a 30 for 30 thread

We're back baby!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEGUHdRW0CA
"Broke" Billy Corben October 2, 2012
The documentary explores the road to fortune in sports and the eventual detours to bankruptcy, as experienced by top athletes including Bernie Kosar, Andrew Rison and Cliff Floyd.
Note: This film premiered at the the Tribeca Film Festival.

"9.79*" Daniel Gordon October 9, 2012
The 100-meter men's final at the 1988 Seoul Games was the fastest sprint in Olympic history. But within 48 hours, gold medalist Ben Johnson had tested positive for anabolic steroids and scandal trumped thrilling as the way to describe the race. More than two decades later, that race still haunts the eight men who took part and the film will take a look at what brought the men to the starting line and what happened to them since.

"There's No Place Like Home" Maura Mandt and Josh Swade October 16, 2012
On December 10, 2010, Sotheby’s auctioned off the most important historical document in sports history: James Naismith's original rules of basketball. There’s No Place Like Home is the story of one fan’s obsessive quest to win the artifact at auction and bring the rules "home" to Lawrence, Kansas, where Naismith coached and taught for more than 40 years.

"Benji" Coodie and Chike October 23, 2012
In 1984, 17-year-old Ben Wilson was a symbol of everything promising about Chicago: a beloved, sweet-natured youngster from the city's fabled South Side, and America's most talented basketball prospect. His senseless murder the day before his senior season sent ripples through Chicago and the nation.(78 minutes in length)
Note: This film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

"Ghosts of Ole Miss" Fritz Mitchell October 30, 2012
In 1962, the University of Mississippi campus erupted in violence over integration and swelled with pride over an unbeaten football team. Mississippi native Wright Thompson explores the tumultuous events that continue to shape the state 50 years later.

"You Don't Know Bo" Michael Bonfiglio December 8, 2012
Bo Jackson hit 500 ft. home runs, ran over linebackers, and—for a short period—he was the best athlete we had ever seen. You Don’t Know Bo takes a closer look at the man and marketing campaign that shaped his legacy. More than 20 years later, myths and legends still surround the famously press shy athlere, and his impossible feats still capture our collective imagination.

I'm moving this thread to ILE now; not really just ilnfl specific

Yeah, I just saw this on ile and I was all "what is going on? the world is ending!"

But okay, you just moved it. No probs.

I've watched three now.

Once Brothers had a very compelling story, but I thought it was a little stiltedly directed. I also found it hard to read Vlade... I could tell that he is now genuinely sorry to have been separated for so many years from his former teammates, but he seems maybe a bit tone deaf (esp. at the time) to the fact to the pressures this war put they and their families under. And while Vlade's explanation now about the flag thing makes some sense it's not clear how contrite he was at the time (and frankly given the events that were going on at that point I think he'd have to be really really contrite to make a difference). Also it's not clear what kind of public statements Vlade made about the war at the time either. Anyway still good, but definitely felt it could have been stronger.

The Allen Iverson Trial I really liked (I guess it might be a little dry for some folks. It manages the difficult feat of humanizing Iverson while at the same time not making him an object of pity (or even particularly likeable) which I think is a real trick. And the stuff on the trial is uniformly well done. Very honest filmmaking.

Birth of Big Air was definitely the lightest of the three and the thing that most stuck with me was how I felt incredibly sorry for Matt's wife. I also wondered how badly in debt this guy was from all his medical bills.

Pony Excess is worth watching for the Eric Dickerson content alone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f7MHvDgNMc

<3

tonight

so psyched

wtf this is like a vh1 show

Well...yeah.

yeah i didn't really dig the format

The reveal of braces on Carl Lewis's teeth after the 1987 World Championships is one of my favorite things from this series ever.

otm

damn that was fascinating. Lewis should be in politics...and his coach gives me the creeeeeeeeeeeeps

whats the braces = roids connection? are they known for fucking up ur teeth?

this was a p good one

the roids historian (or someone else) says that steroids can cause a misalignment of the jaw and that braces in yr 20's can be but is not necessarily a sign of roid use

hm i must'ev zoned out for that few seconds

HGH is known for causing enlargement of the jaw (really the whole head; one of the more frequent charges against Barry Bonds was that his head became gigantic during his career).

bonds shouldve worn full-on 80k orthodontic head gear & then a massive helmet over it

just saw that marion jones one it was the worst shit ever wtf

that one legged canadian runner one was p great tho

The marion jones one ended up being a puff piece. Disappointing.

