The originals.

Rooters: The Birth of Red Sox Nation Volumes 1 and 2 is a compelling and comprehensive look at the history of sport's most notorious fans. The film chronicles Boston's Royal Rooters from the turn of the century through their evolution into the Red Sox fans of today.

The feature film is written and produced by baseball historian Peter Nash and directed by Ian McFarland and Anthony Moreschi. It brings to life the stories of real characters with Runyonesque names like 'Nuf-Ced McGreevy, Sport Sullivan, and Screaming Lolly Hopkins, while illuminating their legacy and influence on today's sports fans everywhere, especially Red Sox fans.

"Boston has the most loyal and passionate fan base in all of sports," said Nash. "Many Red Sox fans don't even realize that their rapid support for their local nine has such a rich heritage. I've always been captivated by Boston's infatuation with their baseball team and wanted to share this remarkable story of the ancestry of Red Sox fans."

Rooters illuminates how fans, or "cranks" as they were formerly known, of Boston baseball forever changed the way people attended sporting events and followed, both figuratively and literally, their baseball team.

Rooters weaves a narrative that begins with the earliest known baseball game played on Boston Common, and takes viewers on a journey that touches among a series of firsts, including the first sports bar and the sport's first gambling scandal. The film also ties in the present day Red Sox Nation with the legacy of the Royal Rooters, who debuted many of the practices that we take for granted among sports fans today, including chants, homemade signs, noisemakers, and of course, organized insults of the opposing team.

Originally sparked by the passion of 250 fanatics led by President John F. Kennedy's grandfather, Boston Mayor Honey "Fitz" Fitzgerald, and barkeep Michael "Nuf-Ced" McGreevy, the city of Boston has cultivated a rich history of loyal baseball fans that have passed their undying support for their home teams along to each new generation like a family heirloom.

Blending rare photographs and archival film along with recent footage and interviews, the film captures the essence of what it meant years ago to be a Royal Rooter, and what it means today to be a member of the behemoth now known as Red Sox Nation.

Narrated by WEEI-AM personality Mikey Adams, Rooters features commentary from Red Sox legend Johnny Pesky, ESPN baseball writer Peter Gammons, author John Thorn, Sports Museum of New England curator Richard Johnson, former Red Sox and current Cincinnati Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo, author Glenn Stout, Red Sox Vice President of Public Affairs Dr. Charles Steinberg, The Dropkick Murphys, Red Sox Senior Vice President of Planning and Development Janet Marie Smith, Boston Herald baseball writer Jeff Horrigan, author Bill Nowlin.

Also featured in the film are descendants of the original Royal Rooters, including Honey Fitz's grandson Tom Fitzgerald, as well as three members of Elizabeth "Lib" Dooley's family; sister Kitty Dooley, great-niece Cheryl Boyd and grand-nephew David Leary.

Rooters: The Birth of Red Sox Nation Volumes 1 and 2 will be available for purchase on DVD in stores and FYE locations during the first week of October and will air in an abridged version on NESN September 24 at 8:00 p.m. For more information, please visit www.rootersbirthofredsoxnation.com/press.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.