When Paul Rabil began filming behind-the-scenes footage of his efforts to launch a new professional lacrosse league, it was still two years before the idea of ESPN+’s recent documentary, Fate of a Sport, was really even a thing. Rabil, a four-time All-American and two-time national champion at Johns Hopkins from 2005-08, disrupted the world of professional lacrosse with the launch of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) in 2019.
After graduating from Hopkins, Rabil played 11 seasons in Major League Lacrosse (MLL) with the Boston Cannons and New York Lizards, and five seasons in the National Lacrosse League (professional indoor). The conditions in the MLL — lack of medical resources, tents for locker rooms, under-marketing, and low pay — led Rabil to think there had to be a better way to do this.
Fate of a Sport takes us on the journey with Paul and his brother, Michael, as they went through the ups and downs (so many downs) of launching a professional league. Thanks to the savvy choice to start filming in 2017, the viewer gets to see behind the scenes in the early days as the Rabils met with investors, made individual phone calls to players, and tried to set up media deals.
When friend and former teammate Michael Doneger got word of Rabil’s new endeavor, the filmmaker knew it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. Doneger brought on actor Jeffrey Wright (Westworld star and former lacrosse player), interviewed NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and New England Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick and spoke with players like Scotty Rodgers, Myles Jones and Lyle Thompson.
The doc has three distinct sections — the launch of the league, the pandemic season and Rabil’s retirement — as the scope of the film evolved. Initially, it was meant just to cover the launch of the league. Then 2020 happened and things changed. “We thought that was going to be the film: launching the league and having a successful first season. And then a pandemic hit,” Rabil told For The Win. “I heard from Michael [Doneger] … to keep the cameras rolling, and then after the pandemic season, I approached them as we were trying to wrap the film and said, ‘Hey guys, I think this might be my last I’m going to make an announcement.’ They were like, ‘hold on the announcement and keep the cameras rolling.'”
How do you start a professional sports league?
ESPN Films' latest project "Fate of a Sport" follows lacrosse legend @PaulRabil in his fight to change the trajectory of the sport he loves by launching a new professional league, @PremierLacrosse.
Streaming now on @ESPNPlus. pic.twitter.com/Vt7O16o7e2
— ESPN (@espn) August 29, 2022
The documentary shows Rabil at his most vulnerable. They don’t shy away from the pain of getting traded, the sadness of talking about his failed marriage, the anger of losing or the elation of success. We see Rabil rip apart teammates in the locker room after a loss, but also supporting Black players in the wake of George Floyd’s death and the ensuing protests that swept the nation in 2020.
Both Rabil and Doneger credit their preexisting relationship and mutual respect for each other and the game to allow such personal moments shine through. While Rabil said seeing those raw moments was hard for him, he trusted his long-time friend to treat the situation fairly. “I said to him [Paul], ‘Probably you were able to sort of just be a little bit more at ease and not as on edge in terms of, allowing yourself to go to certain places emotionally because you had a close friend who you were somewhat confiding in … behind the camera,'” Doneger explained.
Fate of a Sport shows the fascinating underbelly of creating a league, and the immense challenges that go along with it. It gives you an interesting look at the opinions and feelings from the MLL side of the launch, and Lyle Thompson — arguably the best player in the world — adds so much perspective to the production.
You can catch Fate of a Sport now on ESPN+.
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