Well Singleton's always been a softie at heart, I'd argue. (I might be alone.)

Been watching a slew of these off and on over the past couple of weeks. A couple of editing decisions aside The Two Escobars probably ranks as my favorite -- in retrospect I'm surprised something so openly nuanced about brutal social conditions and populism in Colombia made it to a massive US network like that.

The one with the news broadcasts on the day of OJ Simpson's arrest looked great but the decision to add in the backing music sucked. Unless it was some sort of metacommentary on typically overblown music for sports profiles, but even then.

yeah the music didn't bother me, that 1994 one is one of my favorites of the series.

man 9.79* was fantastic, calvin smith is a hero

this buying the rules of bball one is really repugnant

not sure i can even hate-watch it

ok alternatively the benji wilson 1 is p dope

why do i have the feeling that klostermann was intimately involved with these corny animations

Ghosts Of Ole Miss was GAAAARBAGE.

i finally watched the benji wilson ep the other weekend, it was really good

I knew zero about him or that story so I found it really interesting/sad/crazy

Bo was great. Even growing up in Alabama, nobody really knew what was real and what was legend about that guy. The doc didn't peel away any of the mystery, and it was all the better for it.

Broke sucked, 9.79* was great

Watching 9.79 now, loving it.

Bo was fantastic. Loved it. Johnny Fever otm -- keeping the myth around him made it better. He still came away seeming like Superman, lol.
And of COURSE he hunts with a bow and arrow. I said to Mr Veg I'm surprised he doesn't chase them down and choke them with his bare hands :)

Actually the doc triggered a vague memory - I *think* I saw Bo play at Comiskey Park with the White Sox in 1993. we had a 2 week exchange trip through high school, and we went to a White Sox game while we were in Chicago. I was bored out of my mind at the game though so even if I saw him I didn't 'see' him, lol.

god the animation in the bo doc, why

Just watched the Loyola/Westhead doc and it was great. I didn't like some of the filmmaking and music choices but the story is so good.

Have also seen the yugoslav team one, the reggie miller, the two escobars, the allen iverson, loved all o them

Broke sucked

Just watched this one (and Benji, which was sad/good). I understand there are some socioeconomic background factors at play with many professional athletes, and I agree with the one guy in the doc who said the universities the players come from should absolutely be preparing these kids for the cash windfalls that are about to come their way, but blowing millions of dollars on straight up bullshit in just a few years is such an alien concept to me. I want to feel sorry for a few of them, but it's hard to.

it's really less that the story was uninteresting and more that it was a poorly told doc. i think the story is actually really interesting!

watched the terry fox story on the bike this morning, highly recommended.

it's weird, netflix streaming said it's not available for streaming, then it showed up as a recommended/option from another 30 for 30 film which was available.

yeah I loved that Terry Fox episode

ha, at breakfast my kids asked what i had been watching on the trainer, and as i explained the story to them, i got so choked up i had to stop talking for a few secs. they were sorta "?????"

;_;

jimmy v one is good, prob didnt need to be 2hrs but w/e

never really noticed but a young valvano looks sorta like a very italian joe namath

pre shot clock game strategy was a trip. you can also tell this was a diff world cuz the final 4 is in ALBUQUERQUE

yeah I'm halfway through the Jimmy V -- it's funny for me because I don't actually know the story. I sort of know about Jimmy V, with him passing on from cancer and that great speech but I don't actually have the backstory. So it's kind of cool building it backwards so to speak. Love learning about this stuff!

its kinda crazy the # of missed free throws by opposing teams that gives state even the chance to move on

elway in a yanks uni looks a lot like mark teixeira

they need to go back to the corded helmet phones as the teams only means of communication on draft day

otm

that lawyer had the most insanely detailed notes.

not sure i wouldnt prefer bill simmons doing this voice over instead of kev connelley jfc