Nine for IX

S01E05: Swoopes

Sheryl Swoopes has famously been labeled the female Michael Jordan. Actually, she's far more interesting. On the court, she was nearly as dominant as Jordan, winning a national championship with Texas Tech, three Olympic gold medals, three MVP awards and four consecutive championships with the Houston Comets of the WNBA, the league she helped start. She even had a Nike shoe named after her, the Air Swoopes. Off the court, she gave birth to her son, Jordan, in the middle of her first WNBA championship season. Later, she divorced her high school sweetheart and became the highest-profile athlete in her sport to declare she was gay. She has struggled with love, family, money and lack of recognition, but she has never lost her spirit. In this portrait, you will meet someone who is not your everyday superstar, a woman who has defied a multitude of labels, including old-- in August 2011, Swoopes, at 40, hit a buzzer-beater to end the Tulsa Shock's 20-game losing streak.

Overview

Nine for IX is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Title IX. The documentaries are being produced by ESPN Films in conjunction with espnW, and are intended to have the same creative, story-driven aspect that ESPN Films' other series, 30 for 30, has, with the series focusing on captivating stories of women in sports told through the lens of female filmmakers. The first film, Venus Vs., premiered on July 2, 2013.

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Episodes

Venus vs.

S01E01 Venus vs.

July 2, 2013 7.0 51 min
Venus vs. is the first episode of the 2013 documentary TV series Nine for IX.
Let Them Wear Towels

S01E03 Let Them Wear Towels

July 16, 2013 51 min
Lisa Olson was just trying to do her job as a reporter for the Boston Herald in 1990 when a group of New England Patriot players sexually harassed her in their locker room. Her lawsuit...
No Limits

S01E04 No Limits

July 23, 2013 51 min
Suffering from scoliosis as a teenager, Audrey Mestre found freedom in the ocean. Years later, she discovered another reason to love the water: the elusive, often raucous free diver Pipin Ferreras. As Mestre follows Ferreras's...
Swoopes

S01E05 Swoopes

July 30, 2013 51 min
Sheryl Swoopes has famously been labeled the female Michael Jordan. Actually, she's far more interesting. On the court, she was nearly as dominant as Jordan, winning a national championship with Texas Tech, three Olympic gold...
The Diplomat

S01E06 The Diplomat

August 6, 2013 51 min
At the height of the Cold War, Katarina Witt became one of East Germany's most famous athletes. Trained in an ice rink that gave rise to socialist heroes, Witt dominated her field by winning six...

S01E07 Runner

August 13, 2013 51 min
Mary Decker obliterated opponents and records with blazing speed and a starving hunger to win. She dominated her sport, holding US records in every distance from 800 to 10,000 meters, and she did it all...
The '99ers

S01E08 The '99ers

August 20, 2013 51 min
The world of women's sports was kicked upside down on July 10, 1999. Before a sold-out crowd of more than 90,000 at the Rose Bowl and an estimated 40 million Americans watching on television, the...
Branded

S01E09 Branded

August 27, 2013 51 min
Sports is supposed to be the ultimate level playing field, but in the media and on Madison Avenue, sometimes looks matter more than accomplishments. This film explores the double standard placed on female athletes to...

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