ESPN 30 for 30

The Sparrow

http://30for30.espn.com/

To celebrate 30 years of ESPN they have commissioned 30 documentaries on sport and the great news is that ESPN America have started showing them over here. They are not all American Football but I thought this was the best forum to find American sports fans who would be interested. You have to be a subscriber of ESPN to get ESPN America but the docs are available online if you know where to look.

I just watched King's Ransom about Wayne Gretzky's trade from Edomonton to LA and it was fantastic. Each documentary was made by a famous director about a subject close to their heart. Only a handful have aired in the States as they will be on all year long. Here is the beginning of The U about the University of Miami football team:

There are loads of great sounding docs by some really interesting directors but some of the football highlights include:

http://www.espnmediazone.com/press_kits/ESPN_Films/30for30_Summaries.htm

The Band That Wouldn't Die
Directed by Barry Levinson
In late March of 1984, a moving company secretly packed up the Baltimore Colts’ belongings and its fleet of vans snuck off in the darkness of the early morning. Leaving a city of deeply devoted fans in shock and disbelief. What caused owner Robert Irsay to turn his back on a town that was as closely linked to its team as any in the NFL? Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barry Levinson (“Diner”, “The Natural”), himself a long-standing Baltimore Colts fanatic, will probe that question in light of the changing relationship of sports to community. Through the eyes of members of the Colts Marching Band, Levinson will illustrate how a fan base copes with losing the team that it loves.

Straight Outta LA
Directed by Ice Cube
In 1982 Raiders owner Al Davis beat the NFL in court and moved his team from Oakland to Los Angeles. With a squad as colorful as its owner, the Raiders captivated a large number of black and Hispanic fans in L.A. at a time when gang warfare, immigration and the real estate boom were rapidly changing the city. The L.A. Raiders morphed into a worldwide brand as the team’s colors, swagger and anti-establishment ethos became linked with the hip-hop scene that was permeating South Central Los Angeles. Rapper-turned-filmmaker Ice Cube was not only witness to this evolution, he was also a part of it. As a member of the notorious rap group N.W.A, Ice Cube helped make the silver and black culturally significant to a new generation and demographic. Still a die-hard Raiders fan, Cube will explore the unlikely marriage between the NFL’s rebel franchise and America’s glamour city and show how pro football’s outlaw team became the toast of La La Land.

Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?
Directed by Mike Tollin
In 1983 the upstart United States Football League (USFL) had the audacity to challenge the almighty NFL. The new league did the unthinkable by playing in the spring and plucked three straight Heisman Trophy winners away from the NFL. The 12-team USFL played before crowds that averaged 25,000, and started off with respectable TV ratings. But with success came expansion and new owners, including a certain high profile and impatient real estate baron whose vision was at odds with the league’s founders. Soon, the USFL was reduced to waging a desperate anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL, which yielded an ironic verdict that effectively forced the league out of business. Now, almost a quarter of a century later, Academy Award-nominated and Peabody Award-winning director Mike Tollin, himself once a USFL employee, will showcase the remarkable influence of those three years on football history and attempt to answer the question, “Who Killed the USFL?”

The U
Directed by Billy Corben
Throughout the 1980s, Miami, Florida, was at the center of a racial and cultural shift taking place throughout the country. Overwhelmed by riots and tensions, Miami was a city in flux, and the University of Miami football team served as a microcosm for this evolution. The image of the predominantly white university was forever changed when coach Howard Schnellenberger scoured some of the toughest ghettos in Florida to recruit mostly black players for his team. With a newly branded swagger, inspired and fueled by the quickly growing local Miami hip hop culture, these Hurricanes took on larger-than-life personalities and won four national titles between 1983 and 1991. Filmmaker Billy Corben, a Miami native and University of Miami alum, will tell the story of how these “Bad Boys” of football changed the attitude of the game they played, and how this serene campus was transformed into “The U.”

