'I Hate Christian Laettner' 30 for 30: TV Schedule, Preview for ESPN Documentary

ESPN's brilliant 30 for 30 series continues its examination of the sports world and all that revolves around it on Sunday with a new installment simply titled I Hate Christian Laettner.

The documentary—directed by Rory Karpf and produced and narrated by Rob Lowe—examines the passion, jealousy and torment that can lead to scores of people expressing vitriol toward a Duke basketball forward who after an excellent college career averaged just 12.8 points per game in the NBA.

Apparently, the emotions haven't yet subsided even though he last suited up for the Blue Devils 23 years ago and hasn't even played in an NBA game in 10.

Sports cut deep.

Here is a quick look at the upcoming showings for the documentary. It's a fitting debut for the documentary, as the excitement and disappointment that swirl around the NCAA tournament's Selection Sunday will have everyone talking about the Big Dance, an event Laettner grew quite familiar with during his time at Duke.

Date	Time (ET)	TV
Sunday, March 15	9 p.m.	ESPN
Sunday, March 15	11:30 p.m.	ESPN2
Monday, March 16	12:30 a.m.	ESPN2

Live Stream

The film can be seen at WatchESPN on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET and 11 p.m. ET.

Perhaps some are envious of Laettner. The man played in four straight NCAA Final Fours, winning the championship twice (1991 and 1992). 

"There are very few players in the history of the game who can match his college career,” said ESPN's Jay Bilas, an assistant coach with Duke during Laettner's tenure there, per Benjamin Hoffman of The New York Times. “You’re talking Walton, Alcindor, Elvin Hayes. He had one of the greatest college careers in the history of the game.”

Tar Heels fans were never going to like Laettner due to his Durham affiliation, so they're a non-starter. Kentucky fans, coaches, players, etc. certainly won't forgive Laettner for his epic turnaround buzzer-beater off a three-quarter-court lob from Grant Hill that broke the Wildcats' hearts and sent Duke to the 1992 NCAA tournament championship game.

Laettner recently re-enacted the legendary shot for SportsCenter:

It's probably a good thing ESPN didn't try to recreate Laettner's altercation with Aminu Timberlake from earlier in that game.

There's more to Laettner's success. He was a member of arguably the greatest collection of basketball talent ever slapped together, the USA Dream Team squad that won the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona—surely you've heard of them.

Despite never quite reaching the same level of success as a pro—one All-Star appearance, no championships—Laettner enjoyed a lengthy 13-year NBA career, achieving just on longevity alone more than the vast majority of basketball players who make it to the professional ranks.

Of course, some people may just be too young to get what all the fuss is about even when it's reintroduced to pop culture.

Laettner is apparently quite comfortable with his spot in basketball lore and has seen and enjoyed the film.

"The first time I liked it; there was nothing in it that hurt me or caused me concern," he said, per Newsday's Neil Best. "But the second time, I liked it a lot better, sitting there with my children and some teammates, having a lot of proud-feeling moments."

According to early reviews, it isn't just a procession of talking heads denouncing the former college great. NPR.org's Linda Holmes gave her take on the point the film is trying to make:

"

What it is, in fact, is an argument that he was an arrogant jerk who gave people plenty of reasons to hate his guts who was simultaneously being targeted by a voracious and vicious sports culture that encourages people to reduce opponents to something both less and more than they are. And while not all haters are jealous and not all jealous people are haters, if you don't want to be despised, going to four consecutive Final Fours doesn't help. In other words, this was a perfect storm of what came from him and what came from a lot more than just him.

"

This should make for an interesting film. Laettner was a phenomenon of sorts in college basketball; so was, and is, Duke University. While it's easy to maintain rage and spew vitriol to a hated rival program in college roundball, Variety.com's Brian Lowry notes one of the more interesting points made in the film and how it pertains to the current one-and-done era:

"

Still, the key observation belongs to the otherwise-overused Andy Bagwell, author of the book “Duke Sucks,” a tome devoted to the blowback elicited by Krzyzewski’s ridiculously successful Blue Devils.

In terms of college players becoming that sort of target today, Bagwell says, “No one’s going to ever top Laettner, because people don’t stay in school long enough now.”

"

If you like Laettner, this documentary will likely reinforce those feelings. If you hate him, the film will probably stoke the embers.

Perhaps, if you don't already have feelings one way or the other toward Laettner, you may grow to appreciate him as the avatar for a bygone era of college hoops. It certainly sounds like a few people may end up liking the 45-year-old family man a bit more after Sunday night, or at least gain a greater understanding as to why villains—whether real or imagined—are so seemingly necessary to the world of sports.