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With all five episodes of GolfPass' new docuseries unCOMMON: Building A Boston Sports Team now streaming, and with Rory McIlroy's Boston Common Golf Team set to take on Tiger Woods' Jupiter Links squad on January 27, we sat down with director and producer Fran Solomita to talk about the 18-month process of documenting the birth of a new professional sports franchise. Some answers have been lightly edited for clarity.
Q. What was the original inspiration behind unCOMMON: Building A Boston Sports Team?
As the partnership with Fenway Sports Group was coming into focus, Justin Tupper and Will McIntosh came up with this idea of documenting what it takes to start a new sports franchise in the tough-as-nails, passionate city of Boston. Not a place where you can simply plant your flag and assume you’ll be instantly accepted or supported. Quite the opposite, especially considering the guarded, provincial fan base and the fact that the team wouldn’t initially be playing in the New England area. So, the idea of a start-up team in a brand new, tech golf league in this environment laid the groundwork for the series.
Q. There was tremendous interest in TGL from the date of its initial announcement. How did the damage to the original venue and the subsequent year-long delay of the league’s premiere affect the approach you and your team took to the documentary?
We originally had only twelve weeks to complete the entire project after it was greenlit, so we went from a fast-paced, real-time, run-and-gun approach to a 14-month long runway to embrace what had happened and tell a much larger, more compelling story. As Tiger was quoted as saying when the dome collapsed, “It’s a blessing in disguise.” And it was for us too, so we could really dig into the personalities of the players as well as the unexpected twists and challenges that presented themselves as the year unfolded.
Q. You’ve mentioned before that the third episode, “Coming Home,” which introduces Boston Common Golf member Keegan Bradley, is the emotional center of the documentary. Why?
First off, Keegan is the only Boston Common Golf player who’s from New England, but moreover his recent roller-coaster career ride, along with the grace he displayed in navigating it, has made a great underdog/redemption story. Throw in the devotion of his parents along with his Aunt Pat as his inspiration (and a vanguard herself in the game of golf) and you’ve got some nice layers there.
Q. You have deep personal connections to the Boston area. How did that history inform the making of unCOMMON: Building a Boston Sports Team?
I was raised six miles west of Fenway Park, so as a young person I got very used to losing…a lot! We were seen as lovable losers living in the shadow of the big, bad New York Yankees, so there’s still some scar tissue there. It’s only in the last couple of decades we started annoying people with our newfound Titletown status and cocky behavior. But Boston is a resilient, proud, blue-collar city with a unique combination of sarcasm and charm, and I really wanted that to come through in the storytelling.
Q. Your background also includes stand-up comedy. What do you see as the kinship between comedy and documentary?
I saw this incredible gift of an assignment as a chance to bring together two impactful parts of my life: stand-up comedy and content creation. So, when I pitched the idea of weaving local comics into unCOMMON to Justin Tupper, I was very excited that he was all in. We then set them up as a peanut gallery to represent the ball-busters of the world, now everywhere on social media, to serve up that hilarious, authentic Boston attitude and wise-crackery to the proceedings. Plus, I thought this was a great way to keep things light and entertaining through some of the more technical parts of the show.
Q. Having embedded with Boston Common Golf, what characters beyond the four team members stood out to you during the more than 15 months of shooting?
Both avid golfers, Mark Lev and Teddy Mitropoulos from FSG popped for us right away as two uniquely different personalities who could be our inside voices on the business parts to the story: Lev for his longstanding experience in Boston sports, his steady executive manner and true New England roots; and Teddy for his youthful enthusiasm and palpable passion, not only in the mission of building this team, but also in attacking the biggest project in his young career. Having them aboard to follow and check in with throughout unCOMMON was terrific for us and the entire series. Great guys, too!
Q. TGL has been met with mixed reactions from fans in its infancy. Having spent so much time so close to it, what do you think viewers should keep in mind as they decide whether or not to lean into it?
They should keep in mind that this is a new iteration of a game that hasn’t evolved in hundreds of years, so it will be a fluid work in progress, certainly in its first season or two. But the launch of TGL is perfectly timed with the explosion of golf as participatory entertainment, and an easy entry point to becoming a fan of the game. The venue is impressive, the pace is faster, and it feels cooler and plays younger, so while the live experience and TV broadcast are two very different vibes, both are in their embryonic stages. It’s going to take some time and adjustments before it hits its stride. So, patience is key, as this is a huge swing (no pun intended) and that alone is commendable.
Q. What is your favorite single shot or scene over the course of the documentary’s five episodes?
On our first day of filming, following the four Boston Common Golf players as they stepped onto the infield at Fenway was a truly a “Field of Dreams” moment for everyone. The guys looking up and around at the oldest Major League ballpark in the country, it was as if they all transformed back into the seven-year-old versions of themselves, almost giddy as if they were getting away with something…or maybe that was just me. This made for an awesome and emotional sequence in our pilot episode.
Stream all five episodes of unCOMMON: Building A Boston Sports Team here.
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