For years, the NFL has jokingly mocked the conspiracy theories its drama is written on.
Now, the league has hired some of the best writers in the entertainment industry to do just that.
The NFL is going Hollywood, looking to expand its audience with theatrical films and its first scripted broadcast series. It's not just about using the names and logos of real NFL teams, but about diving headfirst into storytelling about the league in the form of upcoming movies (one about John Madden, another a Christmas Day release about an unlikely New York Giants hero) and “The Land,” a dramatic Hulu series centered on fictional characters and the Cleveland Browns starring Christopher Meloni, Mandy Moore and William H. Macy.
It's the next step in the partnership between the NFL and Skydance Sports, the formation of a premier content studio aimed at creating must-see storytelling and engaging everyone from hardcore football fans to people who otherwise would have no real interest in the game.
The NFL has long maintained that it is the biggest reality show in the world and the numbers back it up. According to Sportico, NFL games accounted for 84 of the top 100 most-watched television programs last year. And the year before, it was 93 out of 100.
“When you have an audience as large as the NFL, there are a lot of different demographics to serve and engage even more deeply,” said Jason Reed, who runs Skydance Sports. “Those movies serve as fan service. They serve the cities, they serve the fans of those franchises, and they really connect. What they also do is capture this other group of people who maybe wouldn't watch a football game.”
Pulling back the curtain on the league is a challenge. The NFL isn't likely to approve unflattering content, at least not much, but the goal is to make the stories as realistic as possible. How will the writers handle topics like concussions, drug use, or domestic violence? This was addressed in a presentation at last month's owners meetings by JW Johnson of the Haslam Sports Group, who oversees the Browns' business strategy.
“We don't want this to be, no offense to our friends at ESPN, a 'gamers' situation,” Johnson said, referring to the popular but short-lived series about the Cougars, a fictional football team, which explored mature themes and was canceled after one season due to pressure from the NFL. “We want this to be a really fan-friendly show that also has the authenticity of what happens in the locker room and on the field. We feel very comfortable with that.”
David Corenswet as “John Tuggle” and Isabel May as “Katie” in Mr. Irrelevant: The John Tuggle Story,” from Paramount Pictures.
(Sarah Enticknap/Paramount Pictures)
Dan Fogelman, creator of “This is Us” and a lifelong football fan, had long envisioned writing a drama series based on his favorite sport. That led to “The Land,” which began production last fall and has no official release date.
“We're not making this stuff up out of thin air,” said Fogelman, who also created the Hulu series “Paradise,” a post-apocalyptic political thriller. “Characters are flawed and do bad things, but the NFL has been great at that. I was concerned at the top, and it just hasn't been a problem because we're not out there looking to be lewd. We're not trying to do over-the-top, crazy, headline-grabbed versions of reality. We want things that really happen, done accurately and cinematically.”
To that end, he hired real NFL players as consultants to help with the stories and make sure the details made sense.
“We had a group of NFL players come visit us in our little office, and we're on the second floor,” he said. “Some of my heroes were in that room. I was really worried the floor was going to fall.”
Enter NFL Films, which for more than six decades has turned a violent sport into an art form, filling the frame with meticulous focus in a Matthew Stafford spiral, and without the benefit of a second take. Those camera operators are heavily involved in the production of both upcoming movies and streaming series.
“That's our whole deal,” Reed said. “How do we support great filmmakers and make sure they know how to access the resources and expertise that NFL Films has developed over 60 years and combine them? That, to me, is the secret sauce of the company.”
What's more, what the father-son combination of Ed and Steve Sabol created at NFL Films provides an incredible library for future projects.
“The pool is endless,” said Jessica Boddy, vice president of business operations and business affairs for NFL Films. “We've only scratched the surface.”
For Fogelman, “The Land” scratches a creative itch he has felt since childhood.
“I've wanted to do this show for 20 years,” he said. “I'm a failed athlete, too. My connection to my dad growing up (he worked a lot) was that I grew up in Pittsburgh as a Steelers fan and also immigrated to New Jersey, where we became Giants fans. My dad let me watch games with him if I was quiet and didn't act stupid. We also threw the ball back and forth.
“Now, many decades later, my father is 83 years old and our connection is that we talk every Monday after Giants games. He now talks to my son and me. For me, football has been a fundamental part of my life and my relationship with my friends. This has been something I have been pursuing for a long time.”
