FX American sports history It is expected to focus on a new real-life protagonist in its second season after Aaron Hernandez. From the first two episodes of American sports historyAaron Hernandez’s life and NFL career were heading towards a tragic and frightening endpoint that resulted in the former New England Patriot and star tight end receiving a life sentence for the murder of Odin Lloyd. Starting with his emergence as an offensive weapon on Urban Meyer’s legendary but controversial Florida Gators team and receiving the coveted John Mackey Award, American sports history episode 10 finds Hernandez behind bars in a federal prison.
American sports history episode 10 “Who Killed Aaron Hernandez?” chronicles Hernandez’s second murder trial and his death by suicide in 2017. Episode 9 put Hernandez’s ex-fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, in the spotlight as she chooses to defend Hernandez through his arrest and murder conviction. The series also portrays Hernandez’s famous lawyer, Jose Baez, and his defense in the alleged double homicide in 2012 in Boston. At the end of the American Sports Story finale, Hernandez takes his own life in his prison cell just days after being acquitted of two additional counts of murder.
Created by Stuart Zicherman (The Americans), American sports history spanned 10 episodes with new weekly episodes released every Tuesday from September 17 to November 12, 2024. The series is set up as an anthology similar to American horror storywith each season telling a different real-life narrative from the world of professional sports. Although Hernandez remains one of the most fascinating and tragic athletes of all time, with a multifaceted narrative, the series reached a conclusion at the end of American sports history season 1. Several promising subjects with scandalous or tragic true stories would be great for American sports history season 2.
10
Kobe Bryant
5-time NBA champion
Late NBA star Kobe Bryant would be a fantastic subject for American sports history season 2. Bryant was known for his “Mamba mentality,” a tried-and-true state of mind that helped him become one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Bryant’s tragic death in a 2020 helicopter crash with one of his daughters, Giannait marked a devastating end to the impact it had on basketball and its evolution, particularly among female athletes.
Despite Kobe’s legacy, he was initially seen as an odd character in the Lakers locker room, generally reserved and putting in countless hours to improve his game and be the best. The series would chronicle his steadfast approach to becoming a five-time NBA champion and the various sacrifices and obstacles he faced to become an all-time legend.
9
Brittney Griner
WNBA player
WNBA star and three-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner underwent one of the most bizarre experiences of any notable professional athlete in recent memory. In 2021, Griner was arrested and held prisoner in Russia for 10 months for bringing cannabis vapor cartridges into the country. She was finally released in 2022 after the Biden administration orchestrated a deal for her release in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who had been imprisoned in the United States since November 2011.
Griner recently published his perspective on the truly stranger-than-fiction story in his book Returning home written with Michelle Burford. Although the issue has remained in international headlines for nearly a year, the story has a lot of potential through a dramatized format like American sports history to address themes of misogyny, race and dubious politics.
8
Colin Kaepernick
NFL quarterback
Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is another top candidate for American sports history Season 2, especially if the series wants to score additional points against the NFL. Kaepernick famously kneeled during the National Anthem at the start of a 2016 NFL game to protest police brutality and racial inequality. His gesture sparked outrage among the public on both sides of the coin, with some supporting his fair stance, while others disagreed with his choice to bring real issues to a beloved American pastime. He continued to kneel during the National Anthem at the start of games for the rest of the year.
After six seasons in the NFL, no team owner would sign Kaepernickending his career very early. Kaepernick sued the NFL and alleged that the team’s owners conspired to freeze him out of the league for his political beliefs. Kaepernick was the subject of Ava DuVernay’s Netflix series Colin in black and white but American sports history could go even deeper into the story with its 10-episode format.
7
Tiger Forest
Best golfer of all time
Tiger Woods has one of the greatest success stories in all of sports, becoming not only the greatest black golfer in a predominantly white game, but also the greatest golfer who ever lived. The story of Woods’ rise and fall was chronicled in the two-part HBO documentary Tiger and features a sharp focus on the effect that Tiger’s father, Earl Woods, had on him during his childhood, as well as Hernandez and his father.
