The recent college basketball season breathed new life into women’s basketball, thanks in part to a standout group of players. Leading this elite company is none other than Caitlin Clark, who is set to take center stage in the WNBA. Adding another feather to her crown, the former Hawkeye is now poised to shine alongside two of her contemporaries in the new Patrick Mahomes’ Quarterback-style docuseries produced by Peyton Manning.
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Omaha Production, in collaboration with ESPN+, is producing a series called “Full Court Press,” which focuses on three aspiring WNBA athletes, their exploits, their lives beyond the court, and other behind-the-scenes stories. Peyton Manning, during his recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, shared the concept of capturing an intriguing show like this.
The five-time MVP stated he got the idea to create Full Court Press because of the success of Netflix’s ‘Quarterback’ series, featuring Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, and Marcus Mariotta. Peyton, who was involved in that mini-series, realized that women’s basketball popularity is at its zenith and pitched the idea to Caitlin, who enthusiastically embraced it.
“We did the ‘Quarterback’ show with Mahomes, Cousins, and Marcus and we said hey, women’s college basketball is about to hit a new peak. Obviously, Caitlin Clark is where it all started,” Manning said.
However, like the Quarterback series, they felt that a story involving multiple athletes makes for a better viewing experience, and Caitlin herself wanted more athletes to be involved. Hence, they approached South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso and UCLA’s Kiki Rice—three different players, each with a unique life story and experience of playing in different programs.
“(Caitlin Clark) was on board and we found these things are better when you have multiple players,” Peyton expressed. “So we got Kamilla Cardoso, and Kiki Rice. It’s three different players, schools, backgrounds, and stories. It’s just been fascinating going behind the scenes to see what these women go through, the sacrifices they make, hard work they put in to achieve their goals. We got unprecedented access and I think people are going to enjoy it.”
That said, fans can go watch the first two episodes today and there are multiple avenues for them to get access to this great content.
How and Where to Watch Peyton Manning’s Full Court Press
As per ESPN, the four-episode series premieres on ABC on the 11th of May (Saturday) at 1 p.m. ET. Viewers will get to watch the first two episodes on that same day, however, the third and fourth episodes will air on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET. For those without access to ABC, a subscription to ESPN+ will offer an alternative option to watch the show.
While Peyton Manning and his Omaha Productions have produced the series, Kristen Lappas has played her part in directing it. The series captures Clark, Cardoso, and Rice’s college journey.
Clark, drafted 1st overall by Indiana Fever, might get to make her official debut on the 15th of May when Fever takes on Connecticut Sun. However, fans have to wait four to six weeks to watch Cardoso in action, as she is still sidelined with a shoulder injury.
We have already seen the rising interest in women’s basketball at the college level due to Clark, Reese, Cardoso, and numerous other stars. Now that most of these aspiring athletes have transitioned to the WNBA, we might get to witness a jump in the viewership of the league that is still supported by the NBA.
That’s why series like Full Court Press seem like a great initiative for the popularity of women’s basketball. More viewership means more money for the struggling league and more girls turning to basketball as a career choice.
