First Show Features Former NFL Stars Brett Favre, Tiki Barber And Wayne Chrebet, And A Roundtable With Michael Strahan, Marcus Luttrell And Shawn Achor
HBO SPORTS® PRESENTS NEW EDITIONS OF THE INNOVATIVE SERIES STATE OF PLAY, FROM ACCLAIMED FILMMAKER PETER BERG, ON FOUR CONSECUTIVE TUESDAYS STARTING 11/18
HBO Sports and executive producers Peter Berg and Sarah Aubrey team up again for four new editions of the innovative topical series STATE OF PLAY, starting with the show titled HAPPINESS on TUESDAY, NOV. 18 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. Other new editions of STATE OF PLAY debut subsequent Tuesdays – Nov. 25, Dec. 2 and Dec. 9 – at the same time.
Presented by Film 44 and HBO Sports, STATE OF PLAY takes on complex, multi-layered themes in sports, exploring their relationship to larger society. Each edition spotlights a topic or person with undeniable impact on the contemporary sports world, opening with a brief overview, followed by a cinéma vérité documentary and an in-depth roundtable discussion featuring filmmakers, subjects and guest experts, hosted by Berg (HBO’s “The Leftovers”; Emmy® nominee for “Friday Night Lights”).
The first new edition begins with a 35-minute documentary that explores the lives of three former NFL greats, quarterback Brett Favre, running back Tiki Barber and wide receiver Wayne Chrebet, as they transition from leading the lives of American superstars to those of civilians. With the help of experts in the burgeoning science of happiness, the film follows the players’ journeys to find the surprising truths of what made them so happy while in the game and how to find happiness outside of the sport that defined them for so long.
Also interviewed for the film are: former NFL stars Howie Long, Michael Strahan, Ray Guy and Terry Bradshaw; former Bengals and Buccaneers player Damian Vaughn, now a positive psychologist; MihalyCsikszentmihalyi, co-founder of the field of positive psychology; Matthew Lieberman, a neuroscientist at UCLA; Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychologist at UC Riverside; Dawn Phillips, Richard Potin and Stevie Ray of Hattiesburg, Miss.; and Amy Chrebet, wife of WayneChrebet.
Berg then hosts a roundtable discussion with former New York Giants star and pro football hall of famer Strahan, who now enjoys a successful TV career as a morning talk-show host and weekend NFL studio analyst; former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, who received the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for his actions in June 2005 facing Taliban fighters during Operation Red Wings, and whose story was told in the acclaimed 2013 film “Lone Survivor”; and educator and author Shawn Achor, who is a world renowned researcher in the field of Positive Psychology.
STATE OF PLAY: HAPPINESS is presented in partnership with Michael Strahan and Constance Schwartz of SMAC Entertainment and Andrea Blaugrund Nevins and Cristan Reilly of Rare Bird Films; executive producers, Peter Berg and Sarah Aubrey; co-executive producers, Andrea Blaugrund Nevins, Cristan Reilly, Michael Strahan and Contance Schwartz; produced, written and directed by Andrea Blaugrund Nevins; produced by Cristan Reilly, Michael Strahan and Constance Schwartz;a Rare Bird Films and SMAC Entertainment Production;co-executive producers, Matthew Goldberg and Christopher G. Cowen; producers, Gabe Spitzer and Brandon Carroll; director of photography, Geoffrey Franklin; edited by Geoffrey Franklin.
“State Of Play: Trophy Kids,” which debuted in Dec. 2013, earned rave reviews for its penetrating report on the growing obsession many parents have with the scholastic athletic performance of their children. Variety wrote, “Going beyond X’s and O’s and wins and losses, HBO Sports’ ‘State of Play’ brings much-needed reflection and a wider lens to the sports universe — tackling a particular topic in a cinéma vérité-style documentary.”
New York’s Daily News observed, “Director Peter Berg delivers a compelling look at how parents put too much pressure on children’s sports,” while the Washington Times said, “As tough as it is to watch, it should be required viewing for every adult involved in youth sports: parents, coaches, educators, and concerned family and friends.”
The new editions of STATE OF PLAY will also be available on HBO On Demand® and HBO GO®.
