Deion Sanders 30 For 30 Premiering on January 31st
ESPN is releasing a 30 for 30 on January 31st at 9pm which details Deion Sanders bid to play two professional sports in one day.
Deion Sanders would have been famous if he only played football; he was an electric player that brought excitement to five different NFL teams (including the Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens), scoring touchdowns six different ways in a career that spanned three decades. But Deion is Deion and he had to be extra, as the kids say these days. He rapped on the side, danced everywhere he went, and most notably, had an MLB career that most ballplayers could only dream of.
Like his NFL career, his MLB tenure also lasted three decades. He played with five different franchises, led the league in triples one year despite playing less than 100 games, and recorded a ridiculous .533 batting average (8-for-15) in the 1992 World Series as a member of the Atlanta Braves.
Right before his World Series appearance, Sanders attempted a feat that is now going to be documented by ESPN in a 30 for 30. The film, titled Deion’s Double Play, tells the story of Deion’s attempt to play MLB and NFL games in the same day.
“And there was no instance that encapsulated his abilities, and his conviction in how limitless they were, more spectacularly than a whirlwind 24 hours in October of 1992 – when Sanders sandwiched a pro football game around a pair of postseason baseball games, in two different cities a thousand miles apart. Now, in the upcoming 30 for 30 film Deion’s Double Play, NFL Films and director Ken Rodgers along with SMAC Entertainment tells the story of an incredible feat of athleticism – and logistics – starting in Pittsburgh, where Sanders was with the Braves for the National League Championship Series, continuing to Miami, when he played for the Falcons the next day, and returning back to Pittsburgh, where he joined the Braves again that night. It was a race against time, and a stunt in the minds of some. But beneath all the controversy, audacity, and brio, it was also an incredible athlete trying to reconcile a love for two sports at once.”
The film, which is set to premiere on January 31st at 9pm on ESPN, is directed by Erik Powers and Ken Rodgers.
Our next 30 for 30 will star @DeionSanders
"Deion's Double Play" premieres January 31st on @espn pic.twitter.com/HTwTWNQKMP
— 30 for 30 (@30for30) December 12, 2018
Deion played one season with the Redskins (2000) despite signing a long-term deal. He retired until 2004 when he returned to play with the Ravens. With the Ravens as a 37-year old in 2004, he picked off Drew Bledsoe and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown, his first score since 1999. After 2004, he played one more season with Baltimore before officially hanging up his cleats.
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Featured Image: Jim Accordino [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
