AFTER KURT WARNER LED THE RAMS TO
a win in Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000, Sports Illustr ated
wrote that the QB was “an out-of-nowhere sensation whose
story has been called too schmaltzy even for Hollywood.”
Apparently not. On Christmas Day, American Underdog
will be released. The film stars Zachary Levi as Warner
and Anna Paquin as his wife, Brenda. The 40-year-old
Levi is remarkably convincing as Warner, who rose from
lightly recruited high school player to Arena League star to
Hall of Famer, with a stint as a grocery shelf stocker mixed
in. Levi recently talked about taking on the role of Warner.
SI: What was your interest in the movie?
ZL: It’s definitely a true sports Cinderella story biopic, no
doubt. But you know, it’s about 25% football, and 75% of
it is really trying to explain to people why that football is
so epic and amazing.
SI: Have you always been a football fan?
ZL: My mom was. Man, she was something else. She was
so dynamic in so many interesting ways. She was a foot-
ball fan and it was the ’80s, and you could still bring your
kids to bars. So my mom would take me and my sisters to
sports bars basically every Sunday and Monday. I was more
interested in the pinball game and finding quarters, but I
was always clocking what was going on.
SI: Do you have experience playing real people?
ZL: It’s weird—there’s a definitely a whole other level of
pressure and expectation that you put on yourself because
there is a direct comparison. I’m not Daniel Day-Lewis
playing Abraham Lincoln. I’m sure he researched that
very deeply, but nobody can go back and look at footage
and really check it out. With Kurt, he’s very famous and
very much alive. He’s right here. He is still on television.THE YEAR IN MEDIAESPN2’S
MANNINGCAST
The alternate Monday Night Football
telecast has been a revelation. The free-
wheeling show hosted by Eli and Peyton
Manning strikes the perfect balance, a
combination of X’s and O’s, chatting with
guests and busting chops. —J.T.
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED Q SI.COM 86SOURCE MATERIAL
Warner (right) was on hand
to give Levi all the advice he
could—football-related
and otherwise.Sports TV
Innovation
Of the YearMARV
ALBERT
After calling NBA games for nearly
60 years—he became the voice of the
Knicks at age 26—Albert called it a career.
While he’s widely regarded as the greatest
basketball play-by-play announcer of all
time, Albert excelled in other sports, from
hockey to horse racing. —J.T.Biggest
Retirement
Of the YearTHE DREAM
TEAM TAPES
After an acclaimed debut that covered the
original Dream Team, the second season
of former SI writer Jack McCallum’s
audio doc tackles another Olympic squad:
the 2008 Redeem Team, which sought to
rebound from a bronze finish in ’04. —M.B.
Most Bingeable
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