Sports is cool because it's a documentary-style narrative about people trying to overcome their limitations and most of the time coming up short. To be honest, I enjoy the failures than the successes, the show of vanity and insecurity than the squeeky-clean polished professional athlete.
Some cool sports-related books and doc's I've watched over the years,
Seven Seconds or Less; about Phoenix Sun's "Run & Gun" season which reads more like a kladeiscope novel about the star players, role players, injured players and coaching staff. The Sun ultimately falls short of their goal of winning an NBA championship. The morale of the story is that it doesn't really matter if you win in the end, the point is to try something different (score in 7 seconds or less of your posession clock, play unselfishly and make the extra pass). And even a Canadian unatheletic, relatively undersized white guy can become the NBA Back-to-Back MVP, by owning up to who he is.
The Finish Line; about Steve Nash (the former MVP)'s potential last season with the LA Lakers which reads more like 'Old Man & The Sea,' about a man's denial of his aging, struggle to defy against it and his slow acceptance and somehow finding dignity and putting on a last fantastic hooray against the elements.
Skip Bayless, Stephen A's conversation with TO; which watches more like the last act (on St.Helena) of Kubrick's "Napoleon" if it was made). It shows a broken down once high flying and flameboyant professional athlete coming to terms with his vanity and ego, after it's already too late. But that's the beauty too, of a man accepting who he was, how the situations turned against him and appreciating life because the circumstances forced him to grow, even if it meant no longer in the NFL.
Some cool sports-related books and doc's I've watched over the years,
Seven Seconds or Less; about Phoenix Sun's "Run & Gun" season which reads more like a kladeiscope novel about the star players, role players, injured players and coaching staff. The Sun ultimately falls short of their goal of winning an NBA championship. The morale of the story is that it doesn't really matter if you win in the end, the point is to try something different (score in 7 seconds or less of your posession clock, play unselfishly and make the extra pass). And even a Canadian unatheletic, relatively undersized white guy can become the NBA Back-to-Back MVP, by owning up to who he is.
http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Seconds-Less-Season-Phoenix/dp/0...
The Finish Line; about Steve Nash (the former MVP)'s potential last season with the LA Lakers which reads more like 'Old Man & The Sea,' about a man's denial of his aging, struggle to defy against it and his slow acceptance and somehow finding dignity and putting on a last fantastic hooray against the elements.
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-finish-line-episode-3-...
Skip Bayless, Stephen A's conversation with TO; which watches more like the last act (on St.Helena) of Kubrick's "Napoleon" if it was made). It shows a broken down once high flying and flameboyant professional athlete coming to terms with his vanity and ego, after it's already too late. But that's the beauty too, of a man accepting who he was, how the situations turned against him and appreciating life because the circumstances forced him to grow, even if it meant no longer in the NFL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6UouXlWuvo
Other similiar doc's: Run Ricky Run (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1617299/), Survive & Advance (http://vimeo.com/62966564), Hoops Dream (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110057/).
Hope you can find enjoyment and value in sport as much as I do.