The short documentary chronicling the standing ovation that changed Trea Turner’s first season with the Phillies, The Turnaround, is now on Netflix. Here’s what you need to know …
The Turnaround was directed by Lehigh Valley native — and lifelong Phillies fan — Kyle Thrash and two-time Oscar winner Ben Proudfoot and premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado earlier this year.
It follows a Bridesburg-based Phillies fan, Jon McCann, who has fought his own mental health battles and is credited in the film for leading the charge behind the August 2023 standing ovation that changed the trajectory of Turner’s season.
One part of the story not featured in the film is Jack Fritz, a host at 94.1 WIP, who was also credited with sparking the movement on sports talk radio — although he recently said he’s not upset and looks forward to watching.
» READ MORE: One Phillies superfan’s standing ovation inspires another superfan’s film
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If you’re looking for more Phillies content to watch after the team’s early playoff exit in the divisional round, then look no further. The short documentary chronicling the standing ovation that changed Trea Turner’s 2023 season, The Turnaround, is now on Netflix.
What is ‘The Turnaround?’
The Turnaround is a 25-minute documentary that was directed by Lehigh Valley native — and lifelong Phillies fan — Kyle Thrash and two-time Oscar winner Ben Proudfoot and premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado earlier this year. It follows a Bridesburg-based Phillies fan, Jon McCann, who is credited in the film for leading the charge on the standing ovation that changed the trajectory of Turner’s season — and possibly his career in Philly.
» READ MORE: One Phillies superfan’s standing ovation inspires another superfan’s film
Who is Jon McCann, a.k.a. The Philly Captain?
The documentary tracks McCann — a fan so dedicated to the Phillies he makes an annual prayer to the Liberty Bell for the Phillies to win the World Series. It also heavily focuses on McCann’s mental health journey.
While battling his own mental health problems, McCann, who did not return a request for comment from The Inquirer, helped inspire the August 2023 standing ovation that the Phillies themselves later said changed the momentum of their season. On his YouTube channel, where he’s better known as The Philly Captain, he suggested that instead of fans booing Turner, they give him a standing ovation.
The city came together and Turner received a standing ovation from the crowd in an Aug. 4, 2023 game against the Royals at Citizens Bank Park.
What was the impact on Turner’s season?
Before the standing ovation, Turner was struggling. With an 11-year, $300-million dollar contract to live up to, he was hitting just .235 with a .657 OPS and underperforming in the field.
After the standing ovation, Turner hit 16 homers and posted the fourth-highest OPS in the league over the final 48 games of the regular season. His turnaround helped the Phillies advance to the National League Championship Series.
What’s the other side of the story behind the standing ovation?
So, who really came up with the idea behind the standing ovation? McCann mentioned in the documentary that radio stations began rallying for a Turner standing ovation. One man’s story is not featured in the film. Jack Fritz, a host at 94.1 WIP, was also credited in leading the charge on sports talk radio. Others shared the same sentiments, including former Williamsport Sun-Gazette sports writer Mitch Rupert, whom Fritz credits as the first person he saw with the idea.
» READ MORE: Trea Turner thanked a WIP producer for turning his season around and pushing the Phillies into October
Fritz, who declined to talk to The Inquirer for this story, later discussed it on the radio, and the morning and midday shows kept the ball rolling leading into Friday night’s game against the Royals. Turner called into WIP a day after the Phillies clinched a postseason berth and thanked the “Marks & Reese Show,” where Fritz was then working as a producer, for what they did.
Despite the documentary following a different story behind the standing ovation, Fritz posted on social media that has no bad feelings toward anyone involved and said he was looking forward to watching like everyone else, because it was “a truly great moment.”
Inquirer Sports has a fresh look and some fun, new ways to engage with our stories.
- Check out our Sports home page and scroll through dozens of stories for the latest news, analysis and opinion on your favorite teams.
- Swipe through this new story page for a quick, highly shareable storytelling experience.
- Don’t have time to read the whole story and just want the critical information? Or maybe you want to dig deeper and learn more. This new format gives you what you want out of a story.
After you check out the changes to Inquirer Sports, we’d love to hear your feedback. Share your thoughts with this brief survey.
If you’re looking for more Phillies content to watch after the team’s early playoff exit in the divisional round, then look no further. The short documentary chronicling the standing ovation that changed Trea Turner’s 2023 season, The Turnaround, is now on Netflix.
Here’s what you need to know about the documentary — including what isn’t in it …
What is ‘The Turnaround?’
The Turnaround is a 25-minute short documentary that was directed by Lehigh Valley native — and lifelong Phillies fan — Kyle Thrash and two-time Oscar winner Ben Proudfoot and premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado earlier this year. It follows a Bridesburg-based Phillies fan, Jon McCann, who is credited in the film for leading the charge on the standing ovation that changed the trajectory of Turner’s season — and possibly his career in Philly.
This was a defining moment for Turner. It reenergized the Phillies shortstop during a lengthy slump in 2023, his first season in Philadelphia after signing an 11-year, $300 million contract in free agency. But according to Proudfoot, it’s much bigger than the game.
