The Part Where I Cried

I don't know why sports documentaries always get to me. One of my favorite parts of the Olympics has always been the incredible Bud Greenspan documentaries that follow them. I believe I have cried while watching every one of them. Probably more than once.


Not to say that my chain can be jerked that easily. Sure, I have cried at one or two Disney sports films (Miracle, for instance) but will not reach for a hanky every time the slow-clap sequence starts, signalling that the protagonist has overcome overwhelming odds or finally won the hearts of the crowd. But - come to think of it - I would not mind having a slow-clap at my funeral one day. Keep it in mind, folks.


Recently, ESPN launched a documentary series called 30 for 30, and like the Greenspan films, my eyes have welled up during every one so far.

• "Kings Ransom" - Gretzky gets traded to the Kings. I remember just being baffled when this happened, and thought it must have meant Gretzky was incredibly greedy. I take it back. I didn't care for the overly dramatic jump cuts throughout this film, and still don't understand how the owner of the Oilers thought they would ever lose money if they had Gretzky, but this did a solid job examining the trade. WHERE I CRIED: Gretzky's inability to finish his sentences during his press conference at that hokey little log cabin building, because he was so torn up about leaving Edmonton.
  
  



• "Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?" - The rise and quick demise of the USFL. My favorite film of the series so far, since I remember being amused at how low-key and fun the league seemed and that it brought teams to smaller cities without other pro sports franchises. Donald Trump killed it by deciding he needed to prove he could be better than the NFL. He's an asshole. I really enjoyed the section where Jim Kelly and Steve Young reminisce about "The Greatest Game No One Ever Saw". WHERE I CRIED: Saw this one a while ago, so I can't remember more details, but there's a scene where one of the former players talked about how much fun the league was and how it was the best time of his life, then when it folded he didn't get to keep playing. The weight of his bittersweet dream that ended too soon got to me.
  
  



• "Muhammad and Larry" - The fight between Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes that never should've happened, because Ali was in no shape to fight a current champion and it put a really sad bookend on his career. I'm sure it wasn't easy to argue with him, since he had so much bravado and was so loved, but it's too bad someone couldn't talk Ali out of it. WHERE I GOT MISTY: An interviewer mentions to Ali that he'd been talking to Holmes, and Ali keeps demanding to know "What'd he say about me? What'd he say about me?" The interviewer responds, "He said he liked you." Ali nods quietly and said "I like him, too." WHERE I CRIED: Ali is taking pictures with a dorky little white boy in glasses, and the kid starts shadow boxing with him. Ali chuckles, and takes the kid's glasses off. The parents are talking in the background and you can tell they don't want to impose or take too much of Ali's time, but the kid gamely keeps at it, and Ali is happy to play along with him and taps him on the head.
  
  



• "The Legend of Jimmy the Greek" - about - well, Jimmy the Greek. Namely how he brought gambling out into the mainstream, his rather tumultuous relationship with the co-stars on the CBS football show, and the ridiculous racist remarks that got him shut out of the public eye. WHERE I CRIED: Jimmy and his wife lost 3 of their children to cystic fibrosis. When speaking about their adult son in an interview, Jimmy's wife started out calm, but then started saying they knew what the outcome would be... and broke down crying. I was so sad for both of them, and for the siblings who survived - but also sad that Jimmy's response was to create even more distance between himself and his son since he apparently couldn't deal with the pain of losing him.
  
  



• "The U" - the rise of the University of Miami football team in the 80s. The first in the series to be given 2 hours. Which seems fitting for the hubris of Miami. Initially, I found the story to be inspiring - a city rejuvenated by sport, and a willingness to reach across the tracks to promote local talent - but in the end, I was left thinking they were kind of a bunch of assholes. This was encapsulated by Randal Hill saying you should blame everyone else in the world for his over-the-top celebrating, but don't blame him. I found this "my celebrating wasn't my fault" attitude a lot more offensive than any of the actual celebrating, which I admit was kind of entertaining. WHEN I CRIED: I didn't. I almost got choked up when the first coach talked about his regret at leaving the school after such a short tenure, but that was it.
  
  


• "Without Bias" - the incredible promise and terribly sudden death of Len Bias. This was a terrific entry in the series, and very moving. The poor kid made one bad decision that I could see a lot of people - not just young famous athletes - making. WHEN I CRIED: Oddly enough, I didn't cry here, either. I think because the whole story was so sad. The saddest moments were flashbacks of his parents, receiving the Celtics jersey Len didn't get to wear, and the father being interviewed after the death of another son.