in mixed martial arts. | |||||
| 4 | Think Normal | Nikki Reed | July 29, 2014 | 16:30 | |
| 5 | Brittney Griner: Lifesize | Melissa Johnson | July 30, 2014 | 16:00 | |
|
How Brittney Griner went from celebrated kid to self-reliant adult in her basketball career. | |||||
| 6 | Uncharted Waters | Tina Carbone | July 31, 2014 | 16:15 | |
|
The story of America³, which in 1995 raced with an initially all-female crew, the first such team in the history of the America's Cup yachting competition. | |||||
| 7 | Play A Round With Me | Jessica Wolfson | August 1, 2014 | 11:15 | |
|
How Jan Stephenson used sex appeal and charisma to become a star in women's golf, yet tried to prove she was more than just a pretty face. | |||||
References
[edit]- ^ a b Cingari, Jennifer (June 4, 2014). "ESPN Films and espnW Announce Nine for IX Shorts Documentary Series". ESPN MediaZone. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
- ^ a b Cingari, Jennifer (February 19, 2013). "ESPN Films and espnW Announce Nine for IX". Archived from the original on December 26, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ^ "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: "Being Mary Jane" Tops Demos, "Rizzoli & Isles" Leads Viewers". The Futon Critic. July 3, 2013. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- ^ "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: "Catfish" Reclaims Demo Crown, "Rizzoli & Isles" Tops Viewers". The Futon Critic. July 11, 2013. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
- ^ "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: "Catfish" Tops Demos, "Rizzoli & Isles" Leads Viewers". The Futon Critic. July 17, 2013. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
- ^ "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: TNT Dramas Top Viewers, "Deadliest Catch" Leads Demos". The Futon Critic. July 24, 2013. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
- ^ "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: "Rizzoli & Isles," "Perception" Top Viewers". The Futon Critic. July 31, 2013. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
- ^ "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: Discovery's "Shark Week" Tops Demos, "Rizzoli & Isles" Leads Viewers". The Futon Critic. August 7, 2013. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
- ^ "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: "Rizzoli & Isles," "Amish Mafia" Top Charts". The Futon Critic. August 14, 2013. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
- ^ "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: "Rizzoli & Isles" Claims Top Spot in Viewers, Demos". The Futon Critic. August 21, 2013. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
- ^ "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: "Rizzoli & Isles," "Pretty Little Liars" Top Viewers, Demos". The Futon Critic. August 28, 2013. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2013.
External links
[edit]Nine for IX
View on GrokipediaBackground
Connection to Title IX
Title IX, enacted on June 23, 1972, as part of the Education Amendments, prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.[6] Initially emphasizing academic equity, its application expanded to athletics through regulatory interpretations by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, which established a three-prong test for compliance, including substantial proportionality between the gender composition of athletes and the undergraduate student body.[7][8] Prior to Title IX, fewer than 30,000 women participated in college athletics, representing about 15% of total collegiate athletes.[9] By the 2012-2013 academic year, female participation had risen to over 200,000, comprising roughly 44% of NCAA athletes, reflecting expanded opportunities driven by enforcement pressures.[10] However, achieving proportionality often necessitated cuts to non-revenue men's teams, with more than 400 such programs eliminated across NCAA institutions since 1972 to reallocate resources amid stagnant overall athletic budgets.[11][12] The Nine for IX series was developed by ESPN Films and espnW, in collaboration with female filmmakers, explicitly to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Title IX in 2012, positioning the documentaries as a celebration of the law's role in advancing women's sports participation.[13][14] Premiering on July 2, 2013, the initiative highlighted personal stories of female athletes and coaches, framing Title IX as a transformative milestone without addressing ongoing enforcement controversies such as roster management or the trade-offs in men's programs.[15]Inception of the Series
