ESPN 30 for 30

[barryconvex]

Brian Bosworth is also a pretty solid actor. Surprisingly so...If he ever gets a role outside of the b-movie action wasteland...he would be perfect in a Michael Bay movie, for instance...

[flyonthewall2983]

Not too surprising after watching it, given that his turbulent background means he could channel some deeper places in his acting than some other athlete-turned-actors. I liked it a lot too, especially seeing Jim Ross as one of the talking heads.

[domino harvey]

20 Disc Blu-ray set coming next week

[FrauBlucher]

It's a must get for any sports fan. And it's hands down the best thing that comes out of Bristol.

[flyonthewall2983]

Love that packaging.

[mfunk9786]

Give me a relatively slimline digi that can fit on my shelf any day! I don't seem to be seeing any information about a "Volume 2" being released to go with the previous release of the first 30 docs, which is pretty frustrating. I don't know what the logic is in just re-releasing the stuff a lot of people already have and sticking the next round of films in too. Aside from making a bunch of cash, of course.

[jindianajonz]

I don't know what the logic is in just re-releasing the stuff a lot of people already have and sticking the next round of films in too.

You mean the "Downton Abbey Strategy"?

[BigMack3000]

If the list of films here is accurate: http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-relea ... ollection/

I really don't understand the point of this set. It's missing the last 10 films of season 2 (probably because season 2 hasn't finished yet). So Are we suppose to buy this set and then pick up another one in two months with those last 10 films? Are they just not going to release those last 10?

[flyonthewall2983]

I watched both The U and it's recent sequel, picking up where the first left off and talking about it's more recent glories and scandals. One can be swayed by the brotherly bond the team had over the years (even with guys like Michael Irvin still being invested in the team long after he left and was a superstar in the NFL in his own right), but it's also a little sad how the corrupt nature of Miami seeps it's way into even higher education with all the Nevin Shapiro stuff. And yet the school looks a little more squeaky clean in the end compared to what the NCAA was up to.

[Andre Jurieu]

... but it's also a little sad how the corrupt nature of Miami seeps it's way into even higher education...

Yeah, I think Dan Le Batard had the most accurate perspective on how the program is basically an almost perfect reflection of the community and is essentially a product of the general atmosphere of the city.

And yet the school looks a little more squeaky clean in the end compared to what the NCAA was up to.

This position seems to always pop up in all the ESPN docs about any successful NCAA program that was eventually investigated and/or cited for some combination of violations and corruption. While it is fairly accurate that the entire NCAA system is archaic, flawed, and hypocritical, I always feel really uneasy with how readily and effortlessly these docs embrace the perspective that the tactics of these programs and the behavior of these individuals are somehow easily excused and somewhat justified because the system they operate under is problematic.

The biggest surprise/most hilarious moment from The U: Part 2 was Greg Olsen's rapper-name (I had forgotten about that recording getting released).

[flyonthewall2983]

New short Wrestling The Curse, about the Von Erich pro wrestling dynasty and tragedy. For anyone who watches that and is possibly interested in the story more, I highly recommend Heroes of World Class. It's a deeply interesting and ultimately sad story. Interesting in how the company nearly positioned itself to be a nationwide (and even worldwide, their program was being pirated in Israel and they eventually did a tour of that country) wrestling phenomena just before the WWF did. And sad not just because of the deaths of the Von Erich guys, but the deaths of Gino Hernandez and Bruiser Brody among others.

[FrauBlucher]

I'm dating myself but I remember when his father was wrestling. He also wrestled as part of a tag team with someone billed as his brother, Waldo Von Erich. Probably no relation in real life. I did catch this yesterday. Indeed a sad story.

[flyonthewall2983]

At one point during their huge run they introduced "Lance Von Erich", a wrestler who actually had no blood relation but was used because they were running 2-3 towns a night. He was billed as Waldo's son and their cousin. The fans saw right through it and eventually Fritz had to go on TV and spill the beans.

[flyonthewall2983]

The network's program E:60 is soon presenting WWE: Behind the Curtain, a look at their NXT training program, featuring some of their up and coming talent and bigger names from the past like Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin. There's been talk that this (and the recent airtime the network has been giving WWE, namely Brock Lesnar announcing on SportsCenter his new deal with the company) is being done to possibly get the company to participate in an upcoming 30 For 30 on Andre The Giant. If that's true this recent article from CBS Sports is as good as any primer on why his story is so deserving a spot in this series.

[flyonthewall2983]

Sole Man is an interesting entry, about the big business created by the Air Jordan brand that would eventually allow Nike the luxury of outsourcing work to Chinese slave labor. That aside I thought it at least admirable how Sonny Vaccaro went after the NCAA towards the end. I've been on the fence about college students getting paid, but if the NCAA should put out video games featuring (and depending on) image and likeness of former players, there should be some compensation.

[flyonthewall2983]

Slaying The Badger has become a recent favorite of mine. Sometimes the charm of this series is learning about the intricacies of a sport I knew relatively nothing about before. My knowledge of cycling began and ended with Lance Armstrong. I hadn't realized an American had won the Tour de France before him, nor honestly cared that much. But it didn't take that long for me to admire Greg LeMond's accomplishments while watching the film.

