Still drawing a blank

Strange to see thereallt @bodyslamming it on this countdown.

4. When We Were Kings 

Have a feeling thereallt is finally on the board.

I like When We Were Kings , interesting doc and learning about a sport and time I wasn't super versed in. It's not something I ever go back to at all and probably never will. I respected the craftmenship and story enough though to still throw it a spot at #10.

Finally.


When We Were Kings was my #3 one of the most thrilling boxing documentaries ever made. Very few sports have a better story-telling quality than boxing does and it really comes through on this documentary.

When We Were Kings was my number 5. It did a tremendous job at giving a sense of the build to the Rumble in The Jungle and showing different sides to Ali and Foreman's personalities.

When We Were Kings got a lot of hype back in the day. I've only seen a few clips though.

But I have seen enough to know it features The Man, The Myth, The Legend....



George Plimpton: PW Draw confirmed

3. Senna 

I had Senna ranked at #9 Not a huge racing fan, but Senna was probably the greatest F1 driver of all-time and his death came a huge shock, easily equal to that of Earnhardt's

In the Mount Rushmore of Brazilian sports, you would have three soccer players (Most likey it'd be Pele, Marta, and Ronaldo), and more likely than not, you'd have Ayrton Senna on it too.

He was god-like in his home country.

Jun 25, 2020 22:52:17 GMT CM Punk'd said:

In the Mount Rushmore of Brazilian sports, you would have three soccer players (Most likey it'd be Pele, Marta, and Ronaldo), and more likely than not, you'd have Ayrton Senna on it too.

He was god-like in his home country.

Anderson Silva or Amanda Nunes would have a pretty good shot of making it.  MMA is huge in Brazil, 

Senna was my number 2, perhaps only Wayne Gretzky or Michael Jordan could compare as a shear genius in their particular sport. Ayrton Senna just had a different aura about him that very few sportsmen had, his competitive drive was on another level. I was a huge F1 fan when Senna was at his peak winning 3 world championships in a 4 year stretch. Plus I'll never forget how he lapped the far superior active suspension Williams/Renaults in a second rate McLaren/Ford at a soaked Donnington in 1993, probably the best example of his otherworldly skills. I loved how the documentary told his story through race footage and private home videos with no talking heads. Seeing his onboard camera footage still sends chills down my spine and seeing his ultimate fate at the end had me in tears just like it did in 1994, I'll admit it.

The folks at PW far exceeded my expectations on this one. I didn't think Senna would even place.

And going back to his early F1 days, I think he was still the best, even at that time. Even though Lauda and Prost won titles during that time, that was helped in part due to McLaren's masterful Porsche, and later Honda turbos. Senna's team, Lotus, had an inferior car at the time, and had no business being in contention for wins. But Ayrton's driving made up for the car's underperformance, and got him some well earned wins.

Can you imagine if Lotus had the power those McLarens did back then? They probably would still be in F1 today.

Jun 26, 2020 5:25:10 GMT CM Punk'd said:

And going back to his early F1 days, I think he was still the best, even at that time. Even though Lauda and Prost won titles during that time, that was helped in part due to McLaren's masterful Porsche, and later Honda turbos. Senna's team, Lotus, had an inferior car at the time, and had no business being in contention for wins. But Ayrton's driving made up for the car's underperformance, and got him some well earned wins.

Can you imagine if Lotus had the power those McLarens did back then? They probably would still be in F1 today.

Those Lotus/Renaults had plenty of power but were so unreliable. Due to regulations the 88' McLaren/Honda's were pumping out around 800-900 horsepower. Senna's 1985/86 Lotus's were around the 1200 horsepower mark I believe second only to the Benetton/BMW combination. Senna could always do his trademark kamikaze qualifying laps in the early days but he also lacked a bit in race craft back then which also hurt him. I can't count how many times he would lead for 50 or 60 laps then run out of fuel in the early days. His chassis on the Lotus/Honda in his last year with the team was a truck in comparison to the Williams/Honda as well. He was much more consistent that year but I think he only got 1 pole position.

Obviously the biggest what if was getting all the bugs worked out on the FW16 in '94. He could have been a triple world champion again just with Williams had they got their ducks in a row and he lived.

2. The Last Dance 

The Last Dance was incredible and I was riveted by it from the beginning and it was must see TV for me. Granted that was probably helped by the fact there were no real sports happening and this was the freshest piece of content out there but still - for someone who only vaguely knew the whole story along with some of the little things of Michaels career it was really fascinating to get that perspective on it. Also the interviews with Michael himself were some of the best parts.

Tough one to rank because it's so new but #2 doesn't even seem that outlandish for something years in the making and brilliantly crafted.

I'm shock that either Hoop Dreams, or O.J.: Made In America won't make the list.

Shame that only one of them's gonna make it.

I'm shocked my pick for number 1 might not even make the list and it was neither OJ or Hoop Dreams.