Woods’ perfect image was ruined in 2009 after it was revealed that he had had multiple infidelities with women despite being married and having children with his wife, Elin Nordegren. Woods was in a suspicious car accident just two days after the allegations first surfaced. American sports history could focus on this tumultuous period in Woods’ life and connect them to two other vehicular incidents, a DUI in 2017 and another car collision in 2021. Woods continues to play golf professionally, but is far from his prime.
6
Dennis Rodman
5-time NBA champion
Dennis Rodman is one of the most controversial athletes in any sport and would be a fascinating subject for American sports history season 2. Netflix’s celebrated docuseries The Last Dance featured several of Rodman’s most outrageous stories and antics and personal interviews with the man himself. American sports history could delve into not only why Rodman is famous on and off the court, but also how he became the person he is. A true outlier and rarity in the NBA, Rodman is full of personality and unpredictabilitywhich makes you naturally attractive. If the creators can find the right casting choice, American Sports History: Dennis Rodman could be a success.
5
Pat Tillman
NFL player and army soldier
Pat Tillman has one of the most tragic stories in all of sports. Tillman played for the Arizona Cardinals from 1998 to 2002, when he decided to leave his professional football career to enlist in the United States Army following the attacks of September 11, 2001. An inspiring story about a true hero took a devastating turn when it was reported what Tillman was killed in action in Afghanistan as a result of friendly fire. The 2010 documentary Tillman’s story tells this story, but the story hasn’t gotten much representation in the modern era of entertainment. If American sports history If he wanted to go in a completely different direction but still start in the NFL, Tillman would be a great guy.
4
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
NASCAR Driver
Dale Earnhardt Jr. had one of the most interesting experiences in professional sports, being part of one of the few father-son duos to exist at the same time in the same sport. Comparable to LeBron James playing with his son Bronny at the start of the 2024 NBA season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. raced against his father in NASCAR. Unfortunately, tragedy struck when Dale Earnhardt Sr. died during a NASCAR race after crashing into a wall and fracturing his skull. While NASCAR isn’t exactly the most popular sport, recent NASCAR-centric films such as Logan Luck have proven that sport can provide an interesting backdrop for compelling stories. Earnhardt Jr. finished second in the race that took his father’s life.
3
Barry Bonds
MLB all-time home run leader
Barry Bonds remains one of the most controversial figures in MLB history, despite being MLB’s all-time home run hitter. It was revealed that Bonds took performance-enhancing drugs during his historic seasons, which caused a national outcry over the legitimacy of his quest to become the all-time home run leader in 2007. To this day, Bonds has not been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame for this reason. However, his home run record of 762 is still honored. He is one of several heavyweights who were caught using steroids, including Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, during the early 2000s. The scandal is documented in the Netflix series Untold: Hall of Shame but it would be fascinating through the serialized format of American Sports Story.
2
Lance Armstrong
disgraced cyclist
Another of the biggest sports cheats of all time is Lance Armstrong, whose Livestrong brand became an international sensation after winning the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005. Armstrong, who overcame testicular cancer, was stripped of all their titles. after it was discovered that he was using banned performance-enhancing drugs. His fall from grace is certainly one of the greatest and most compelling of all sports figures. Once an emblem of inspiration, Armstrong has been reduced to a liar and cheat. THE The Livestrong Foundation has raised over $500 million and Armstrong’s net worth is estimated at $50 million. When it comes to deception in sports, it doesn’t get any bigger than Lance Armstrong.
1
Michel Phelps
Greatest Olympic athlete of all time
Michael Phelps is the greatest Olympic athlete of all time and a beloved figure in the United States. However, his story has not always been clear, as Phelps sparked controversy when it was revealed that he used cannabis during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. While hardly a problem by today’s standards, Phelps received a strong public backlash from supporters who they trusted him to be a role model for children. Phelps also advocates for mental health treatment and was open about his experiences with depression after the Olympics ended. While not necessarily scandalous, a American sports history a second season focused on Michael Phelps could give a louder voice to the pressures of being an inspiration to millions and having the weight of an entire country on your shoulders.