In February 2013, ESPN Films and espnW announced Nine for IX, a series of nine original documentaries intended to commemorate the impact of Title IX by showcasing pivotal stories of female athletes, coaches, and pioneers in sports.[1] The initiative emphasized underrepresented narratives from the post-1972 era, including Venus Williams's campaign for equal prize money at Wimbledon and the U.S. women's soccer team's 1999 World Cup triumph, selected for their representation of breakthroughs in equity and achievement.[1] [16] The series emerged from a collaboration between ESPN Films, known for producing in-depth sports documentaries, and espnW, ESPN's digital platform launched in April 2011 to expand coverage of women's sports and related topics.[1] Each film, directed exclusively by women filmmakers, was planned as a short-format documentary of approximately 50 minutes to allow for focused, narrative-driven explorations rather than exhaustive histories. Topic selection prioritized iconic moments and figures that illustrated causal advancements in women's athletics, such as Pat Summitt's tenure as Tennessee's basketball coach, without imposing additional diversity quotas beyond requiring female directors.[1] Scheduling aligned with summer programming, with episodes airing weekly on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET from July 2 to August 27, 2013, exclusively on ESPN to maximize viewership during a period of heightened interest in Olympic and professional sports.[16] This timeline facilitated rapid production cycles, enabling the series to capitalize on the ongoing cultural reflection of Title IX's enforcement outcomes, including increased participation rates for female athletes from under 300,000 in high school sports in 1972 to over 3.2 million by 2012.[1]Production
Key Personnel and Filmmakers
The Nine for IX series consisted of nine documentaries, each directed by female filmmakers chosen for their established expertise in documentary or narrative features, ensuring narratives drawn from personal and professional insights into women's sports experiences.[17][1] This all-female directorial approach, modeled after the male-led 30 for 30 series, prioritized authentic storytelling grounded in archival evidence and interviews rather than prescriptive advocacy.[2] Key directors included Ava DuVernay, who directed Venus Vs. (premiered July 2, 2013), focusing on Venus Williams' 2010 campaign for equal prize money at Wimbledon through a lens informed by racial and gender inequities in professional tennis, building on DuVernay's prior Sundance-winning work in Middle of Nowhere (2012).[18][17] Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady helmed Branded (premiered August 27, 2013), applying their Academy Award-nominated documentary style from Jesus Camp (2006) to dissect commercialization and image-making in women's athletics, including cases like Brandi Chastain's 1999 World Cup celebration.[15][19] Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg directed Let Them Wear Towels (premiered July 16, 2013), drawing from their investigative background in films like The Devil Came on Horseback (2007) to chronicle female sports journalists' legal battles for locker-room access, such as Melissa Ludtke's 1978 lawsuit against Major League Baseball.[20] ESPN Films and espnW provided production oversight, with executive producers Robin Roberts and Jane Rosenthal enforcing editorial standards aligned with ESPN's commitment to verifiable journalism, including rigorous fact-checking and balanced sourcing of footage from archives like the Associated Press and individual athletes.[1] Filmmakers collaborated on shared resources for historical materials while retaining autonomy in narrative framing, yielding films that examined Title IX's effects through specific case studies without contrived uniformity or evident bias toward unqualified praise of the law's implementation.[2] This process contrasted with advocacy-driven media by emphasizing causal evidence from participants' accounts over institutional self-congratulation.Broadcasting and Distribution
The Nine for IX series premiered on ESPN on July 2, 2013, with the episode "Venus VS.," and continued airing new installments every Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. ET through August 27, 2013, occupying nine consecutive primetime slots.[21][1] Episodes became available for on-demand streaming shortly after broadcast via ESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app, with later expansion to platforms including Hulu.[22][23] The documentaries received no theatrical releases, focusing instead on television and digital distribution through ESPN's ecosystem, including espnW's online hub for supplementary content.[24] A comprehensive DVD gift set compiling all nine films was released by ESPN Home Entertainment on October 15, 2013, marketed for home viewing and educational use.[24] International availability remained limited, primarily accessible via ESPN's global networks in select markets where the broadcaster operated.[25] Nielsen ratings indicated an average viewership of 446,000 households per episode during the initial run, with individual episodes ranging from approximately 311,000 to 460,000 viewers.[26] Subsequent re-airs and streaming access aligned with Title IX milestone events, such as ESPN's Fifty/50 initiative in 2022 marking the law's 50th anniversary, which featured related women's sports content collections on ESPN+.[27]Films
