EXCLUSIVE: A five-part ESPN docuseries whose producers include Oscar nominee and multiple Emmy winner Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land) will chronicle the formation of the Premier Lacrosse League.
At the center of the original series, titled The Big Leagues, will be brothers and PLL co-founders Mike and Paul Rabil. The project extends a close relationship between the league and ESPN, following a deal giving the Disney subsidiary a stake in the PLL along with media rights. The PLL championship game aired last month on ABC.
Beyond the effort to create the league itself, the series will detail the brothers’ push to make lacrosse a major sport, with the rollout of the series timed to the runup to the 2028 Summer Olympics. Lacrosse will be an official event at the L.A. Games.
Paul Rabil, who segued to launching the league from a playing career that put him among the sport’s all-time greats at the college and pro level, is set to make his directing debut with The Big Leagues.
Production is underway on the series, with premiere date and distribution plans still being finalized.
The series is produced by ESPN Originals, Our Time Projects and Two Point Productions, with Heineman exec producing and Gene Gallerano serving as showrunner.
“What drew us to this story is the opportunity to take viewers inside a side of professional sports they rarely get to see,” said Lindsay Rovegno, VP & Executive Producer, ESPN Originals. “The Big Leagues is told through a unique voice that will capture the decisions, risks, and relationships that shape this young league with a bright but unpredictable future.”
The series shows how Paul Rabil stepped aside as a player to team with his brother, who has been a serial entrepreneur. The pair navigated a range of financial, operational and cultural challenges of growing the sport of pro lacrosse, putting their fraternal and business relationship to the test.
Heineman describes the series as “part American dream story, part family story, part sports story,” saying it “hits on deep, universal themes” and is “big in scope but deeply personal.”
“This is a story about betting on something you believe in,” Paul Rabil said. “Mike and I set out to give players the league they deserved, and we’ve learned a lot the hard way. I’m grateful to my friends at Our Time Projects and ESPN for giving us the chance to show what it really takes, and I hope it inspires people to fall in love with the game the way we did.”