As Tom Brady fights for a sixth Super Bowl ring to further cement his legacy in the NFL history books, the documentary series he co-executive produced with Michael Strahan and Gotham Chopra is heading into a second season.
“The Religion of Sports” on DirecTV’s Audience Network and AT&T’s U-Verse asks the question: “Do sports really matter?” And for anyone who held their breathe as Brady’s Patriots came back from a 28-3 deficit to win Super Bowl LI, or cried when the Chicago Cubs broke a 108-year losing streak, the answer is definitely “Yes.”
“Sports mark the backdrop to the stories that we tell,” Chopra, who created the series with Brady and Strahan, told TheWrap, adding that Season 2 will venture outside of U.S. borders and away from mainstream American sports to cover soccer in Germany (above), ultra cycling in Colorado, rugby in New Zealand and much more.
“Our philosophy is ‘let me tell you a story about this place in the world that really impacts people,'” he said, stressing that now we need the unifying aspect of sports more than ever.
While screaming, rabid sports fans are the last thing most people connect the son of New Age guru Deepak Chopra to, Gotham says “The Religion of Sports” actually felt like it was inevitable for his life.
“It wasn’t like a light bulb went off in my head one day … I’ve always been a passionate sports fan,” said Chopra Jr., who was born in Boston, Massachusetts. “It was part of my cultural assimilation to New England, but I also grew up exposed to the world of spiritually and religion through my father,” so the series is a natural blending of the two.
“My father and the world I grew up in has had a profound impact on me, I see everything as a spiritual experience,” the 42-year-old filmmaker said, such as being part of the Red Sox nation in 2004 when they won their first World Series in 86 years. “I saw that through a lens of a spiritual experience.”
Just as people turn to the church during troubled times, fans turn to sports during political and social unrest, Chopra told TheWrap.
“Sports isn’t just like religion, I really believe that it is a religion,” Chopra explained. “If you look across at the congregation (meaning fans in a stadium) you will see people of every race, socio-economic class … you are all bonded by this experience.
“You have so much division in so many different places, but we’re brought together by sports. It is the thing that brings out a sense of community in troubled times — and now we’re in very troubled times right now,” he added.
“Everything that exists in religion also exist in sports. It is a pilgrimage. In religion, you need to buy into it and have faith,” he explained, which can be contrasted in the sports world with historic events like the Patriots’ “miracle” comeback in Houston on Feb. 5.
Once again, Chopra is collaborating with the the demigod who brought that miracle to life, 40-year-old MVP Brady.
The filmmaker knew the quarterback casually through mutual friends when Tom and his wife Gisele owned a house in Los Angeles, and when he showed him a sizzle reel of his idea for “Religion of Sports,” Brady got it immediately. “He knew what it was like to grow up in the epicenter of one of these obsessions as a kid near San Francisco worshiping Joe Montana.”
As for Strahan, who played in another historic Super Bowl (XLII in 2008) when New York Giants wide receiver David Tyree ruined Brady’s near-perfect season with his reality-defying helmet catch.
“There’s not a single day when Michael doesn’t remind Tom of that,” Chopra laughs about the former rivals.
Having retired from the NFL in 2007, Strahan has more time to get actively involved in the show and story selection, Chopra said. “Tom is a lot busier and it is more of an alien world to him, so I send him smaller clips or ask his advice — I don’t rely on him to review cuts but he always comes with a unique viewpoint.”
As for athletes such as Colin Kaepernick and most recently, Michael Bennett, sharing their own political views, Chopra agrees with it “if they are informed and have a genuine and informed point of view … I think they should be engaged.”
“The Religion of Sports” is far from dominated by the big four — NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL — and instead the producers find less mainstream sports more inspiring.
“I would love to do more on Premier League soccer as it is the biggest sport in the world for a reason,”Chopra said. “And having grown up in India, I am fascinated with the cricket rivalry between India and Pakistan. The stakes in a test match are so much bigger than any event in the world.”
The first episode of Season 2 is set to screen at the inaugural Tribeca TV Festival in New York City this Friday, followed by a Q&A with Strahan and Chopra.
The episode takes you to St. Pauli — a super liberal district of Hamburg, Germany — which has recently received over 400,000 refugees. At the heart of the city is FC St. Pauli, a soccer team who like their very loyal fans, have embraced social responsibility to their city and to their members. FC St. Pauli sponsor an amateur football team of refugees named FC Lampedusa. They provide the refugees with a home, a place to join society, and a sense of belonging.
“Religion of Sports” will premiere Season 2 this fall on AT&T AUDIENCE Network available on DIRECTV, AT&T U-verse and streaming on DIRECTV NOW.
It is produced by Dirty Robber Productions, with Christopher Long, Bart Peters, Constance Schwartz, Martin Desmond Roe and Chris Uettwiller serving as executive producers.
