Docuseries on Philadelphia High School Cheer Team Now Streaming

A docuseries about the George Washington High School cheer team in Philadelphia and their incredible journey from startup to national championship is now available to stream on Peacock. 

Produced by Unanimous Media, the multimedia enterprise owned by basketball star Steph Curry and directed by Philadelphia native and La Salle University alumnus Matt Howley, Spirit follows a 15-person co-ed cheerleading squad that became the first from the School District of Philadelphia to compete in the National Cheerleaders Association High School Nationals during the 2022-2023 season.

According to PhillyVoice, the four-part docuseries follows the squad's 15 athletes and their coaches, Michele Sorkin-Socki and Veronica Hayes, as they prepare for district, state, and national competitions. 

The team competed at Nationals in January 2023 and placed 10th overall. In February 2025, Howley told PhillyVoice that his favorite moments weren't from the competition itself.

"I think getting to know these kids, and then them inviting us back to their homes, and then sharing their stories with us, I found to be the most rewarding part of this," Howley said. "That's something that we try to do in a series like this, to make people really become attached to these kids, so that when they take the mat, it just means that much more."

Speaking with NBC10 Philadelphia, Howley described the production as a "classic underdog story."

"We just thought it would be an interesting story to kind of be with them throughout the year and see them compete against teams with much bigger budgets, fancier equipment, newer outfits. And I just thought that it would be a story that would resonate with people in this city and throughout," he said.

"You can definitely experience that Philly 'we don't back down energy.' This is such a Philly story," said producer and Philadelphian Kyra Knox to NBC10. "I really believe that the young adults, the kids, they are really going to tug on your heartstrings."

Watch the trailer for Spirit here: