ESPN 30 for 30 series

[chronoaug]

I have been eagerly awaiting this for the past few months. I've listened to bill simmons podcasts with a few people about it over the summer and it's finally under way. For those who don't know it's a 30th anniversary thing ESPN is doing where they're doing 30 different ~50 minute documentaries on interesting sports events. A lot of people are trying to do cool stories that aren't always the most obvious ones. Lots of drama, intrigue, and great stories. They have brought in a lot of great and established directors and it's all really well done. Not the cheesy human interest type stuff you see about sports with some terminally ill kid no one gives a **** about having the other team let him score. They're going to do about 1 film a week. They're really interesting and worth watching for both hardcore and casual sports fans. Honestly, even if you're not a sports fan you will enjoy these. http://30for30.espn.com/

 

[chronoaug]

To start things off, i just got done watching the Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL documentary. Really cool. I had no idea of all the stars the USFL had. I love how the USFL commisionner, Chet Simmons, was wearing a snuggie for his interviews for the documentary. Pretty funny. I loved this one though as i didn't know much about the USFL being born after it ended. Donald Trump really seems like an asshole. It really did seem like with less aggressive expansion, the USFL could've made it in the spring. Especially, getting 3 straight heisman winners (walker, rozier, flutie), jim kelly, steve young, reggie white, doug williams and more. Spurrier, jim mora, corso, and other good coaches. Would be really cool to see that kind of spring league. I just don't think it's possible today, especially with the economy the way it is and like 6 extra nfl teams since then. Just don't think the talent level would could possibly be close to the NFL. Same with getting the fans as active and into it. The scene where the guy in charge of the documentary talks with trump and hands him the check they won in the lawsuit for $3 with 76cent interest was pretty funny/ballsy. Trump must be super super pissed about this documentary. Makes him look terrible. Then again, i'm sure he's desperate for any kind of attention and press at the moment. Also, good god was herschel walker a beast

 

[chronoaug]

Really? no one has watched or enjoyed these so far or at least interested in the future documentaries?

They're really well done. Poignant and human interest without being cheesy. Interesting for sports fans while being accessible to non-sports fans or girlfriends. You learn interesting facts, get to see some unseen footage, new interviews and new perspectives on things.




One about Len Bias and the 80s miami football teams are coming up. Also one directed by Steve Nash about Terry Fox's 1980 run across the country on one leg. There is one about basically the founding of fantasy sports. Steve Bartman. Iverson's trial. The epic scrimmage game where the 92 dream team threw down with magic and jordan getting heated and picking teams (i heard abotu this one on a podcast and apparently there is unseen footage unless i'm mistaken). Michael Jordan's minor league baseball journey (i actually saw one of his games as a kid).

Hopefully, people will start watching as more things interest them like basketball. The USFL one was definitely really cool though.

 

[thekunk07]

i've been watching alex. good ****.

 

[Thomas]

I just caught the trailer for Ali - Holmes, and it looks damn good.

Makes me wish I had ESPN.

 

[Baron]

The Maysle film tonight should be awesome. Looking forward to the Bias and Iverson docs too. That Dream Team scrimmage doc sounds like a sports fantasy I dreamed up - I can't believe they might have footage of that.

 

[surfnbank]

The USFL documentary was awesome. I loved the Steve Young story of having money thrown at him. It did give ti a bit of a feell though that it was a few larger stars going into a minor league almost. The whole Donald Trump escipade was also pretty comical.

 

[chronoaug]

I dunno, but i wanna tear up everytime they play that 30 for 30 music. No real reason either. I'll be not paying attention to the tv hear the music and start welling up. It's awful haha

 

[chronoaug]

Bumping for Len Bias. This was one of the docs i was looking forward to the most. Can't wait

 

[breakz]

Originally Posted by chronoaug

I dunno, but i wanna tear up everytime they play that 30 for 30 music. No real reason either. I'll be not paying attention to the tv hear the music and start welling up. It's awful haha

This. I couldn't care about how the Colts left Baltimore but when they showed the Band etc. trailer I got misty.

 

[HRoi]

i hope a Blu-ray box set comes out soon

 

[Teacher]

Small Potatoes was extremely interesting and very well done, I thought...and I don't like football! I was rivetted. I saw about half of Mohammed and Larry and thought it was a bit boring, though. The interviews were good, but there were too many long clips of Ali doing his attention-whoring schtick, which I know some people love but I don't.

 

[MHH89]

Originally Posted by chronoaug

Bumping for Len Bias. This was one of the docs i was looking forward to the most. Can't wait


+1 Should be a good one. I think Simmons produced it and he always spoke about how the death of Bias was the death of Celtics basketball until the Big 3 in 2008.

 

[rob]

The Gretzky one was very good. His press conference announcing the move almost made my wife cry and I'm pretty certain she doesn't know who Wayne is.

Rob

 

[chronoaug]

Was really disappointed in the Len Bias documentary. It ended up being more of a sob story about drug overdose and whatnot. That wasn't an interesting story as millions of people have died from overdosing. There wasn't much of a backstory involved. Drinking and snorting and he died. I was hoping it'd take more of a sports angle as that was the only thing interesting about Bias's story. That he had potential to be one of the best players of his generation and would've allowed the celtics to compete into the jordan era. Could care less about his family sobbing and retelling the day of. The aftermath of politics and what not afterwards wasn't what i was hoping for.

Would've made a good 20-25 minute documentary about Len Bias, his potential, nba impact, impact on other athletes with drug problems, celtics, maryland and maybe a little of the family since you have to to come off as sensitive about it. Seemed like there wasn't really a focus on this. Half was general news human interest, like 10 minutes of sports stuff, and then 30 minutes of politics.

I mean the documentary was called "Without Bias" which i know was supposed to be a play on words but it didn't tell anything about a world without Bias. Same with the promotional tagline "what happens when a sure thing becomes a what if" as it never told about the what if, just another generic drug story.