16 Biggest Sports Tear-Jerkers of 2016, From the Chicago Cubs to Muhammad Ali (Photos)
Chicago Cubs fans cried with happiness – and Cleveland Indian fans from broken hearts – when the team broke a 108-year drought and the curse of a smelly goat to win the World Series Game 7 victory that will go down in baseball history. Amid the celebrations, diehard Cubs fan Bill Murray cried, chugged champagne ... and drunkenly interviewed Cubs general manager Theo Epstein in the locker room.
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The world appeared to stop to honor "The Greatest" when Muhammad Ali died on June 3 at age 74. President Obama, former President Bill Clinton, Billy Crystal and Bryant Gumbel were among those who paid tribute to the boxing legend in a star-filled funeral held in his home city of Louisville, Kentucky, as thousands of mourners filled the streets.
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New England Patriots fans sobbed -- and the rest of the NFL cheered -- when Tom Brady threw in the towel in his fight against the Deflategate suspension. The QB sat out four games ... and then went on to lead his team to the clinch the AFC East for the eighth consecutive year. Who's crying now, Roger Goodell?
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The Rams' return to L.A. sparked tears of joy from patience football-starved fans ... until they actually saw them play. Jubilation quickly turned to frustration as first round draft pick Jared Goff spent most of the season sat on the bench and head coach Jeff Fisher was fired after a a devastating 42-14 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Oh well, there's always next season -- or the one after that.
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The wasn't a dry eye in the house when legendary announcer Vin Scully called his last L.A. Dodgers game in September. And after 67 years, Scully couldn't hold back the emotion pouring from the press box at Chavez Ravine. “There is no more important broadcaster in the history of baseball than Vin Scully,” filmmaker Ken Burns told TheWrap at the time.
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Ryan Lochte prompted tears of shame from the IOC and America as a nation when he confessed to making up a story about being robbed at gunpoint with fellow Olympic swimmers during the Rio Summer Games. The gold medal-winner was banned from the sport for 10 months ... and went on to compete on Season 23 of "Dancing With the Stars."
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If tears could be rainbow-colored, then they would epitomize the reaction to "NBA on TNT" reporter Craig Sager's death from leukemia on Dec. 15 at age 65. The beloved sportscaster melted even the coldest of hearts (we're looking at you, Coach Popovich) with his lively courtside banter and bright suits.
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Talk about going out on top. Some thought Peyton Manning should have hung his helmet up a few neck surgeries ago -- not the Papa John's pitchman himself. No. 18 returned for one more run, and with a great defense, lead the Denver Broncos to the promised land. Cut the water works.
Bill Simmons' fans have had a rocky few years, and 2016 was no exception. This year, the Sports Guy got himself a new website and even a weekly talk show on HBO. Great, right? Well, Simmons barely writes for The Ringer and his "Any Given Wednesday" was canceled after just four months. Maybe ESPN is hiring?
The knee that shook the world. Colin Kaepernick wasn't even the starting San Francisco 49ers QB when he began one of the most infamous sporting events protests in history. Kaepernick decided early this season he'd no longer stand for the national anthem when played before NFL games. Cut to: a nation (even more) divided.
The Internet didn't shed many tears over Skip Bayless jumping ship from ESPN's "First Take" for the much smaller Fox Sports 1, though surely someone was sad to see the polarizing personality bid Bristol adieu, right? Executives? The Bayless clan? Anyone? Alright, give us a break, it was a big move and indicative of a troubling trend over at the Worldwide Leaders in Sports.
Look, Cleveland, you didn't get the World Series Trophy this year, but you did come away with an NBA Championship. That's a pretty good silver (actually, it's gold) lining. When prodigal son LeBron James made good on his guarantee this June, it wasn't just sweat pouring down people's faces.
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While no hearts were broken except Curt Schilling's when the controversial MLB analyst and former World Series pitcher was booted from ESPN's airwaves in April. One thing is for sure though, there were plenty of tears of rage over his offensive racist and anti-transgender tweets that led to his firing.
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Kobe Bryant brought Los Angeles to tears by announcing his retirement -- some were of joy, others of sorrow. Bryant is a legend out here, but he also has pretty much set the Lakers back half-a-decade simply by sticking around. Kobe's final game was a tear-jerker for the right reasons, when he poured in 60 points on 50 shot attempts.
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This holiday season, raise a glass of half-iced tea and half-lemonade to a legend. Arnold Palmer was so much more than a delicious summer drink, he was the man who most placed professional golf on the map in the U.S. Palmer was handsome, charming and most of all, talented. He will be missed.
After breaking ground for women's basketball and winning eight championships with her University of Tennessee Lady Vols, coach Pat Summitt lost her battle with early onset dementia Alzheimer’s in June at age 64. Both male and female athletes weeped at the loss of a sporting pioneer.
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From the deaths of sporting legends to the end of championship droughts, there was plenty for fans to cry about this year
Chicago Cubs fans cried with happiness – and Cleveland Indian fans from broken hearts – when the team broke a 108-year drought and the curse of a smelly goat to win the World Series Game 7 victory that will go down in baseball history. Amid the celebrations, diehard Cubs fan Bill Murray cried, chugged champagne ... and drunkenly interviewed Cubs general manager Theo Epstein in the locker room.