Michael Tollin helms this film in the ESPN 30 for 30 series, and of the 3 I have seen thus far, it is certainly the best. The documentary tells the story of the 3 year run of a leauge that was seemingly miles ahead of say, the XFL or Arena Football. For it's brief history, the USFL was home to coaches like Jim Mora and Steve Spurrier, and also to players such as Jim Kelly, Steve Young, Herschel Walker, Rick Neuheisel, and Doug Flutie. So why did it fail?
The movie delves into the attempt by the USFL to compete with the NFL, a push spearheaded by the owner of the New Jersey franchise, Donald Trump. Throughout the film, there are intercut snippets from an interview between Trump and Tollin. Trump's statement are then opposed by heartfelt interviews with former players, and this is where the movie really draws my interest. The USFL had such a great thing going, but the desire to play at the same time of year as the NFL was its undoing. Some of the players and personalities look back with bitterness, but they ALL look back with fondness.
Tollin displays a great potarit of what was essientally "The Little Spring Leauge that Could". The documentary somehow made me feel nostalgic for a brand of football that I have never seen. Anyways, this thing is all over the Internet...Youtube, iTunes, etc. It also shows on TV fairly frequently. If you get the chance to see it, I give a hearty recommendation.
Next week I'll get away from documentaries for awhile. Get something a little bit more well known out there.
Football Movie Marathon Rankings
- Brian's Song (1971)
- Knute Rockne All American (1940)
- Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL? (2009)
- Varsity Blues (1999)
- The Band That Wouldn't Die (2009)
- Invincible (2006)
- Two For the Money (2005)
First of all, how dare you say any league, even the NFL itself, is in any way ahead of the XFL!
ReplyDeleteSecond, The Gameplan is one hell of a football movie if you ask me, can probably lock down the bottom slot no matter how many movies you check out.