After the 2011 World Cup, Alex Morgan and Hope Solo were, from a public relations stand point, equals. After the 2015 World Cup, they couldn’t be more opposite. Disney XD will premiere their new documentary “Becoming: Alex Morgan,” a week from Sunday.
It’s Disney, so of courser, it’s an aspirational story, profiling the young American soccer superstar and Olympic gold medalist.
Obviously, Disney cannot make an episode about Solo. ESPN the magazine tried to spin her story into something palatable right before the World Cup, and you saw how poorly that turned out.
Featuring never-before-seen footage of Alex Morgan as a young girl and aspiring superstar, the episode spotlights her commitment to her sport, the obstacles she overcame and the career-defining moments. You know how truly committed to the game she is, she let the public know just how inferior the team hotels can be in the National Women’s Soccer League.
The documentary series “Becoming” was produced by the same people who did ESPN Films “30 for 30” series. It’s also executive-produced by LeBron James and his SpringHill Entertainment group. Lebron was the subject of the first episode. We’ve seen King James’ acting chops in that over-publicized Amy Schumer movie this summer. He’s displaying his producing chops here.
No shortage of future career plans for James once he’s done playing basketball.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is part of the FOX Sports Engage Network. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous talk radio stations all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 the Zone.
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