Kat Ranks: 30 for 30’s

Specifically this time of year I begin to shift to documentary mode. Much like George shifting to soup mode. For those who don’t know, I love history. It was my minor in college (along with other very nerdy things) & actually the first thing that I properly fangirled over (maybe a blog for another day). But, documentaries are one of my favorite genres because now that I am out of my academic journey and consuming it on a daily basis, I definitely dive into a documentary or docuseries more often.

My obsession with 30 for 30’s began in high school. Again, massive history nerd but on top of that I loved sports, so discovering this series was magical. Over the years, I have watched such a large amount of their catalog & in my high school public speaking class on the very topic I am writing about today. Also, that speech really should have been a sign. Talking in front of my peers for 5 minutes about the best sports documentaries? Please, give it a rest Kat. Then, in one of my Master’s courses I talked about how much these documentaries led me to understand & expand my knowledge of a lot of the background efforts and actions that are so intertwined in everyday life & influence so much. But, again, a blog for another day.

In that speech, I gave a break down of my top 5 favorite 30 for 30’s which I don’t think the rankings have changed much since 2019. Today, I will expand the list to my top 10. Mainly due to not being able to narrow it down. A lot of these have grown to become comfort watches for me. I could quote and break down each of these frame by frame.

I should put in a disclaimer that my favorite sports documentary is Last Dance. From start to finish, it is absolute perfection. The interviews, clips, background music, cultural impacts covered, etc. I literally quoted it on my Master’s application essay. I am writing this on Friday afternoon & rewatching maybe my Friday night plans. But, we aren’t here to talk about this masterpiece because it technically isn’t a 30 for 30.

Ranking

10. This Magic Moment

I spent a lot of my childhood living in the Orlando area & many of my favorite memories are from my time living down there. Once I became old enough to understand sports leagues & how they grow in terms of teams, it is what drew me to want to watch This Magic Moment. It is about the expansion of the NBA & the process of the draft along with the building of a franchise in a town ruled by Disney. It is very fascinating & I loved to see how they went about trying to get an amusement park town to care about sports.

9. Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies

I thought about whether or not to include this one specifically because it’s kind of a mini series. Best of Enemies is 3 episodes about 2 of the most historic franchises in the NBA & their rivalry. I loved the breakdown of how they discussed the turmoil & successes of each team individually and how they would eventually meet in the post season or not. Sometimes with these types docuseries, directors find they can expand out the area of focus to give us all of the information, thinking they are benefitting the viewer but I think personally, narrowing it down to a specific timeline keeps it more engaging to the viewer. So, they begin with the drafting of generational talents Larry Bird and Magic Johnson & move through their careers that caused them to meet so frequently & seemingly paralleled each other. If you are in the mood for a mini docuseries, I highly recommend.

8. Believeland

I felt wrong leaving this out. I grew up in Cleveland. I have claimed all of their teams to follow and be a loyal fan of all my life. (Until last year, I have given up the Cleveland Browns & I am on a journey of discovering a new NFL fandom for myself) Believeland covers the tragic history of all of the Cleveland franchises. Growing up in the area, you hear about all of these beautifully tragic ways any of our most promising rosters for any of our teams would lose. Throughout the duration of the film, they convey how deeply, fiercely loyal the area is to our teams no matter what happens throughout the years. I think what makes me love this so much more is that it came out prior to the 2016 NBA Championship the Cavs won, so they decided to go back & add in the win & what it meant to the city. So well done.

7. The Fab Five

As I am writing this, I am realizing how many of my favorite installments of this series are about basketball. Anyway, the Fab Five covers the 1990’s Michigan basketball team that included: Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Chris Webber, Jimmy King, & Ray Jackson. They go in depth about the recruiting process, their success & cultural influence off the court, along with the scandal that caused them to give up their Final Four banners & the infamous time out call in the National title game. I found this so intriguing because of the influence that they had off of the court. It was in a time before social media but where the media was still able to cover them in a similar way to what we could now. Can not recommend enough.

