How It Started

 

On Jan 26, 2020 Andrew Bernstein was visiting Los Angeles from Boston  the day Kobe Bryant died.  This tragic event demonstrated how LA was more than the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. More Andrew discovered a city that came together to mourn and celebrate the life of their fallen Lakers hero.   Whether you live in Westwood or Inglewood, talk to an Angeleno and they will tell you something different about Kobe Bryant and how he impacted their lives both on the court and more importantly off of it.   Andrew thought LA was a city filled with transplants, apathetic fans, late arriving leave early crowds, and a overall lack of there there, but boy was. He wrong..

 

What Andrew saw in LA inspired a documentary to learn about the real stories of sports in LA.   After seeing what happened on the day Kobe died, Andrew wanted to discover what else was he wrong about when it came to sports in Los Angeles.

 

To help him with his journey, Andrew connected with former UCLA Bruins great/turned Hollywood actor Mike Warren who joined the team.  As someone who loves LA sports, Mike was interested in helping Andrew in his discovery.

 

What exactly was Andrew looking to find out about LA sports.  While everyone knows about the winning spectator sports teams that regularly takes place in the city since 2000.  Andrew was convinced there was more after what he witnessed in LA on 1/26/20, and he wanted to find the stories that speaks to the depth and breadth of sports in LA.

 

Living 3000 miles away, with an unfamiliarity to the city only what he saw on TV.  Andrew needed to find a team of people to give him the insight to paint an accurate picture.

 

Some of the questions he wanted answered include:

He wanted to find out the real story of NFL football in LA,  what was the real reason why the teams left in the same year.  And yet they still flourished in its absence?

 

Given the city has a history that dates back to the late 1890’s, who was responsible for shaping LA sports beginning when USC football first took the field ?

 

Why does LA continue to pursue and be awarded olympic games over other cities?

 

Why does everyone want to BEAT LA, when did this universal desire to beat LA actually start?

 

Given there are so many professional and college teams in LA, how do sports organizations from pro and college teams break through the clutter and carve out a niche in this competitive  city sports landscape?

 

When and why did soccer begin its massive growth in the city from the youth level on up?

 

To effectively tell the story about sports in LA,  the documentary will also spotlight the people around the city who rely on sports to build their human connection. The documentary also spotlights the people who are selflessly dedicating their time to help further the lives of people across the city through a host of sports programs.

Rounding out the story, we speak to a cross section of people in LA who each offers their own insight on what sports contributes to their lives. This includes celebrities, athletes, fans, business owners, non profit leaders, coaches, and artists.   Each of these individuals all have a different opinion which viewers will find interesting and thought provoking.

 

At the conclusion of the film, what first began with Andrew’s preconceived notions about a place he barely knew, the story transformed into finding out about this complex sports city that is comparable to the grapevine section of the i5, to ultimately turning into a love letter to the city of Los Angeles sports after what Andrew Bernstein discovered.