The Legend of Jimmy The Greek
Directed by Fritz Mitchell
“The NFL Today” on CBS was one of the preeminent sports programs on television in the early 1980s. It was a perfect combination of reporting, analysis, predictions, humor and talent. But there was no personality on the show more popular than Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder. Born in Steubenville, Ohio, to Greek immigrants, Jimmy overcame childhood tragedy, moved to Las Vegas, and eventually became the biggest name in the world of sports handicapping. When CBS added him as an “analyst” on “The NFL Today,” “The Greek” not only further increased his stature as a sort of national folk hero, but he also gained an air of respectability never before associated with gamblers. Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Fritz Mitchell, who broke in as an intern on “The NFL Today,” will examine Snyder’s impact on the growth of sports gambling, while also taking a fresh look at The Greek’s tragic downfall.

The Best That Never Was
Directed by Jon Hock
In 1981, college athletic recruiting changed forever as a dozen big-time football programs sat waiting for the decision by a physically powerful and lightning-quick high school running back named Marcus Dupree. Having already graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, Dupree attracted recruiters from schools in every major conference to his hometown of Philadelphia, Miss. More than a decade removed from being a flashpoint in the civil-rights struggle, Philadelphia was once again thrust back into the national spotlight. Dupree took the attention in stride, and committed to Oklahoma. What followed, though, was a forgettable college career littered with conflict, injury and oversized expectations. Eight-time Emmy Award winner Jon Hock will examine why this star burned out so young and how he ultimately used football to redeem himself.

June 17, 1994
Directed by Brett Morgen
Do you remember where you were on June 17, 1994? Thanks to a wide array of unrelated, coast-to-coast occurrences, this Friday has come to be known for its firsts, lasts, triumphs and tragedy. Arnold Palmer played his last round at a U.S. Open, in Oakmont, Pa., the FIFA World Cup kicked off in Chicago, the Rangers celebrated on Broadway, Patrick Ewing desperately pursued a long evasive championship in the Garden and Donald Fehr stared down the baseball owners. And yet, all of that was a prelude to O.J. Simpson leading America on a slow speed chase in a white Ford Bronco around Los Angeles. Oscar-nominated and Peabody Award-winning director Brett Morgen will artistically weave these moments and others to create a unique and reflective look at a day that no sports fan could forget.

The docs are a bit hidden on ESPN America and they have been airing them for a few weeks. I just went through the ESPN America schedule and Sky +'d them all. Over the next couple of days the schedule is:

Without Bias Thurs 4th March 8am
The Legend of Jimmy the Greek Fri 5th March 8am
The U Sat 6th of March 4.30am

tallaghtoutlaws

I only watched 2 of them so far:

The U and Small Potatoes. Both very good episodes. Downloaded the rest of them the other day. Most likely only watch the football ones though.

TheHeadhunter

do either of u lads know where i can get these online as i dont have espn?

Royal Seahawk

The Jimmy The Greek one is excellent , sad to see the way he finished up.

frostie500

Great show each ep has given me a lot of insight into some stories that I only knew bits and pieces about, the Len Bias episode is well worth a view.

The Sparrow

TheHeadhunter wrote: »

do either of u lads know where i can get these online as i dont have espn?

Mods are we allowed to link to sites where these can be downloaded?

Also, you can download podcast interviews here with some of the directors about the docs:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/podcast/archive?id=4531638

Frisbee

The Sparrow wrote: »

Mods are we allowed to link to sites where these can be downloaded?

If it's a legal site then it's no problem. But no links to Torrents etc.

Cheers

kmart6

Thanks for the heads up!

bruschi

if anyone knows where the best that never was and straight outta LA can be got, could they PM me please. I got all the others, but on torrents so wont say where. PM if anyone wants.

themont85

bruschi wrote: »

if anyone knows where the best that never was and straight outta LA can be got, could they PM me please. I got all the others, but on torrents so wont say where. PM if anyone wants.

Haven't been released yet according to the 30 for 30 website. The former doesnt have an air date and the latter isnt till May!

bruschi

themont85 wrote: »

Haven't been released yet according to the 30 for 30 website. The former doesnt have an air date and the latter isnt till May!

ah right, cheers for that. will keep an eye out for it then