Once Upon A Game: True Sports Bedtime Stories

Tonight's story is about a baseball game played 25 years ago, but it ended up being about much more than who won or lost.

The game was played in late October 2001, just weeks after the United States had been shaken by the attacks of September 11. New York City was still grieving. Families were still searching for ways to move forward, and many people were still trying to understand how life could ever feel normal again.

 In the weeks after September 11, New Yorkers had shown remarkable unity, resilience, and determination. They had faced unimaginable sadness, yet they c...

Every basketball player dreams of playing in the NBA Finals.

It’s the last series of the season. The brightest lights. The loudest crowds. The time when the pressure is most intense, and the place where legends are born.

For some, this pressure is too much. They get stressed or nervous and play poorly, knowing their teammates and fans are depending on them.

But for others, these pressure-packed moments bring out their very best. You are calm. You are confident. You play your very best.

Being able to do this in a...

Right now the US Open tennis tournament is being played in New York City. Known as a major championship, it is one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world. 

There are four total major championships: The Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, the US Open. Together they are known as the Grand Slam Tournaments. 

Year after year tennis pros travel to these events. Each played in a different country at a different time of year. 

 Their skills are tested on different types of courts against the best players in the world.  

winni...

There are baseball players who can hit.

There are baseball players who can pitch.

And then there is Shohei Ohtani.

Part 2 of our two part story tells the story of Shohei and his Samurai Japan teammates as they advance through the knockout round of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, eventually to a championship game when the entire baseball world seemed to stop and watch.

The game would come down to the final at bat. 

Where one pitcher and one hitter who were professional teammates t...

There are baseball players who can hit.

There are baseball players who can pitch.

And then there is Shohei Ohtani.

For more than a 100 years, young baseball players had been told that if they wanted to become truly great they would need to choose a path. A player could become a great pitcher, or a great hitter. But they could not do both. 

But Ohtani never seemed interested in choosing.

He believed he could do both.

And his journey would take him from a small t...

A football team has 53 players. Each player has to master unique sets of skills depending on their position: Throwing, running, blocking, catching, tackling. 

Players move up and down the field showing these skills over and over again. 

But perhaps the most unique skill on this 53 man team is the kicker.

He may only step on the field for a few seconds each game. Yet it is often in the game's tensest moments. 

And each time the kicker is expected to be perfect. 

All eyes are on him as he trie...

Every fairy tale has a hero.

But the greatest heroes rarely begin their journeys as favorites.

Sometimes they're overlooked… Sometimes they're underestimated…And sometimes, just when their dream seems to be slipping away… A new door opens.

This is one of those stories. It is a story about a football quarterback, and a proud city that united to lift each other up to heights that neither could hardly imagine. 

Its the story of the New Orleans Saints and quarterback Drew Brees, tonight on Once Upon A Game. 

Send us...

Tonight you will hear about the greatest swimmer ever and his mission to do something no swimmer had done before. 

Every four years, the greatest athletes in the world gather for one incredible competition.

The Olympic Games.

For more than one hundred years, runners have raced, gymnasts have flipped, swimmers have splashed, and athletes from every corner of the globe have come together with the same hope:  

To win a gold medal.

Just winning one gold would be a dream come true for most athletes. 

But in the...

When your team is down it can be easy to lose hope. As a player or a fan sometimes you may feel victory is too far out of reach. But it is important to always remember to believe.  

Tonight we will hear the story of a baseball team and a city that refused to give up against their biggest rivals. With hard work, speed, and strength they began to overcome 86 years of history that had felt like a nightmarish curse for their fans. 

This is the story of Game 4 of th...