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On Chicago’s violent South Side, growing up is not a guarantee. Young men are routinely killed by gun violence or incarcerated after committing crimes while trying to survive.
Orr Academy Coach Lou Adams is trying to do something to help the teenaged men he coaches on the basketball court find their way out of the “quicksand,” as he calls it, and out into the world.
But making that transition is never easy.
Shot in the Dark, the second feature-length documentary in Fox Sports Films’ Magnify Series, follows Adams and two of his up-and-comers, Tyquone Greer and Marquise Pryor, as they try to change their lives both on and off the basketball court. The film is executive produced by the Miami Heat’s Dwayne Wade and Chance the Rapper.
“Basketball empowered me to overcome the challenges of growing up on the south side of Chicago,” said Wade in a statement. “The odds were stacked against me, and the game changed the course of my life. It’s important to share these true stories of triumph to inspire the next generation to achieve their dreams when faced with life’s obstacles.”
To shine the spotlight even brighter on these issues, Fox Sports is partnering with organization Good Sports, which provides kids in need with new sports equipment, apparel and footwear in an attempt to get them to incorporate sports and physical activity into their lives. The network also is airing screenings of the documentary at high schools around the country.
“In connection to these powerful sports and community narratives, we’re committed to meaningfully working, within our Fox Sports Supports organization and alongside others, to help neighborhoods and schools capitalize on the awareness that ‘Magnify’ brings to the stories,” said Charlie Dixon, executive vice president, content, Fox Sports, also in a statement.
The next series documentary is Nossa Chape, a film from Jeff and Michael Zimbalist (The Two Escobars, Pelé: The Birth of a Legend) about the Brazilian soccer club Chapecoense’s tragic 2016 plane crash in Colombia. The film has recently been accepted to the 2018 SXSW Film Festival in March.
The first documentary in the Magnify series, 89 Blocks, debuted November 26, 2017, on Fox. That film was executive produced by Sports Illustrated with LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s Uninterrupted.
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