Imagine being a high school football team and getting the opportunity to play a nationally televised game on ESPN.
Now imagine that not only do you get your doors blown off, but it is soon revealed after that the program is a complete scam. That’s the reality of Bishop Sycamore High School, the infamous football program based out of Columbus, Ohio, that never was what it claimed to be.
HBO is bringing viewers its newest football documentary called “BS High,” which takes a look into the Bishop Sycamore football program, the alleged high school it belonged to and the head coach, Roy Johnson, who was at the center of the entire controversy.
Directed by Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe, the doc shares the stories of players on the team, Ohio administrators who investigated the program, and Johnson himself.
MORE: ‘BS High’ HBO football documentary answers shocking questions
Here’s everything you need to know about “BS High,” including how to watch and background of the scandal.
‘BS High’ HBO documentary release date, how to watch
- Release date: Tuesday, Aug. 23
- How to watch: HBO, Max
The ‘BS High’ documentary is set to air live on HBO on Tuesday, Aug. 23 at 9 p.m. Its run time is 1 hour, 40 minutes.
In addition to airing on HBO, the doc will also be available on Max, HBO’s streaming platform, at the same time.
What will ‘BS High’ on HBO cover?
On Aug. 29, 2021, ESPN aired a high school football game between one well-known powerhouse and a program no one had ever heard of before.
IMG Academy, one of the top high school programs in the country, blew out Bishop Sycamore High School 58-0, in a game that featured multiple injuries on the Bishop Sycamore side. It was such a lopsided loss that it received national attention and sparked inquiries into Johnson and his team.
MORE: Is Bishop Sycamore a legit high school football program? IMG Academy’s ESPN opponent explained
It soon was revealed that not only was Bishop Sycamore not the athletic sports training academy it claimed to be, but it was not even a real school. An investigation was launched in Ohio to dig deeper into the “school”, which was supposedly based out of Columbus.
The documentary covers what was going on with Johnson and his program before, during and after the infamous IMG Academy game, including the lack of safety protocols with the players, the lies told by Johnson to his players and the aftermath of one of the most bizarre sports stories in recent history.
‘BS High’ HBO trailer
Here is how HBO teased its latest documentary:
On August 29, 2021, a nationally televised high school football game between top-ranked IMG Academy and unknown Bishop Sycamore High School ended with multiple injuries and a blowout win for IMG Academy. The on-field fiasco ignited a media circus as fans and audiences questioned the legitimacy of the Bishop Sycamore program and its head coach, Roy Johnson. Revealing one of the most intriguing sagas in high school sports history, BS High explores the lucrative and cutthroat world of football prep programs, the lack of accountability for large-scale fraud, and the widespread devastation of one man’s elaborate lies.