Tag: sports documentaries

OJ Simpson, Arnold Palmer, and June 17, 1994

OJ Simpson

One of the documentaries in ESPN’s excellent series 30 for 30, lets the viewer watch sports-related events on a single day in June 1994. In 30 for 30: June 17, 1994, director Brett Morgen adds no additional narration but pieces together clips from that day to give you the experience as if you are reliving the day, or for younger viewers, living it for the first time.

The day began with reporters waiting for O.J. Simpson to turn himself in for the double-murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. As the day went on, other sports stories began to be overshadowed by the O.J. Simpson disappearance and Bronco chase.

For example, Arnold Palmer played an emotional last round at the U.S. Open, the New York Rangers celebrated their Stanley Cup, the FIFA World Cup began in Chicago, and Bob Costas struggled to figure out how to cover an NBA Championship game as TV stations cut to the Bronco chase.

The documentary is no longer available in its entirety on YouTube, but it is on Netflix streaming. Below is the preview.

Vulture ranks “June 17, 1994” as the fifth best film in the 30 for 30 series. June 2016 Update: More recently, the 30 for 30 series took a fascinating in-depth examination of the life of O.J. Simpson in the five-part “O.J.: Made in America.”

Do your remember June 17, 1994? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Magic Johnson’s “Announcement” (Short Review)

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    Magic Johnson’s “Announcement” (Short Review)

    magic johnson the announcement

    This month, ESPN began running a documentary about Earvin “Magic” Johnson and his 1991 announcement that he was HIV-positive. The film is an excellent look back at the time when the Los Angeles Laker point guard shocked the world with his off-the-court announcment.

    The Announcement    , directed by Nelson George, is largely told from Johnson’s perspective as he describes his reactions to the diagnosis, including how one of the hardest things he ever had to do was to go home and tell his wife that he was HIV-positive. But while the film keeps a major focus throughout on Johnson, it also includes interviews with others who give their reactions, such as Johnson’s wife, Arsenio Hall, Pat Riley, and Karl Malone, the latter who had voiced concerns at the time Johnson returned to basketball.

    The documentary also captures a time in America where many thought only certain groups became HIV-positive and the general public did not understand how it was transmitted. The film takes us back to that time period and shows how Johnson’s announcement and his work in later years helped educate a paranoid America about the disease and the necessity of using protection when having sex.

    I remember the announcement and Johnson’s subsequent returns to basketball, and the movie made me realize how much that I knew about HIV came from Johnson’s struggles. At one point in the film, Arsenio Hall explains how the Magic Johnson you used to see on the court, smiling and joyously leading his team to victory, was the real guy. That is who he was all the time. And you get a sense from the film that Johnson is an all-around decent guy who admits his mistakes, forgives others, and has compassion for other people. The film tells us a lot about Johnson, but it also tells us a lot about ourselves.

    What do you think of the film? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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  • OJ Simpson, Arnold Palmer, and June 17, 1994
  • Trailer for Roger Ebert Documentary “Life Itself”

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