Good morning everyone. All rested up from last night's big game? How about those of you who perhaps were on the other side of the ball? Well if you don't want to hear all the football news from last night, how about today's mega edition of Reel Reviews. It's for ESPN's recently released box set, ESPN Films: Volume One. This set is a huge score for the network that dubs itself the "sports authority". It includes five of the network's best recent documentaries in "Catching Hell", "Charismatic", "The Fab Five", "Herschel", and "Renee". It would take a while to document all five of these films. So this morning, we'll focus on three of the set's most outstanding pieces. The first of those films is for all you football fans. It's a documentary on football great, Herschel Walker. Second, we'll head to the world of horse racing in "Charismatic". And since we're coming to baseball season, we'll close out with "Catching Hell". So let's get right into it.
Those of you who watch WNCT-TV 9 know that recently, our own Amanda Goodman has been covering the major issue of bullying in schools. That, combined with the NFL finishing its season up last night makes "Herschel" a fitting starting point this morning. "Herschel" follows the childhood and career of college football great Herschel Walker. Walker is one of the greatest football players from at the University of Georgia. That's not the most important piece of this documentary. What's most important in "Herschel" is linked to Walker's childhood. The film documents how Walker was bullied by other kids and even singled out by his own teacher, as a child, because of a stuttering problem, and because of his weight. That bullying led to a lifetime of built up anger, which would be one of his downfalls.
One of the effects of that bullying comes from Walker's own lips. In an interview during the film, Walker states, "I wanted to be a Marine, because I wanted to kill people." It's clearly pointed out that that urge to be so violent was a result of his childhood trauma. Ironically enough, it also fueled his desire to be the best that he could in everything that he did. He graduated from his high school as his senior class Valedictorian, and became one of the University of Georgia's best all-time football stars. It even led to his being named the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner. But his professional career was not as successful. It was short lived because of injuries. Things only went down from there. His marriage eventually ended because the anger that had built inside Walker when he was a child led him to develop multiple personality disorder, or what is now known as "Disassociative Identity Disorder". It's not a bad ending here, though. In recognizing that he had this disorder, Walker has become an avid mental health advocate for others. As a result he's healing himself, too. The thing to remember here though, is that all of his problems were a result of childhood bullying. It shows just how dangerous bullying can be, even years after the fact. It's definitely something for parents and their children to watch together.
"Herschel" is undoubtedly a great part of the ESPN Films: Volume One box set. But there is another film in the set that's just as powerful. That film is "Charismatic". "Charismatic" tells the story of young up and coming jockey Chris Antley, and a horse no one thought could win in Charismatic. It tells the poignant, yet painful story of Antley's meteoric rise to fame and untimely death at age thirty-four in 2000. It documents Antley's rise from his teen years up to when he took the reins of Charismatic, and almost became the first jockey/horse team to win the triple crown since Affirmed took the title in 1978. Sadly, this one doesn't have a happy ending. But that's also a good thing. Just as "Herschel" serves as a warning about the effects of bullying, "Charismatic" shows the dangers of drug use.
While Antley was a highly successful jockey, he also fought drug addiction and abuse through much of his life. Though during his time as Charismatic's rider, Antley was totally clean. That should be noted. It's also probably part of the reason for his success with Charismatic during his run for the Triple Crown title. Ultimately though, it was drug use and addition that led to his death. To this day, how Antley died is still highly disputed. As the film documents, there are those who believe that Antley was actually stabbed to death by a fellow recovering addict who had been staying with Antley after he retired from horse racing in 2000. Though an official report denies that. Regardless of what really happened, ESPN has scored with this film, too. It shows the danger of drug use. It should serve as a warning to any young athelete in any sport, not just horse racing.
So far, we've examined two of the best films in ESPN's first volume of films. Both films are outstanding pieces of the entire collection. But there is one more that really stands out. And it's a wonderful addition to the set. With the NFL season havin wrapped up, and February almost over, sports fans are beginning to look to the baseball fields across the country. Fittingly, ESPN Films: Volume One includes a film centered on baseball, and a couple of its most infamous moments in "Catching Hell". This one is a great introduction to the set. Because just as with "Charismatic" and "Herschel", it serves as a warning not to hopeful atheletes, but rather to fans and the media. It's a warning to fans and the media by examining scapegoating in sports.
"Catching Hell" looks into scapegoating through an investigation of the infamous 1986 Boston Red Sox World Series in which Bill Buckner became Boston's scapegoat after the team lost that series. It ties that in to a more recent event. That event was the now infmaous incident from 2003 when Cubs player Moises Alou lost a foul ball to Cubs fan Steve Bartman. The film culls interviews with fans who were around Bartman at the time of the incident, along with Alou himself to try and determine whether or not that foul ball could have been caught. ESPN and director Alex Gibney should be applauded for this documentary in that it doesn't try to point fingers at either side. Rather, it merely takes the facts and investigates things from every possible angle to try and come to some conclusion.
In the end, there is no solid conclusion. But one thing can be taken from the film. It comes from an interview with a minister. The reverend in question points out the result of scapegoating. She compares it to what happened to Bartman as he was escorted from the stadium by police. The similarites between this event, and scapegoating's roots are stunning. It reminds us that in the end, sports may be a multi-billion dollar business. But in the end, it's still just a game. And scapegoating one player (as in the case with Bill Buckner in 1986) or or one fan (as with Steve Bartman) accomplishes nothing. It brings about nothing but division and pain. Proof again, that in the end, fans and media alike should remember that it's all just a game. It reminds us that before we take our anger and agression out on others, we need to stop and look at ourselves.
Some might find "Catching Hell" to be a little preachy. Others will hopefully see the point of this film. It's an important point to remember in watching any sport. The messages presented in the other films mentioned here are just as important. The point of the whole set, though, isn't just to preach and present morals. It's also to entertain. And the films included in this set hasve succeeded in doing both with ease and professionalism. Altogether, they make up a set that both sports fans and audiences in general will enjoy just as much each time they watch these films.
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Philip Sayblack can be contacted at psayblack@wnct.com
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