EXCLUSIVE: Premier Lacrosse League co-founder Paul Rabil, an accomplished former player who now serves as PLL commissioner, will host and executive produce a new weekly show for ESPN called Rabil’s Places.
Produced by Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions and Words + Pictures, the five-episode original series will debut on June 4 pm ESPN+. Rabil will interview guests with notable ties to the sport of lacrosse, including Super Bowl-winning NFL coach Bill Belichick, WWE star Mick Foley and Pat Spencer, who plays for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.
Rabil’s newly launched Two Points Productions is also backing the series.
Beyond personalities, the show will also explore the dimensions and roots of the sport, from its Native American origins to the five-decade history of HBCU lacrosse at Morgan State University in Baltimore. And speaking of Maryland, an entire episode will be devoted to uncovering how the state became a hotbed of lacrosse. (Rabil is a graduate of John Hopkins.)
Two Points is working on a slate of episodic, feature and literary projects. In 2024, Rabil published the book The Way of the Champion. The book, published by Penguin Random House imprint Portfolio, combined elements of memoir with themes of business management and personal resilience.
Like other programming across ESPN, the docuseries is designed to complement live sports coverage. In 2022, Disney signed a 4-year media rights deal with the PLL, whose season runs from June to September. Omaha launched its multi-sport “Places” franchise in 2019 with Peyton’s Places, a football-themed show centered around Manning. Subsequent installments have focused on tennis, hockey, soccer and college basketball.
“Lacrosse isn’t just defined by the action on the field. It’s about the people who’ve played it, the places we call home, and the culture that’s kept it alive for centuries,” Rabil said in a statement. He called the series “our episodic journey through the soul of the sport, from sacred beginnings to its rise in college towns and pro stadiums, aimed to bring fans new and old along for the ride.”
Manning, who is executive producer of Rabil’s Places, called Rabil “the perfect person to tell the stories that make lacrosse the sport that it is today.”
New episodes will premiere on Wednesdays on ESPN+ and will also be available to stream on Hulu and Disney+ for Disney Bundle Trio subscribers.
Lexus has signed on as a presenting sponsor of the series.
CAA and 3Arts rep Rabil.
Here are episode descriptions (provided by ESPN) as well as premiere dates:
Episode 1: “Turf Wars” (June 4)
Legendary football coach Bill Belichick explains his lifelong affection for lacrosse. Paul is joined by former college lacrosse star turned Super Bowl-champion wide receiver, Chris Hogan, to understand why there’s so much crossover between the sports, and PLL teammates Ricky Miezan and Nakeie Montgomery discuss their decision to forgo pro football in favor of lacrosse.
Episode 2: “Slick Sticks” (June 11)
Inspired by the signature moves that revolutionized lacrosse, Paul sets out to create a new signature shot. After Gary Gait explains the birth of his iconic “Air Gait” move, Paul turns to Charlotte North, one of the game’s most creative scorers, and former college lacrosse star turned NBA player, Pat Spencer, for inspiration for his new staple move.
Episode 3: “Crab Cakes and Lacrosse” (June 18)
That’s what Maryland does! Paul returns to his alma mater, Johns Hopkins, to learn how Maryland became a lacrosse hotbed. He’s joined by his former Hopkins teammate Kyle Harrison and visits Kyle’s father, Miles, who teaches Paul about the state’s important HBCU lacrosse history at Morgan State. Finally, Paul visits 3-time Tewaaraton winner Taylor Cummings at Bryn Mawr, where Maryland women’s lax stars are born and jousts over the true state sport.
Episode 4: “Crease and Desist” (June 25)
Paul pursues a return to the PLL as a goalie but quickly learns why lacrosse goalies are a different breed. Former WWE star (and lax goalie) Mick Foley, Hall of Famer Scott Bacigalupo and PLL star Blaze Riorden give Paul a crash course on the physical, mental, and technical demands of the toughest position in sports.
Episode 5: “The Creator’s Game” (July 2)
Paul seeks out a deeper understanding of the Native American origins of lacrosse and its traditional wooden stick. Greats Jeremy Thompson of Onondaga Nation and Zedd Williams of Seneca Nation teach Paul important indigenous traditions of the game; current Syracuse standout and rising star of the Haudenosaunee Nationals, Trey Deere, meets Paul at Alfie Jacques’ legendary woodworking shop before Paul tries his hand at making a wooden stick of his own.
