Run With Me
SportsCenter (Sunday, 10 a.m., ET ESPN)
https://youtu.be/AAQklgVw7qg
Eleven-year old Matt Woodrum of Worthington, Ohio doesn’t let the physical limitations of cerebral palsy define him. When his elementary school announced a field day last spring, Woodrum entered the day’s longest race: the 400-meter dash. Since the left side of his body is partially impaired, running can be very painful, with every stride taking a physical toll. Yet Woodrum fought to keep racing, and moved his fifth-grade classmates to rally behind him. Woodrum shows how one courageous run, video of which received nearly 1.4 million hits on YouTube, became a memorable display of sportsmanship and inspiration.
“I’m not mad that I’m handicapped. Like, it doesn’t make me frustrated at all. I don’t know — maybe I just accepted that. So, I try to do what I would have done if I wasn’t handicapped.” — Matt Woodrum, on how cerebral palsy has altered his life
“He’s a tough kid. He’s tough. And his classmates consider him a tough kid. So, I’m not surprised by his picking to run the hardest race. I’m inspired by that.” — John Blaine, Physical Education teacher on Woodrum entering the 400-meter dash
Gregory and Jason Halman and the Descent into Death
ESPN.com
In this Outside the Lines report, Wright Thompson pens:
“Seventeen days before he killed his brother, Jason Halman drove him to a hotel near the Amsterdam train station. There’d been tension the past few days. Gergory Halman wanted Jason as his plus-one for the kickoff dinner of the European Big League Tour. They shared an apartment in Rotterdam, talked every day even when Gregory was in the States playing for the Seattle Mariners. They went everywhere together, even to this event a year earlier. Except, for the first time in their lives, Jason said no. Big league stars would be inside the hotel, men like Prince Fielder, Giancarlo Stanton and Adam Jones. They’d all look at him and think he was a failure.”
Calvin Johnson is Magic on Sundays
ESPN The Magazine (on newstands Friday)
ESPN The Magazine talks with Calvin Johnson about the upcoming 2012 season and being the bad guy. Elizabeth Merrill reports.
| Football at a Crossroads Multi-Platform Series Starts Friday | |
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ESPN will present a week-long, cross-platform series, Football at a Crossroads starting Friday, Aug. 24. ESPN’s Outside the Lines and SportsCenter, ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine (on newsstands Friday) will examine health issues surrounding football at all levels of the sport, from youth football, high school and college football, through semi-pro and professional football. For details, visit the full release here. |
| His Fathers Footsteps Outside the Lines (Sunday, 9 a.m. ESPN) SportsCenter (Sunday, 10 a.m. ESPN) |
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 Al Toon had the makings of a promising NFL career. Drafted 10th overall by the New York Jets, six spots ahead of Jerry Rice, Toon became a prolific pass catcher. But after suffering multiple concussions, his career came to an end after eight seasons. Now, Toon’s son Nick is embarking on his own NFL career as a rookie with the New Orleans Saints. Mark Schwarz spent time with one of the latest multi-generational NFL families. |
E:60 Returns Tuesday, August 28
ESPN’s award-winning news magazine, E:60, makes its Fall 2012 Season Premiere Tuesday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. ET with an episode that showcases features on “Megatron” (Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson); Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning of the New York Giants; Rutgers’ Jamil Pollard, who had originally committed to Penn State; and U.S. Women’s soccer goalkeeper and two-time Olympic gold medalist Hope Solo. For details, visit the full release here.