See how HBO is making Thanksgiving night even more sports-centric than ever

Why NOT spend your Thanksgiving night with Mike Tyson, am I right?

Tonight on HBO, the premiere of “Sport in America: Our Defining Stories” will air.

Do you recall how it felt when a hobbled Kirk Gibson hit a rocket into the right-field stands to win game one of the 1988 World Series? The moment when Jim Abbott, born without a right hand, threw a no-hitter for the New York Yankees in 1993? Or Brandi Chastain’s signature overtime goal in the 1999 World Cup?

Collecting poignant remembrances from fans across the nation, the 95-minute film covers a wide spectrum of the American sports landscape, including baseball, football, hockey, tennis, basketball, boxing, high school athletics, the Boston Marathon and the Olympic Games. Landmark moments revisited include the 1972 tragedy at the Munich Games, the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Hank Aaron breaking the major league baseball home run record, the grace of Roberto Clemente, the emergence of women’s sports in America via Title IX legislation, the Red Sox ending their World Series drought in 2004 and the extraordinary night of the first NFL game played at the Superdome in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. SPORT IN AMERICA: OUR DEFINING STORIES ranges from the historic achievement of Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympic Games to the extraordinary comeback by the Chicago Blackhawks in the decisive game of the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals.

The filmmakers collected thousands of personal stories from fans who have been part of sports’ most transcendent events to create a tapestry of stories reflecting our culture. It examines what these events meant to us, why they moved us, why they inspired us and what they tell us about who we are.

The presentation includes interviews with Billy Bob Thornton, Mike Tyson, Steve Kerr, Frank Deford, David Maraniss, Ron Shelton, Curt Menefee, Michelle Beadle, Summer Sanders, Jerry Reinsdorf and many others, featuring stories from a fan’s perspective. Thornton recounts throwing out the first pitch to St. Louis legend Bob Gibson before a Cardinals home game, tossing a slider he learned to throw as a young boy from a book by the Hall of Fame fireballer. – Via Press Release

From HBO, Sports Illustrated and Endgame Entertainment.

“Sport in America: Our Defining Stories” airs tonight on HBO.

React: Are you going to watch/dvr this or is your interest even less than mine?