Sports as art

I very seldom give ESPN any respect nowadays. Mainly because every story I read about the backstage atmosphere makes the Bristol campus seem like a modern day Caligula. I swear in about two weeks we are going to be reading about Chris Berman hosting key parties. Debauchery aside though, I must give them credit for their 30 on 30 series. Twice in the past week I have had to drop everything in order to watch one of the films.

The first was on the USFL. Now I am in the wonderful age group that just loved the USFL. I was eight or nine when it debuted so with no true allegiances formed yet I was free to become a huge fan of the Chicago Blitz with Tim Spencer in the backfield and Trumaine Johnson the kick ass wide receiver. I can still name most, if not all, of the franchises and it may be one of my favorite leagues of all time. Which made the story of the history of the league all the more interesting.

See, if you ask people today about the USFL most would shove it in the same category as the XFL in terms of it being an absolute flop. Except that was is no way true. The league had Heisman Trophy winners, strong ratings and pretty solid television coverage. A lot of Hall of Famers played in the league and the games were always fun and exciting. Add in the fact that it gave us instant replay, the two point conversion and Burt Reynolds as a team owner and you have a great league.

Plus, spring football was a wonderful idea especially in the early cable era. People forget that college basketball didn’t really take over as a huge sport until the late 80’s. March Madness didn’t even have 64 teams when the USFL started. February and March were horrible times for sports because football was over, baseball hadn’t started and basketball and hockey were still making their way towards the playoffs. There is a reason why Sports Illustrated always published the Swimsuit Issue in February. There are simply no sports to talk about during that month. Having football in the spring was awesome. I still wish someone would give it a chance with a developmental league.

But the USFL is a story of failure featuring Donald Trump. He really did help to demolish the league with the foolish notion of taking on the NFL, moving to a fall schedule and suing the league in a case they would win and lose at the same time. The NFL wouldn’t be where it is today in terms of popularity, player’s salaries and expansion if it wasn’t for the USFL. Great to see a film that memorializes that fact.

The second film touches on a little known aspect of my personality. Some people know (and the rest will once I finish this sentence) that if there is one sport that I have a natural understanding of it is boxing. That will make no sense if you know the way I am as I look like someone who has never been in a fight in his entire life. That is true but I grew up watching boxing, I come from a family with a history of champion boxers, and it is the one sport that I gravitate towards naturally. As a result watching a film on the Holmes – Ali fight is just mesmerizing.

The fight took place in 1980 and while I don’t remember it I do remember the aftermath and the even more ill-fated Ali – Trevor Berbick fight that followed. Watching training footage of Ali in 1980 can only be described as sad, to the point where you are stunned that they allowed him to fight. Physically he looked great and in no way had the body of a 38 year old. But listening to him talk you can hear the words begin to slur and his vocal rhythm being just a little bit off. In the ring it wasn’t that he had lost a step but seemed to be just a little more confused. Even working the speed bag it just didn’t look right.

Much of this is viewed through the lens of history. We know the story of Ali and what he has become so we are trained to look for those signs in his later fights. But even with that anyone who understands boxing could see it in his movements that he was not in any condition to fight the champ. And the fight itself where Holmes, who was Ali’s sparring partner years earlier, just pummeled him round after round while Howard Cosell discusses how horrible it is to see a great fighter’s legacy destroyed in such a fashion is truly heartbreaking. Which raises the question, why did the fight take place and why did people bet on Ali?

More than anything, more than being one of the best heavyweights of all time, Ali was a showman. There is something to be said that his growing up a fan of Gorgeous George and pro wrestling contributed to his success. He was the first athlete to take the theatrical aspects of pro wrestling and apply it to his sport. He made you believe that anything could happen, that miracles were in the script. Given his career and his fights against Foreman and Liston and Frasier he even had the resume to back up the most amazing claims. He fought because in a movie he would have won. But as history has shown, life is not like a movie.

Again, great series for those who are interested in the stories behind sports.