6. Elway to Marino

There is absolutely nothing I find more intriguing than the behind the scenes of any draft & how it all works and comes together. Elway to Marino takes us behind the scenes of how the 1983 NFL draft told from the point of view of their shared agent Marvin Demoff. This goes in depth about the behind the scenes discussions that were happening between the Elways & the teams that expressed interest prior to the draft & how he managed each of his clients going into the draft. This is one I go back to frequently because I find the work of an agent to be one that is glamorized & talked about a lot now, but to see how they were doing this work in the 80’s without all of the tech to make these discussions move faster is amazing.

5. Fantastic Lies

I am not a lacrosse fan & I have never claimed to be. My older brother played for a single season in high school & that’s pretty much the extent of my relationship with it. I wouldn’t be able to hold a conversation with you about the inner workings of that world, so in school when our teacher turned this on. I was absorbed in this story completely. Fantastic Lies discusses the Duke Mens lacrosse team & the party they had that led to accusations of rape causing for massive national headlines scrutinizing the players, the team, & the university. An all consuming watch about the responsibility of a university in these situations along with how players & families manage the fallout of these types of situations as they play out on a national scale & end up being false.

4. The Day the Series Stopped

San Francisco & the Bay area recently has had a rough relationship with their baseball teams with the A’s leaving. But in 1989 when both of the local teams, the Giants & the A’s met in the World Series. In the Day the Series Stopped, it covers the events leading up to & after an Earthquake hit the area the day of Game 3 of the series. It recounts all of the actions, thoughts, and the aftermath of the earthquake on the teams, players, and communities. It’s riveting to watch how the community pulled together for each other.

3. Trojan War

Guys. I love this film so much. This gives us an inside look at the Pete Carroll USC teams of the early 2000’s. It truly gives us all of the drama, insight, & thoughts revolving around how Pete Carroll worked to turn around the football program in a town that isn’t known for being a great sports town. It follows their national championship runs, the Heisman scandal of Reggie Bush, & the creating an aura for a program from nothing. The creativity in this is something I love, the format is one that is replicating writing a script for a movie or tv show. I found it seemed reflective of the energy in and around the team at that time which I thoroughly enjoyed.

2. Bad Boys

I have lost count of the amount of times I have watched this. Probably hovering somewhere in the 20’s pushing 30’s. I am learning my sweet spot for sports documentaries is anything having to do with 80’s/90’s basketball. Purely for the love of the game. This covers the mid to late 80’s into the 90’s Detriot Pistons. How the team earned their reputation & carved their way into a league dominated by the coastal powerhouses in Boston & LA. It covers a time where the league was starting to realize they were going to have to find new faces of the league because of the aging Magic & Larry but before MJ arrived on the scene. Also, it shows the rise to a new mentality in the league with the physicality and how this team allowed the individual personalities shine off court as well.

1. 4 Days in October

Maybe it’s because I think my favorite post season of any sport is baseball post season. There is something magical about October baseball. I grew up around baseball 24/7. My brothers played on travel teams & high school teams growing up. There is a picture of me at my grandparents house at the baseball fields on my 5th birthday. It’s the one sport my mom enjoys watching. I just adore it, okay? 4 Days in October goes through the 2004 ALCS championship series between the Boston Red Sox & the New York Yankees. There couldn’t be a better match up in baseball just from a history standpoint & for the ALCS title. We begin the film in the middle of the series with the Red Sox down 0-3 and heading into game 4. From there, it takes us through the following 4 games & the insane events, environments, & circumstances that occur during each of these games. To me this is a comfort viewing as well as like clockwork each October I watch at least once. The interviews & the viewing, to me puts you right there with them in reliving such a whirlwind series.

Well, there we go. My top 10 30 for 30’s. Thank you for indulging me & letting me nerd out for a little bit. I highly recommend watching all of these but if there are ones you recommend that I haven’t seen, please let me know.

Also, I highly recommend watching Best of Enemies, Bad Boys, & Last Dance for the full effect of understanding the NBA landscape in the 80’s & 90’s. Truly can not recommend enough.

Okay, talk soon.