The standing ovation that turned around Trea Turner’s 2023 season is at the center of a new documentary

A short documentary that follows the story of a Bridesburg-based Phillies superfan premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado recently. The fan, Jon McCann, is credited with reenergizing shortstop Trea Turner’s 2023 season.

Called The Turnaround, the documentary arrived at the festival via former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, with the Obamas serving as executive producers, Variety reports. It centers on McCann, who reportedly inspired the August 2023 standing ovation that the Phillies have said turned their season around.

McCann is also known for his Phillies coverage on his YouTube channel, the Philly Captain, where he suggested a standing ovation for Turner rather than booing him amid his flagging performance last year.

McCann’s take ultimately went viral, and on Aug. 4, 2023, the Phillies shortstop received a roughly 42,000-person-strong standing ovation at Citizens Bank Park. The moment was something of an unexpected pop of positive reinforcement, and reinvigorated not only Turner’s performance, but also the team’s, The Inquirer reported.

Ahead of the standing ovation, Turner was considered by many fans to be a $300 million flop, hitting just .235 with a .657 OPS. The team, meanwhile, was on an 88-win pace before the turnaround.

After the standing ovation, Turner rose to have the fourth-highest OPS mark in the league in the final 48 games of the regular season. And the Phillies went on to advance to the National League Championship Series, where they went seven games before falling to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Charles “Bud” Wise, a professor of human behavior at Juniata College, told The Inquirer last year that positive reinforcement like Turner received helps spur positive performance.

“It enhances your self-esteem when you get that recognition. So it gives you confidence. In anything, whether it’s sports or any organization, if you feel good about yourself and you’re confident, you do better,” Wise said.

Directed by Philly native Kyle Thrash and two-time Oscar winner Ben Proudfoot, The Turnaround is one of only a few short films to make it to Telluride’s main program this year. Thrash and Proudfoot called McCann’s standing ovation “an American story for our time” in a statement to Variety.

“We all have a choice of how we want to approach the world around us and all its challenges. Do you boo? Or do you give all the love you can give? Jon’s answer inspired us to make this film,” Thrash and Proudfoot said.