The Undefeated, ESPN’s multiplatform content initiative exploring the intersections of sports, race and culture, will present Tiger Woods: America’s Son on Sunday, November 29 on ESPN and the ESPN App.
What’s Happening:
- The Undefeated, ESPN’s multiplatform content initiative exploring the intersections of sports, race and culture, will present Tiger Woods: America’s Son on Sunday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN App. The one-hour documentary will examine Tiger Woods’ complex racial identity and the meaning of the golfer’s success in America.
- Additionally, the program will explore how Woods’ historic win at The Masters in 1997 – becoming the first African-American golfer to win a major tournament – influenced perceptions of the golfer across racial and ethnic lines. Tiger Woods: America’s Son will also chronicle Woods legacy as a pioneer in a sport where it is historically more difficult for Black Americans to break through.
- Tiger Woods: America’s Son is the latest of several collaborations between The Undefeated and the ESPN Features Unit, the company’s long- and short-form storytelling franchise which has received numerous awards and honors for its work. The project’s producer/director is Lauren Stowell, winner of Sports Emmy Awards for both Outstanding Long Feature and Outstanding Short Documentary, as well as the 2019 National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Salute to Excellence Award for Television Network Documentary.
- Tiger Woods: America’s Son is told through rarely-seen footage from Woods’ early career and life, including archival interviews of a young Tiger Woods and his parents, as well as more than 25 interviews and testimonials from fellow golfers, former Augusta National Golf Club caddies, journalists who covered his career, and more. Interview subjects include:
- Pete McDaniel, former Golf Digest writer and author of Training a Tiger
- Mark O’Meara, Woods friend and mentor
- Butch Harmon, Woods’ longtime coach
- Lee Elder, the first African American to qualify for the Masters
- Michael Fletcher, senior writer, ESPN/The Undefeated;
- Paul Azinger, who was paired with Woods during the 2nd round of the 1997 Masters
- Clarence Page, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist
- The documentary is another project by The Undefeated that continues to extend its brand throughout The Walt Disney Company and beyond. In October, The Undefeated and Hollywood Record jointly released the “I Can’t Breathe/Music for the Movement” EP, highlighting the social injustice protests across America. This summer, The Undefeated also produced Hamilton: In Depth with Kelley Carter, its first special for the Disney+ streaming service.
What They’re Saying:
- Kevin Merida, Senior Vice President and Editor-in-Chief, The Undefeated: “This documentary, directed by the brilliant Lauren Stowell, is an eye-opening portrait of Tiger Woods through the prism of race and identity. Nuanced and contemplative, it explores what it means to be pioneering and Black and have the highest expectations attached to your achievements. We are proud to partner with ESPN’s Features Unit to bring this important story to life.”
- Craig Lazarus, Vice President, Original Content and Features, ESPN: “Throughout this hour we hope that viewers see Tiger Woods in a new light and be challenged to think about what it is that makes him uniquely American. In many ways, Tiger’s story shows us that there is no single experience in America. The Features Unit is once again honored to collaborate with The Undefeated as it continues to expand its brand throughout The Walt Disney Company.”