Morning all, hope you’re well.
Like many of you, I’ve been watching The Last Dance on Netflix, which follows the career of Michael Jordan, and the 1997–98 Chicago Bulls season. It is unquestionably one of the best sports documentaries I’ve ever seen. I also say this as someone who was never really ‘into’ basketball.
In recent years, as I’ve been in the US a few times, I’ve genuinely enjoyed watching college basketball, but as a kind of adjunct to having a few beers in a bar. There’s generally some sport on TV at all times, and the last few times I’ve been I’ve sat and watched games. But NBA – despite having played NBA Jam – never really did it for me. I was too into football and other stuff to give more than passing time to any other sport.
So, it’s quite strange to watch this show and both marvel at how incredible some of these players and teams were – not just Jordan, obviously – and have regrets that I missed out on something brilliant for all those years. I know we’re getting quite specific highlights, the best shots and defensive actions (is that what they’re called?), but some of it is mind-blowing. Which I know will come as no surprise to anyone who follows the sport, but there you go.
If you haven’t seen it, it’s on Netflix, they’re releasing two a week and there are six available now. Even if you couldn’t give a fish’s tit about basketball, it’s an amazing piece of documentary film-making, and the layers to the various personalities become more visible with each episode. Also, Scottie Pippen has the most amazing voice.
I think it might well be something I pay more attention to when sport starts up again, but at this point I don’t think I can pick a team to follow. It doesn’t seem right to nail your colours to a mast for no good reason. Maybe when I watch I will fall for a player or a team, in much the same way as football fans across the world looking at Bergkamp and Arsenal fell for us, but I can tell you this: it won’t be San Antonio – which is no reflection on the place or fans of that team, but you know why.
Also, Denver is out. I’ve got enough KSE in my life as it is with Arsenal, so it’ll have to be something else. I did really enjoy my time in Charlotte last summer, but their team is called the Hornets and I really don’t like Hornets at all. In the ladder of flying yellow and black things, bumblebees and honeybees are grand, because the first ones bumble – which is a hilarious sounding thing to do – and the second ones make us delicious stuff which we can eat. After that though, it’s like levels of evil. We have wasps, who are absolute bastards, and then hornets who are like gym-wasps on steroids who go to bars just start fights with people they know they can beat up.
Anyway, I’ll see what happens as and when I watch. And speaking of sports documentaries, here are a few others which I’d recommend if you haven’t seen them already. Not including ones close to home like 89 which was on TV last night but I’m sure everyone has watched that at least once.
When we were Kings
This is based around the “Rumble in the Jungle” – the famous fight in Zaire in 1974 between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. Boxing, race, politics, behind the scenes footage, and it’s amazing.
Diego Maradona
Made by Asif Kapadia – who also made brilliant films on Ayrton Senna (Senna) and Amy Winehouse (Amy), both of which I thoroughly recommend too – this film really had a big impact on my view of Maradona. As a footballer, he was obviously amazing, but as a person it was hard to find much sympathy for him and the things he did during and after his career.
What this film does so well is give you a much better look at Diego the person, while we follow the exploits of Maradona the superstar/product. It begins with his arrival in Naples to sign for Napoli, and by the end you understand his life a lot better than you did before. It doesn’t mean you necessarily condone it, but when you look at the relentless pressure he was under from an early age, it becomes clear that you need to see it from a different perspective.
Free Solo
If you have a fear of heights, this might be difficult to watch, but if you want to try and understand what drives a man to climb a sheer cliff face without any safety equipment, and where one wrong foot or hand-hold would mean death, then this is the documentary you need.
Katie
Directed by fellow Gooner Ross Whitaker, this is the story of Katie Taylor, the hugely successful Irish boxer who went from amateur to pro, and the film looks at a particularly difficult time in her life as she builds her career in the professional ranks. It’s on Netflix in the UK – watch here.
From a football point of view, Ross also made an excellent two part series called ‘The Boys in Green’ about Jack Charlton’s appointment as manager of the Republic of Ireland the success he brought to the team. I don’t know where that’s available though, it was on TV here in Ireland, but I’m sure it’ll be somewhere soon, so keep an eye out.
Right, have yourselves a great day. Back tomorrow.
