by Chris Velardi '95
Gabe Honig ’01 had been to Yankee Stadium plenty of times in his life, but this time was different.
Surrounded by his wife Kate ’01 and his children, friends, colleagues and a collection of bold type Yankee names, Honig wasn't just a spectator cheering on his favorite team, he was a special guest at an exclusive screening of the first two episodes of "The Captain," the new ESPN docuseries about Hall of Famer Derek Jeter. Honig is a producer on the series.
"A dream come true - I did this thing! If I would have told 17-year-old Gabe..." Honig pauses, thinking of his high school self before picking up his thought, "…I wasn't just a Yankees fan, I was obsessed."
How obsessed? Honig’s love of the Yankees contributed to his decision to attend Syracuse University. The fact he could watch MSG Network—the cable television home of the Yankees at the time—wound up being the icing on a very attractive Orange cake.
“The Dome, the campus, the vibe and the big sports program were all factors,” says Honig.
The strongest pull was the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ film program.
“I really wanted to attend film school and not a single day goes by that I don’t use something I learned at Syracuse,” says Honig. “I love chatting about the filmmaking process and one of the reasons is because of where I came from. VPA teaches you how to be the total filmmaker.”
Since graduation, Honig has used his education to build an extensive list of credits that includes a significant number of sports-themed projects, including executive producer and showrunner on "Friday Night Tykes," a series chronicling young football players in Texas.
Producing “The Captain” allowed Honig to combine his education, experience, passion for storytelling and Yankees obsession. The series details Derek Jeter's career - on and off the field - and the corresponding rise of the New York Yankee dynasty. Jeter made his Major League debut in 1995; the Yankees won the World Series in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000.
"They were looking for someone who had experience in episodic storytelling and that's right in my wheelhouse," says Honig, "I feel incredibly lucky and blessed to have had this opportunity."
It’s an opportunity that Honig (left, with former Yankee 1B and current Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly) knows came with a great deal of responsibility to the famous subject and his teammates, the Yankees franchise, the production team (including executive producer Spike Lee) and ESPN, which is broadcasting the series.
“Derek Jeter is big on trust,” says Honig, who knew he had to earn the notably private player’s trust and encourage him to open up. “We wanted to tell the story of a human being that happened to play shortstop for the Yankees.”
In the series, Jeter talks about his biracial identity, discusses his relationship with fellow superstar Alex Rodriguez and talks about a social life that was a favorite subject of New York City’s tabloid newspapers.
Jeter’s relatability impressed Honig throughout the process. So did the willingness of Jeter’s Yankee teammates to make themselves available and share stories.
“I was constantly pleasantly surprised at how generous Jeter’s former teammates were with their time,” says Honig.
Ultimately, Honig says the biggest responsibility of producing this docuseries may have been to the legions of "obsessed" fans—fans with whom Honig can relate—whose love of the game is directly connected to those Yankees teams.
"You realize how important the story is—how important Derek Jeter and the Yankees are to millions of people," says Honig. "You just want to do the story justice."