Overview and Common Themes
The Nine for IX series portrays the advancement of women's sports as inextricably linked to Title IX's enactment in 1972, which empirically expanded female collegiate athletic participation from approximately 32,000 participants to over 215,000 by 2020, by mandating nondiscrimination in federally funded educational programs.[28] Recurring motifs across the films highlight athletes' resilience in overcoming societal and institutional barriers, such as battles for equal prize money in professional tennis and the collective team dynamics that propelled the U.S. women's soccer team's 1999 World Cup victory, framing these narratives as causal outcomes of broadened opportunities under the law rather than isolated individual achievements.[1] Personal anecdotes serve to underscore Title IX's role in fostering such successes, privileging inspirational stories over broader econometric debates on enforcement mechanisms like proportionality requirements. Directors consistently employ intimate interviews with athletes and coaches alongside archival footage to humanize subjects, evoking emotional investment in themes of perseverance and barrier-breaking while sidelining statistical dissections of equity compliance.[29] This stylistic choice aligns with the series' production by ESPN Films and espnW, entities that, as part of a mainstream media outlet, tend to emphasize affirmative gender equity narratives amid institutional biases favoring progressive interpretations of Title IX, often attributing gains solely to the legislation without equivalent scrutiny of enforcement's zero-sum dynamics.[1] The films subtly advance ideals of gender parity by celebrating expanded access and visibility for women, yet recurrently limit exploration of trade-offs, including how Title IX-driven reallocations have led to the discontinuation of more than 400 men's collegiate teams—predominantly in non-revenue sports—since the 1970s, as institutions prioritized compliance over overall program growth.[30][11] This selective focus, while effective for motivational storytelling, reflects a portrayal that downplays causal realism in resource constraints, as critiqued in analyses noting the series' reinforcement of conventional gender representations despite its intent to empower.[29]List of Documentaries
- Venus Vs. (July 2, 2013, dir. Ava DuVernay): Examines Venus Williams' advocacy for equal prize money in tennis, focusing on her successful campaign to match men's winnings at Wimbledon starting in 2007.[21][18]
- Pat XO (July 9, 2013, dirs. Lisa Lax, Nancy Stern Winters): Chronicles the career of University of Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt, who won 1,098 games, and her 2011 diagnosis with early-onset Alzheimer's disease.[21][31]
- Let Them Wear Towels (July 16, 2013, dirs. Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg): Details the struggles of female sports journalists for equal access to male locker rooms, including the 1977 World Series incident where reporters entered in towels and Lisa Olson's 1990 confrontation with New England Patriots players.[21][20]
- No Limits (July 23, 2013, dir. Alison Ellwood): Follows free diver Audrey Mestre's overcoming of scoliosis through underwater exploration, her relationship with coach Pipin Ferreras, and her fatal 2002 attempt to break the women's freediving record at 171 meters.[21][32]
- The '99ers (July 30, 2013, dir. Erin Leyden): Recounts the 1999 U.S. Women's National Soccer Team's World Cup triumph, including the semifinal penalty shootout victory over China on July 10, 1999, and its role in popularizing women's soccer.[21][33]
- Branded (August 6, 2013, dirs. Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady): Investigates the commercialization of female athletes, highlighting disparities in endorsement deals and the expectation for women to emphasize sex appeal alongside performance.[21][19]
- Runner (August 13, 2013, dir. Shola Lynch): Explores American runner Mary Decker's buildup to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and her collision with Zola Budd in the 3,000-meter final on August 10, 1984, which ended Decker's race.[21][34]
- Silly Little Game (August 20, 2013, dir. Lucy Walker): Traces the brief existence of the women's professional softball league in the 1990s, including its challenges in sustaining fan interest and financial viability.[21]
- Lillian (August 27, 2013, dir. Daniela Issa): Profiles pre-Title IX athlete Lillian Copeland, who won the gold medal in women's discus throw at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics with a throw of 40.58 meters.[21]
