SCOTT JACOBS

Today ESPN concluded their groundbreaking 30 for 30 series.  Hopefully it ushers in a new era of sports journalism.  Because what ESPN did in handing the reigns of their series over to some of the biggest and brightest in Hollywood and afar is it re-lit the torch for the little guy. For the big guy. For the story we all knew about, but didn’t know the details. For the chaos we never had a clue about in a country we knew even less about.

In a sports world, now dominated by big-market teams and biased sports coverage, ESPN unplugged their very own biases and put the stories in the hands of different people. People not afraid to bring an edge with them. People who saw stories where the average person may have seen nothing.

In ESPN’s 30 for 30 series, we got film-making at it’s finest. Investigative journalism at it’s most beautiful. Tales from both sides of the story, whether you wanted to hear both sides or not.

I haven’t had a chance to watch all 30, but the ones I have watched have mostly been spectacular, entertaining, and most of all riveting theater. For a channel that re-defined sports and the respective coverage of them, it was a match made in heaven to see them turn over some of the power to some familiar and unfamiliar faces. With it came 30 documentaries. Each with it’s own spin. Each with it’s own tale to tell. Some mind-blowing. Others previously untold.

So ESPN puts a bow on this tribute to the last 30 years in sports, but I hope this is just the beginning. There are so many fascinating stories in the world of sports both big and small that people should hear. Hopefully the produced series by the brilliant Bill Simmons will spur a new dynamic in sports film-making.

King’s Random – Have yet to see it.

The Band that Wouldn’t Die – A great piece on the Baltimore Colts Band, a group of people that helped lure football back to the city. I never knew they existed before the story.

Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL? – A cool look at the short lived USFL, a league that had potential beyond anything that I had ever known about, but ultimately failed because of ill-fated decisions. One of those entertaining documentaries that makes you wonder ‘what if?’ A really good film.

Muhammad and Larry – Have yet to see it.

Without Bias – Have yet to see it.

The Legend of Jimmy the Greek - Have yet to see it.

The U – A riveting look at the “Convicts” who put Miami on the map, and the problems that nearly eliminated one of college football’s most colorful dynasties. I had no idea “The U” had so much influence on so many college football rules.

Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. the Knicks – A good film about the rise of Reggie Miller and his much celebrated rivalry with the Knicks and Spike Lee. Good, not great.

Guru of Go – Have yet to see it.

No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson – Allen Iverson’s 1993 trial is revisitedin a long, and sometimes slow film that leaves the question: what really happened in a Virginia bowling alley was A.I. was in high school.

Silly Little Game – Have yet to see it.

Run Ricky Run – Have yet to see it.

The 16th Man – Have yet to see it.

Straight Outta L.A. – Have yet to see it.

June 17, 1994 – Have yet to see it.

The Two Escobars - A riveting, horrifying, trip through Columbia’s short lived soccer empire. Done almost entirely in spanish, The Two Escobars is still a must see movie experience, one that will leave you chilled long after the final credits have rolled.

The Birth of Big Air – Have yet to see it.

Jordan Rides the Bus – A really fun look at Michael Jordan’s Birmingham Barons baseball experiment. A  cool look at how his presence forever changed the Barons and how he almost made it to The Show.

Little Big Men - Have yet to see it..

One Night in Vegas - Have yet to see it.

Unmatched – A look back at Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova’s well chronicled rivalry, and their lesser publicized friendship. While interesting, it was not one of the series’ best.

The House of Steinbrenner – Have yet to see it.

Into the Wind – A very sad, very inspirational story from NBA star Steve Nash. Terry Fox’s run across Canada to get support for cancer research is a fantastic one, and a tale that I never knew about before 30 for 30. Tales like these made this series’ special.

Four Days in October – Have yet to see it.

Once Brothers - A little long, and a little sluggish, the story of Serbian stars Dražen Petrovi? and Vlade Divac is nevertheless interesting. The footage and commentary is pretty intense at times.

Tim Richmond: To the Limit – I never knew about Richmond’s story or his battle with AIDS. This brought to light both about a man could have been the king of NASCAR.

Fernando Nation – Have yet to see it.

Marion Jones: Press Pause - Have yet to see it.

The Best that Never Was – Not a must see film, but an interesting behind the scene tale of Marcus Dupree, whose high school highlights, old as they may be, will blow your mind.

Pony Excess - A terrific film that cap a must see series. Excess documents the death penalty imposed on SMU for not knowing when to get out of their own way. Leaves one to wonder how many other schools have cheated/are cheating.

As you can see I have a lot of films to see. I’ve only seen 13 of the 30, but the ones I have seen were at the very worst entertaining. The Two Esccobars was the best in my opinion because it left me startled. As I see more of these great stories I can begin to fill in the blanks on the missing 17.

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