Seen on Screen: Marvel, ESPN Team Up for Origins; NASCAR Victory Lap Debuts on NBCSN

By Jarrel Harris, Editorial Contributor

Starting Friday July 10, Marvel Entertainment and ESPN Films will offer 1 of 1 – Origins, a series of short films that mix the award-winning non-fiction style of ESPN Films with original Marvel art, design, and creative animation to give viewers a unique look at some of the world’s most successful athletes. All eight films will have a television premiere and will also be released on the ESPN 30 for 30 Facebook page the same day. Directed by Emmy-winning director/producer Eric Drath (30 for 30: “No Mas,” Assault in the Ring), 1 of 1 – Origins contains all-new interviews with top athletes. Each film focuses on a single athlete, who has, like all Marvel Super Heroes, a defining story of the origin of his or her powers in sport. The series kicks off with a film on Colin Kaepernick that will be shown during the July 10 episode of His & Hers telecast from San Diego Comic-Con with Jemele Hill and Michael Smith at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The remaining 1 of 1 – Origins films will air on various ESPN programs, including SportsCenter and coverage of the MLB Home Run Derby and the British Open.

…NBCSN will debut NASCAR Victory Lap, a new weekly one-hour program recapping the biggest moments of each weekend’s Sprint Cup Series and Xfinity Series races on NBC and NBCSN. NASCAR Victory Lap will air Sundays at 11 p.m. ET through the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday Nov. 22. Hosted by Carolyn Manno with analyst and current NASCAR driver Brian Vickers, NASCAR Victory Lap is designed to serve as a destination for NASCAR fans each Sunday night, offering highlights from NBC and NBCSN race coverage, scanner audio from the teams, and post-race interviews and commentary to provide a comprehensive look at the most compelling stories from each race weekend. In addition, the program will offer exclusive interviews with the winner of the Sprint Cup Series race from NBC Sports’ trackside studio. The 60-minute program will feature insight and analysis from NBC Sports Group’s NASCAR broadcast team, including 21-time Sprint Cup-winning driver Jeff Burton, Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte, engaging NASCAR personality Kyle Petty, and three-time Daytona 500 champion and Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett.

…The new Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN (PBC on ESPN) series debuts with a star-studded 12-round welterweight matchup – undefeated Keith “One Time” Thurman (25-0, 21 KOs) vs. Luis Collazo (36-6, 19 KOs) – live on ESPN on Saturday, July 11, at 9 p.m. ET from the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Fla. The opening fight will showcase a 10-round junior middleweight matchup between undefeated Tony Harrison (21-0, 18 KOs) and Willie Nelson (23-2-1, 13 KOs). ESPN Deportes will also televise the fight live as part of its Noche de Combates series and ESPN International will present live coverage across its networks in Latin America, Brazil, the Caribbean and Pacific Rim. Live coverage will also be available through WatchESPN…

…In Revolution Day: The Chase for the Biggest Trick in Action Sports History, BMX and Nitro Circus Live stars James Foster and Jed Mildon square off to see who will be the first person to successfully land a quadruple backflip on a BMX bike, Airing Sunday July 12 at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC, the 90-minute special will chronicle the athletes’ nine-month journey as they individually trained, practiced, and ultimately battled to become the world’s first athlete to complete the landmark trick.

…Comcast SportsNet, the television home of comprehensive coverage of the 2015 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks, will provide viewers with a special programming gift this summer. Beginning Sunday July 12 at 7 p.m. CT, Chicago Blackhawks: A Championship Journey, presented by ChevyDrivesChicago.com and Your Chevy Dealers, will offer a five-day (July 12-16) opportunity for viewers to relive (and DVR) the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup championship run. Included will be complete game replays of every Blackhawks Stanley Cup Playoff victory in the Western Conference Round 1 series vs. Nashville, Round 2 vs. Minnesota, the Western Conference Final vs. Anaheim, and the heart-pounding 2015 Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, which earned the Blackhawks their third Stanley Cup Championship in six years.

…The latest installment of the YES Network’s Emmy-winning Yankeeography: Moments of Glory series, premiering tonight at 11 p.m. ET (immediately after YES’s Yankees postgame coverage), focuses on Bernie Williams’s postseason excellence for the New York Yankees in 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000 — the last four seasons ending in World Series championships. In addition to video highlights of Williams’s postseason performances, tonight’s special offers interviews not only with Williams but also with Yankees teammates Andy Pettitte, David Cone, Paul O’Neill, Scott Brosius, and Joe Girardi, as well as with YES Yankees announcers Michael Kay, Jack Curry, and Ken Singleton. The program offers glimpses into Williams’s calm, relaxed approach to baseball. He focused heavily on visualization and positivity, especially before stepping into the batter’s box. A common observation among the interviewees is that Williams was always able to remain calm at big moments, which often helped him come up clutch for the team.

…World Series of Fighting returns to NBC Saturday July 11 with a new installment in the Unstoppable series. Airing at 4 p.m. ET, WSOF Unstoppable: The Road Ahead showcases the best world-championship action from the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion. NBC Sports Group’s Todd Harris hosts the two-hour program, alongside MMA legends Bas Rutten and Renzo Gracie.