2024 Red Sox to be featured in "Hard Knocks" style documentary on Netflix
BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox are set to become the first MLB team to be featured in a season-long, behind-the-scenes documentary program.
Netflix and the Red Sox announced Wednesday that the team will be the subject of the forthcoming documentary series. Additionally, Netflix will be producing a documentary retelling the tale of the 2004 Red Sox, who famously ended an 86-year World Series drought after becoming the first team in baseball history to come back from a 3-0 deficit in a playoff series.
According to Netflix, the documentary series will "provide viewers a window into what it takes to compete across a season's ups and downs in one of the most rabid sports environments. Netflix will have unprecedented access to players, coaches and executives throughout the 2024 season and the docuseries will debut in 2025."
"This is one of the largest marketing initiatives we have ever undertaken," Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy said. "When we formally began discussing this opportunity nearly 18 months ago, we stressed to our players that the decision to pursue this project would ultimately be up to them. I am proud of our players, Alex Cora, and our baseball operations leadership for having the courage to embrace such a project and open our clubhouse and Fenway Park to a truly global audience."
While NFL head coaches have never exactly celebrated the presence of cameras in microphones when "Hard Knocks" crews have taken over their private spaces, Red Sox manager Alex Cora put a positive spin on the forthcoming project.
"We're going to embrace this experience from the very first day of filming to the last," Cora said. "This is an incredible opportunity for the entire Red Sox organization, but I'm most excited about what this means for our players. Netflix will be able to magnify their stories in a way Major League Baseball has never seen."
The Netflix documentary series "Quarterback" drew a lot of positive reviews from sports fans and non-sports fans alike, as have "Formula 1: Drive To Survive" and "Full Swing," among others. Some players are naturally excited about the opportunity presented by this Netflix foray into the world of baseball.
"This is a unique opportunity the players didn't want to pass up," shortstop Trevor Story said. "I've enjoyed the behind-the-scenes access in Netflix's other sports documentaries, and now we get to give the fans an unparalleled look at the passion, sacrifice, and hard work it takes to be a Major League Baseball player."
While the project certainly adds a layer or two of intrigue for the 2024 season, fans will unfortunately have to wait until 2025 to see the finished product. The documentary on the 2004 Red Sox did not have a release date, but as a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the historic team, it will debut during this calendar year.
"The partnership between MLB, Netflix and the Red Sox will have a significant impact on growing the game of baseball," Red Sox chairman Tom Werner said. "The reach of Netflix is profound and these docuseries are ambitious. One will relive one of the most magical stories that forever changed this franchise, and the other is a truly groundbreaking endeavor that will provide an inside look at the lives and personalities of today's Red Sox players."
