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All Seasons

Season 1

  • S01E01 Trophy Kids

    • December 4, 2013
    • HBO

    The growing obsession of parents in the scholastic athletic competition of their children is the focus of this installment in HBO Sports innovative documentary series.

  • S01E02 Inherent Violence

    • December 13, 2016
    • HBO

    Combative sport has transcended time, and remains popular today. Is violence an inherent part of sports, or is it an inherent part of human beings? This film explores combat sports through two father-son relationships: a 33-year-old American professional MMA fighter who is combat-training his 10-year-old son, and a 47-year-old retired player of Calcio Storico in Florence, Italy, who has groomed his son to compete in a form of soccer (dating back to the 16th century) in which head-butting, punching, elbowing, deepthroating and choking are allowed.

  • S01E03 Fighting Chance

    • December 14, 2016
    • HBO

    Having spent his entire adult life as a professional boxer, 35-year-old Raymundo "Sugar Ray" Beltran (31-7-1, 19 KOs), a Mexican immigrant and father of three, is striving to win his first world title as his career wanes. Known as a formidable opponent and a sparring partner of worldwide superstar Manny Pacquiao, he has spent most of his career on the fringe of the sport and now strives to break free of his underdog status. Beltran's pursuit of a championship brings into sharp focus the question of what it takes to win and asks if talent and skill alone make an athlete successful in boxing, or do circumstance, context and politics also play a significant role?

  • S01E04 Game of Borders

    • December 15, 2016
    • HBO

    In the complex political and war zone of the Middle East, the Palestine national football team keeps playing amid conflict and chaos.

Season 2

  • S02E01 Happiness

    • November 18, 2014
    • HBO

    NFL players seem to have it all; yet when they retire, many experience depression and financial trouble. Through the lens of a new science, this edition of "State of Play" follows NFL legend Brett Favre and two other extraordinary players as they search for happiness after leaving the sport they love.

  • S02E02 Broken

    • November 25, 2014
    • HBO

    This intimate edition of 'State of Play' follows two men who were paralyzed playing the sports that they love. Their struggle - and that of their family - to accept a new life of physical limitations is a raw humbling portrait of endurance and love.

  • S02E03 Culture Shock

    • December 2, 2014
    • HBO

    In this installment in the "State of Play" series, acclaimed filmmaker Peter Berg trains his sights on the most successful professional sports organization in America: the National Football League. Many issues confront the sport, particularly the challenge of making the game safer.

  • S02E04 First Ladies

    • December 9, 2014
    • HBO

    This edition examines the challenges of a modern marriage through a sports lens as it focuses on three sports couples whose vows shape their decisions on and off the field.