ESPN’s newest 30 for 30: I Hate Christian Laettner

ESPN has typically been scheduling a college basketball 30 for 30 film in the 9 PM timeslot following the announcement of the NCAA Tournament field on Selection Sunday. This is the timeslot that has been home to The Fab Five, Survive and Advance, and Requiem for the Big East. This year, the Selection Sunday timeslot is once again sticking to the college basketball theme with I Hate Christian Laettner. Yes, that’s the title.

The film is directed by Rory Karpf, a 30 for 30 veteran who also directed The Book of Manning and Tim Richmond: To The Limit. It will focus on Laettner and the extreme amount of hatred heaped upon him, featuring interviews with the former Duke star, his teammate, and rivals on the court.

This is going to be an interesting one. The concept seems a little flimsy, at least from a documentary perspective, and doesn’t carry (to me, at least) the same interest as some of the aforementioned Selection Sunday features. Can an entire film really be built around the dislike of one player?

However, we’ve really never gotten a 30 for 30 about a Duke player like Laettner, which seems crazy considering how important the program has been in the college basketball world over the last 20-25 years.

I’m also willing to give ESPN the benefit of the doubt. They’ve put together an incredible run of 30 for 30s this fall, and I can’t immediately think of the last installment in the series that disappointed.

[ESPN]