Netflix acquires rights to "The Turnaround," a documentary about Trea Turner's standing ovation
A short documentary reliving the standing ovation that turned Phillies shortstop Trea Turner's first season in Philadelphia around is coming to Netflix in October.
The streaming giant acquired rights to "The Turnaround," a short film produced by Philadelphia native Kyle Thrash and Oscar-winner Ben Proudfoot. The short film will debut on Netflix on Oct. 18.
"The Turnaround" follows Jon McCann, a Phillies fan from the city's Bridesburg neighborhood and a content creator known as "The Philly Captain" who helped spearhead the standing ovation.
In a video posted to social media on Aug. 3, McCann pleaded with his fellow Phillies fans to give Turner some "love-love."
"Yo cuz, can you do me a favor? If you're going to a Phillies game this weekend, let's not boo Trea Turner this weekend. Let's give him a standing ovation every time he comes to bat this weekend. My boy is in his head," McCann says in the video. "And he needs some love. Not tough love, not right now. He needs love-love. So let's love Trea Turner this weekend and give him a standing ovation every time my man comes to bat."
The following day, Jack Fritz, a producer for 94 WIP, picked up the baton and led the charge on sports talk radio.
At the time, Turner was hitting .235 with a .657 OPS in his first 107 games in Philadelphia and coming off an especially bad series in Miami. And Phillies fans obliged with McCann's and Fritz's pleas.
Before each at-bat of the Phillies' 7-5 loss to Kansas City on Aug. 4, 2023, fans rose to their feet and supported their $300 million shortstop. Turner went one for 4 in the game but quickly turned his season around afterward.
Turner finished the 2023 season, hitting .337 with a 1.057 OPS in the final 48 regular-season games.
Days after the standing ovation, Turner thanked fans with billboards throughout the city.
"The Turnaround" was produced by Higher Ground, the media company founded by former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, in partnership with Breakwater Studios. The short film debuted at the Telluride Film Festival on Sept. 1.
"Having grown up in the Philadelphia area and being a lifelong Phillies fan myself, I am in awe of how brilliantly Kyle and Ben have captured the heart and soul of the city," Higher Ground president Vinnie Malhotra said in a press release. "With such a unique and rarely seen perspective into a story that will go down in baseball history."
Malhotra added the film "delves into the emotional core of mental health of both our beloved players and the legions of fans who rally everyday to champion them."
In a press release before the Telluride Film Festival, Thrash and Proudfoot said McCann "is an American story for our time."
"We all have a choice of how we want to approach the world around us and all its challenges. Do you boo? Or do you give all the love you can give?" they said in the release. "Jon's answer inspired us to make this film."