I still need to catch up on The Last Dance but what I have seen has been very good. It got on my honorable mentions list and I have no qualms with it being number 2.

Jun 26, 2020 18:40:29 GMT CM Punk'd said:

I'm shock that either Hoop Dreams, or O.J.: Made In America won't make the list.

Shame that only one of them's gonna make it.

Even worse Unforgiveable Blackness, The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson probably won't make the list   If you haven't seen it, get on it.

1. Hoop Dreams 

Hoop Dreams is great , especially remember watching it back in the day and loving it. I haven't went back to it in forever so I'm not sure how well it holds up today on rewatch but I can't imagine that it falls a ton. #5 on my list only because it's so long and thus the reason I don't go back to it as much as some of the 30 for 30's which are an easier rewatch.

Not shocked at all its #1.

My Top 10.

1. Hoop Dreams
2. O.J.: Made In America
3. Senna
4. The Last Dance
5. Ken Burns' Baseball
6. The U
7. Pony Excess
8. Survive and Advance
9. Free Spirits
10. June 17, 1994

1. Magic and Bird: A Courtship Of Rivals
2. Senna
3. Celtics/Lakers: Best Of Enemies
4. Wayne Gretzky: Above And Beyond
5. When We Were Kings
6. June 17th, 1994
7. You Don't Know Bo
8. The Fab Five
9. Tyson
10. Doc & Darryl

Magic and Bird was so well put together by HBO sports, it was the template for ESPN's Celtics/Lakers 30 for 30. It really brought across how different they were as personalities but how similar their careers played out. It's actually on youtube for those who missed it. It was based on the book When The Game Was Ours which is also a fantastic read.

Wayne Gretzky: Above and Beyond was frequently borrowed from my library back in the day. It did a great job of making Gretzky's accomplishments seem Herculean as they had the classic big voice movie trailer guy do the narration. Only an hour it just breezes by, also available on youtube.

Yo Don't Know Bo catches up with Bo Jackson over two decades after he was making headlines. We find him living in seclusion with his archery equipment then they go through his Paul Bunyan like athletic feats, an awesome 30 for 30 installment.

I was always fascinated by the parallel career paths of Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden, the two most electrifying players in baseball while I was growing up. Hearing they were making a 30 for 30 on them had me excited and they churned out another fine episode. Darryl and Doc's story is framed around both of them chatting about their successes and excesses over coffee at a NYC cafe. We also find out that after nearly 3 decades of struggles Doc is still a work in progress while Darryl finally has his life straight as a motivational speaker.

I have an affinity for controversial athletes and the Tyson documentary hit all the right notes contrasting Tyson's destructive nature both in and out of the ring.

You know what was a really great sports documentary that I just remembered?

The one about the Colombia Soccer Team.

1.Lawrence Taylor: A Football Life
2.Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
3.When We Were Kings
4.Hoop Dreams
5.The Last Dance
6.Tyson
7.O.J. Made in America
8.Do You Believe in Miracles?
9. Senna
10.Pumping Iron

Unforgivable Blackness not making the list is well......unforgivable. Seriously a must watch.


On a side note, I actually met Muhammad Ali with my father when I was 11 years old.  He was in Ft.Bragg promoting the Islamic faith.   I can say right now despite the Parkinson's and his worsening condition I was 100% in complete fucking awe.  Shaking his hand was like shaking the hand of a god it's an experience I will never forget.

Jun 28, 2020 1:46:08 GMT thereallt said:

1.Lawrence Taylor: A Football Life
2.Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
3.When We Were Kings
4.Hoop Dreams
5.The Last Dance
6.Tyson
7.O.J. Made in America
8.Do You Believe in Miracles?
9. Senna
10.Pumping Iron

Unforgivable Blackness not making the list is well......unforgivable. Seriously a must watch.


On a side note, I actually met Muhammad Ali with my father when I was 11 years old.  He was in Ft.Bragg promoting the Islamic faith.   I can say right now despite the Parkinson's and his worsening condition I was 100% in complete fucking awe.  Shaking his hand was like shaking the hand of a god it's an experience I will never forget.

That’s fucking dope. 

I had Ken Burns' Baseball at #3 and a bunch of 30 For 30s at 4-10

My Top 2 were tapes I wore the hell out of growing up.

#1 was Why Not: The Story of the 1989 Baltimore Orioles, which I must have watched at least 100 times over the years.
#2 was shinobimusashi favorite Super Sunday: a history of the Super Bowl up to Super Bowl XXII.

Jun 28, 2020 0:20:35 GMT KING KID said:

You know what was a really great sports documentary that I just remembered?

The one about the Colombia Soccer Team.

You mean The Two Escobars?

Jun 30, 2020 6:33:59 GMT CM Punk'd said:

Jun 28, 2020 0:20:35 GMT KING KID said:

You know what was a really great sports documentary that I just remembered?

The one about the Colombia Soccer Team.

You mean The Two Escobars?

Yes. I loved that one. It was fascinating.