The Hollywood Reporter and Morning Consult surveyed 2200 people about ESPN’s The Last Dance. The poll was conducted last week. At that time, a majority of the respondents said they had not seen an episode of The Last Dance yet, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have opinions.
One question they were asked was what or who should be the subject of a future multi-part documentary. When it came to individuals, the respondents were interested in going further back in sports history than just the 1990s.
The leading vote getter was Muhammed Ali, with 49% saying they were very or somewhat interested in watching a docu-series about the former heavyweight champ. Baseball legend Babe Ruth was close behind with 48% indicating interest. Kobe Bryant also had a strong showing with 45% indicating interest.
As for following the model laid out by The Last Dance, Kobe and Shaq’s Los Angeles Laker teams of the early 2000s were the most popular option for a docu-series about dynastic teams. The “Showtime” Lakers and the Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s were also popular choices.
Some bad news for ESPN is interest for a multi-part documentary about Tom Brady is not particularly high. Only 32% of respondents indicated any level of interest, landing the quarterback at the center of the Patriots’ dynasty squarely in the middle of the pack.
Just last week ESPN announced that it had reached a deal with Brady to produce a nine-part documentary about his life and career. The series will be called Tom Brady: Man in the Arena. It is set to air next year.
