HUSL x Overtime: One-Shot Screening

For the first event of the Fall 2023 semester, the Harvard Undergraduate Sports Lab partnered with sports media company Overtime for a screening and Q&A of their new documentary: One Shot. The event took place on October 12th and HUSL welcomed EJ Lawrence, Head of East Coast League Partnerships at Overtime, and Dave Zigareelli, Head of Video and Executive Producer on One Shot to share the documentary and provide insight into making it and working at Overtime. 

Club members were greeted with special Overtime merchandise. They then screened the first episode of “One Shot” which gives an inside look at Overtime Elite, Overtime’s professional basketball league for athletes ages 16-20. The documentary showcases what it is like to play at Overtime including an inside look at the facilities, training, and academics. It also focuses on Amen and Ausar Thompson, twins who played at Overtime Elite before being drafted fourth and fifth overall in the 2023 NBA Draft. 

After watching the episode, attendees were given a chance to ask their questions which focused predominantly on how Overtime chooses their partners like GMC and Gatorade, what they are doing to promote women’s sports, and how they maintain relationships with graduates of Overtime Elite. They emphasized that they care a lot about matching aspirations with the brands that they work with. For example, GMC’s motto of “We are Professional Grade” perfectly embodies Overtime’s mission of working with “Professional Grade” athletes. They also discussed the ethics of the docuseries and balancing that with the goals of the league, emphasizing that the exposure athletes receive from the docuseries is overwhelmingly positive, and the intense moments only showcase the realities of the competitive spirit of sports.

This event was a fantastic way to kick off the 2023-2024 school year and a very exciting year of events for HUSL!