» READ MORE: One Phillies superfan’s standing ovation inspires another superfan’s film
“This is so much more than a sports story,” he told The Inquirer. “This is about someone who’s dealt with mental health and took a moment to give grace to someone who was dealing with their own issues. That’s what this story is about.”
Who is Jon McCann, a.k.a. The Philly Captain?
The documentary tracks McCann — a fan so dedicated to the Phillies he makes an annual prayer to the Liberty Bell for the Phillies to win the World Series. It also heavily focuses on McCann’s mental health journey.
While battling his own mental health problems, McCann, who did not return a request for comment from The Inquirer, helped inspire the August 2023 standing ovation that the Phillies themselves later said changed the momentum of their season. On his YouTube channel, where he’s better known as The Philly Captain, he suggested that instead of fans booing Turner, they give him a standing ovation.
“Yo, cuz, can you do me a favor,” McCann said on social media. “If you’re going to a Phillies game this weekend, let’s not boo Trea Turner this weekend. Let’s give him a standing ovation every time he comes to bat this weekend. My boy is in his head and he needs some love. Not tough love, not right now. He needs love, love. So let’s love Trea Turner this weekend and give him a standing ovation every time my man comes to bat.”
In the film, McCann pointed to how his parents were there to lift him up in his darkest moments, and hoped the city of Philadelphia could provide something similar for Turner. He also said he wasn’t the only one rallying for a standing ovation — word spread all across Philadelphia, including on local sports radio and news stations. The city came together and Turner received a standing ovation from the crowd in an Aug. 4, 2023 game against the Royals at Citizens Bank Park.
“It’s a human story. [McCann] is from Kensington, and he’s had his struggles. And I think the spark he started was worth telling,” Thrash told The Inquirer. “And I know [the Phillies] didn’t get the ending to the season we wanted, but I’m still proud of what the city did and excited for people to hear [McCann’s] story.”
What was the impact on Turner’s season?
In December 2022, the Phillies signed Turner to that $300 million contract, adding another All-Star to their roster after falling two games short of a World Series in 2022. But it wasn’t an easy transition for Turner.
Before the standing ovation, Turner was struggling, with a multimillion-dollar contract to live up to — hitting just .235 with a .657 OPS and underperforming in the field. After the standing ovation, he hit 16 homers and posted the fourth-highest OPS in the league over the final 48 games of the regular season. His turnaround helped the Phillies advance to the National League Championship Series.
What’s the other side of the story behind the standing ovation?
So, who really came up with the idea behind the standing ovation? McCann mentioned in the documentary that radio stations began rallying for a Turner standing ovation. One man’s story is not featured in the film. Jack Fritz, a host at 94.1 WIP, was also credited in leading the charge on sports talk radio.
On Aug. 2, 2023, two days before the standing ovation, the Phillies lost a game in Miami after Turner went hitless in five at-bats and failed to drive in the tying run with two outs in the 11th inning. He held the burden of the loss, saying that he was why they lost the game.
Fritz tweeted the next afternoon, “a standing O on Friday would go a long way.” Others shared the same sentiments, including former Williamsport Sun-Gazette sports writer Mitch Rupert, whom Fritz credits as the first person he saw with the idea.
» READ MORE: Trea Turner thanked a WIP producer for turning his season around and pushing the Phillies into October
Later that evening, Fritz, who declined to speak to The Inquirer for this story, discussed it on the radio, and the morning and midday shows kept the ball rolling on Friday. That night, the Phillies returned home and the crowd went above and beyond — greeting Turner with a standing ovation in each at-bat against the Royals.
Turner called into WIP a day after the Phillies clinched a postseason berth and thanked the “Marks & Reese Show,” where Fritz was then working as a producer, for what they did.
“Obviously, the whole thing happened, and the rest is kind of history,” Turner told the station. “Started playing a lot better and it was thanks to you guys and the crowd.”
Despite the documentary following a different story behind the standing ovation, Fritz has no bad feelings toward anyone involved and said he was looking forward to watching like everyone else.
“So I want to come on and talk about the Trea documentary that’s coming out on Netflix in October,” Fritz said on social media last month. “Of course, any time anything comes out about the Trea ovations, it turns into a whole divisive thing online, which again, was never the point. And I would like to be able to put that to bed. The Netflix documentary is going to be awesome. It’s about The Philly Captain. It’s about his mental health journey, mental health struggles and his story. It’s going to be awesome.
“Every time something comes up about it, it’s ‘stolen this, stolen that.’ The truth is, it doesn’t happen without everyone involved. Again, I didn’t steal from him. He didn’t steal from me. The first I saw of it was from Mitch Rupert so, it doesn’t always have to turn into credit wars. Frankly, it’s gotten annoying. It was a great moment, a truly great moment.”
As The Turnaround proves, it was a great moment — regardless of where the idea originated.
Inquirer Sports has a fresh look and some fun, new ways to engage with our stories.
- Check out our Sports home page and scroll through dozens of stories for the latest news, analysis and opinion on your favorite teams.
- Swipe through this new story page for a quick, highly shareable storytelling experience.
- Don’t have time to read the whole story and just want the critical information? Or maybe you want to dig deeper and learn more. This new format gives you what you want out of a story.
After you check out the changes to Inquirer Sports, we’d love to hear your feedback. Share your thoughts with this brief survey.
