Steve Bartman: ESPN Documentary About Cubs Fan Highlights Moment of Infamy

Tonight ESPN's 30 for 30 series will highlight two infamous moments that turned sports against two figures: Chicago Cubs fan Steve Bartman and former Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner.

The 102-minute documentary, set to air at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, is entitled Catching Hell and follows the plights of Bartman—who was blamed for single-handedly putting an end to the Cubs' World Series hopes in 2003—and Buckner, whose infamous miss on a between-the-legs ground ball cost the Red Sox the 1986 World Series.

The overwhelming backlash Bartman and Buckner received after their mistakes is a prime example of when sports become more than sports, but about life and death to some people.

What made the mistakes by Bartman and Buckner so tragic for Cubs and Red Sox fans was that they hadn't even sniffed a championship for decades, two clubs mired in bad luck and bad talent throughout the years.

Buckner was somewhat forgiven after the Red Sox went on to win two championships, but Bartman's redemption has yet to be seen while the Cubs are trudging through mediocrity and disappointment.

It's a sad story, one that can only be related to by Buckner. The difference is, Buckner was a public figure and an athlete accustomed to the toils of being a professional baseball player in Boston; Bartman was an innocent fan who came to the game to root on his Cubs and tragically made a mistake few diehard Cubs fans will ever allow him to live down.

The stories of Bartman and Buckner are fitting for an overly dramatic documentary that basically writes itself. Simply telling the story, without theatrics or quick cut scenes, is enough. Make no mistake about it, the lives Bartman and Buckner have lived after their miscues have been ripe with drama and turmoil.

If you want to see what happens 'When Sports Attack," watch Catching Hell and hope you never become a victim.

A quick letter of condolence to Bartman and Buckner wouldn't hurt, either.