Peacock Celebrates Female Olympic Athletes’ Lasting Legacy on the 25th Anniversary of the Atlanta Games

As the next generation of gold medalists prepare for the spotlight in Tokyo, Peacock will debut two shows featuring Olympic trailblazers from the 1996 Olympics – The ’96 Effect and The Sisters of ’96: The 1996 USA Women’s Olympic Soccer Team – on the 25th anniversary of the Atlanta Games.

The ’96 Effect is a three-part documentary series, produced by Lookalike Productions, featuring four legendary USA women’s teams who won gold at the Atlanta Games. These women were the first generation who became world-class athletes during the Title IX era, and interviews with them reveal how ’96 USA teams inspired each other, the significance of Title IX on their lives, as well as the impact they made on their sport and female athletics on a global scale:

Basketball: Lisa Leslie, Dawn Staley, Sheryl Swoopes, and head coach Tara VanDerveer

Gymnastics: Amanda Borden, Dominique Dawes, and Shannon Miller

Softball: Laura Berg, Lisa Fernandez, and Dot Richardson

Soccer: Brandi Chastain, Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, Shannon MacMillan, and Briana Scurry

Tennis great Billie Jean King, broadcasters Bob Costas and Hannah Storm, and contemporary athletes Sue Bird, A’ja Wilson, Carli Lloyd, Cat Osterman, and Monica Abbott ground audiences in what it was like for women competing in 1996, which was the first time softball and women’s soccer were included in the Olympic Games. The ’96 Effect begins streaming June 17.

“What the women of ’96 accomplished was as much a cultural revolution as it was one of the greatest feats in U.S. Olympic history,” said Lisa Lax, co-founder of Lookalike Productions and Executive Producer, The ’96 Effect. “As filmmakers and women who personally benefitted from lifetimes in competitive sport, Nancy and I are thrilled to shine a light on the enduring ripple effect of opportunity made by the remarkable women’s Olympic teams. These stories are bigger than sport – and deserve to be told, shared, and passed along for generations of girls – and boys – to come.”

“It’s an honor to represent your country in international competition. To do it in your home country and win the first-ever women’s soccer tournament at the Olympics makes it even more special and significant,” Foudy said. “It was a thrill to visit the site of our gold-medal win with my teammates and watch that match together for the first time. I’m excited for all of the fans to relive it with us in this documentary.”

When the U.S. Women’s National Team made it to the soccer tournament final, that gold medal match was not fully televised – so now, Peacock is making it available in full for the first time. The match will stream in its entirety on July 16. To mark the occasion, The Sisters of ’96: The 1996 USA Women’s Olympic Soccer Team is an hour-long special that reunites stars Brandi Chastain, Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy, Kristine Lilly, Shannon MacMillan, Briana Scurry, and Tisha Venturini on the field where they played that inaugural Olympic final to watch the match together for the first time. Viewers have a front-row seat to their recounting their victory and legacy of their team. The special is produced by NBC Olympics.

Peacock will celebrate female athletes competing at the Tokyo Olympics with On Her Turf at the Olympics. Women have won more than 50% of Team USA’s medals at the last two Summer Olympics and On Her Turf will follow their biggest female stars in Tokyo. On Her Turf at the Olympics will stream Monday-Saturday from 7 to 7:30PM ET and Sunday from 6-6:30PM ET.

“There are so many amazing female Olympians, and we’re proud to have a show dedicated to highlighting their stories in Tokyo,” said Rebecca Chatman, Vice President and Coordinating Producer of Olympic Production. “We are excited to celebrate both the legacy of the 1996 U.S. Women’s teams and to showcase the incredible performances by women in Tokyo with On Her Turf on Peacock.”

These series expand the Peacock Original collection of countdown to Tokyo programming, which also includes Michael Phelps: Medals, Memories & More, The Greatest Race, My Pursuit: Life, Legacy, & Jordan Burroughs, and In Deep with Ryan Lochte. Peacock will also feature daily coverage during the Tokyo Olympics on Tokyo NOW, one of Peacock’s free channels dedicated to Olympic programming.

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