[Andre Jurieu]

I'll echo the praise for Slaying the Badger, as it's is likely my favorite recent entry in the series. I remember LaMond's battles well from my childhood since I spent almost every morning and afternoon in July watching the Tour de France (usually in between watching Wimbledon coverage). That routine served as inspiration for most of my summer evenings in my early teens, where I biked to the local tennis courts to play for at least two or three hours.

Those initial images of LaMond's struggle to overcome everything he encountered in Europe are likely part of the reason that I really had a deep distaste for Armstrong and his massive (which was so over-the-top that it felt entirely hollow) ego when Lance started winning his initial titles. The first Tour I watched was actually LeMond's return after recovering from the buckshot accident, so I didn't actually have a great sense of his initial battles with Hinault, even though they were often referred to on the broadcasts. I'm glad that they chose those early battles between LaMond and Hinault as the topic of one of these docs, not only because it allowed me to better understand the rivalry I was never able to watch unfold, but also because it provides some recognition of LaMond's achievements which have oddly been ignored by everyone.

As for Sole Man, the smartest/shrewdest creative choice in that entire documentary is having most of the early events/actions that Vaccaro was involved in conveyed through animation so that it seems entirely humorous, harmless, and something he just lucked into by being such a people-person. In reality, Vacarro's methods were fairly guileful and what ultimately Vaccaro created is kind of an immoral wasteland that exploits a lot of young men through false hope. I say that as someone involved within that sector/industry of the sport. I routinely walk into gyms and wonder how any parent would allow their child to be influenced by the people surrounding these athletes (then I usually watch the parents in the stands and often realize the problem isn't just with the atmosphere). While that's not completely Vaccaro's fault since the industry has expanded absurdly and some of the atmosphere is simply created by all the people interested and involved within an industry where results matter far more than methods, it's kind of misleading to make it appear as though Vaccaro was just a colorful cartoon-ish character who take advantage of an opportunity.

Also, as much as I do think the NCAA is also exploiting their student-athletes for almost appalling financial gains, I'm getting kind of tired of ESPN's repeated stance that the NCAA is a completely evil institution and everyone else is just trying to hustle for what's theirs within a corrupt game. There are just too many unsavory characters who ESPN seems to attempt to absolve of their questionable conduct with the excuse that everyone should blame the NCAA for being responsible for rigging the game. In reality, if both individuals and institutions don't also start taking responsibility for their actions, the system will not get solved just by compensating athletes - it will just be adding another incentive to cut corners and win in any way possible.

[flyonthewall2983]

This Fall's lineup of films. Trailer

[EricJ]

Went three years back in the thread, and nobody's yet mentioned Four Days in October, from the first run--
Which mercifully gets away from all the "loyal Red Sox fans" cliche's and reminds us just how gripping the games actually were in the Boston vs. NYC '04 Series, and just how low the Yankees were willing to sink into bad-sport villainy just to hold on to what was "theirs".

And June 17, 1994 turns into the most oddly touching documentary by the end when the Talking Heads' "Heaven" comes on the soundtrack, as the running news-feed flood of the day's sports events runs up against our national mania for The White Bronco, and a tragic sense of all the history we threw away without realizing...

[flyonthewall2983]

Really liked The '85 Bears. Never have I seen a group of guys still so proud of what they accomplished.

[Drucker]

Funny I think the one on the Detroit Pistons being badass was even better and produced the same effect for me. Those guys were so proud to fight the establishment.

[flyonthewall2983]

That's definitely up there too. How a lot of these films underline how important the collective mindset is to any athletic team is impressive on a story-telling level. It's more prevalent among the ones about college sports, but the Bears and Pistons guys have nearly the same bond.

Really liked Steve McMichael, having only known him from watching him in WCW I wouldn't have considered how direct and frankly eloquent he could get about his stuff.

[Polybius]

Funny I think the one on the Detroit Pistons being badass was even better and produced the same effect for me. Those guys were so proud to fight the establishment.

I was just a fan and it was completely exhilarating for me. If you're willing to embrace that, it can be a lot of fun.

Speaking of embracing villainy...does anyone else love I Hate Christian Laetner as much as I do? Not because I agree with the premise of the title (I loved Duke hoops then and for about a decade afterward) but because, among many other virtues, it does a nice job of outlining why most of the given reasons don't hold up to logic.

Ultimately visceral dislike isn't something that is explainable through reason so that's not that big a deal, it just amuses me to see (for example) UNC fans bitching about Duke being entitled and winning all the time.

[barryconvex]

...and nobody's yet mentioned Four Days in October...

ugh...i'm still pretending those four days didn't happen. i remember not leaving my house for a week afterwards except for absolute necessities. i avoided all print and sports related media until thanksgiving. and i didn't even have any money riding on that series. in fact, this was around the time i started buying criterion dvds because i knew it was one place where there would be absolutely no talk of baseball. the one 30x30 film i will never watch...

[flyonthewall2983]

The first 30 film-set Blu-ray is on sale at Amazon for 15 bucks