The latest ESPN 30 for 30, “You Don’t Know Bo” is a spectacular representation of Vincent “Bo” Jackson’s athletic career.

It follows the Illinois resident’s sporting life at high school, Auburn, Kansas City, Los Angeles and Chicago. It is full of great legendary stories of Bo. The documentary portrayed him as Adrian Peterson and Ken Griffey Jr. combined.

Frank Dye, Auburn's football coach and AD, told the Auburn baseball coach Hal Baird "you'll be coaching the greatest athlete that ever lived."

"I know he's great but come on,” replied Baird. “As time went on, I came to believe that it is absolutely true,"

Hall of Fame teammates George Brett, Royals, and Howie Long, Raiders, were praising Bo for his knowledge and athleticism. He is apart of sports mythology with Jim Thorpe, Jackie Robinson and now Bo Jackson. He is truly a once in a generation athlete.

This might be biased because I grew up loving Bo, he even made me a White Sox fan for a short time while aspired to be him. As a child, I dreamed to be a MLB All-Star and NFL Pro Bowler like Bo. Now I know that was an unattainable dream for everyone and Bo was the greatest.

Rating: A
One of the best 30 for 30’s yet.

After starting the season 7-1, the Chicago Bears lost three of four and have lost many key players to injury. The Bears will be without Devin Hester, Brian Urlacher, Lance Louis, Earl Bennett and maybe Tim Jennings for the foreseeable future.

'The Tillman Story'

One of the saddest events in sports history is well documented in "The Tillman Story."
The 2010 film retells the story of the government's manipulation of former pro football player Pat Tillman's death. After 9/11, Tillman decided to decline an NFL contract to sign up for the Army because he felt it was the right thing to do.
He died while serving in Afghanistan, the problem was the family was not able to find out the details of his death. The government saw his death as a way to promote the war. The Tillman family fought the government, even to the point to bring it in front of Congress.
The grueling battle that ensued created a fascinating story that only ends in tragedy.
Rating: A-
The most powerful sports documentary in recent memory.

Ole 'North Dallas Forty'

Loosely based on the 70s Cowboys, "North Dallas Forty" is an over-the-top portrayal of pro football.
The forgotten 1979 film starring Nick Nolte shows the toll football takes a player's body. The athletes play hard and party even harder in the football flick.
The film shows how players would use booze and meds to drown out the pain. It is the first movie to shed light on the subject, when the public didn't know in the 70s.
The movie is much like Oliver Stone's "Any Given Sunday," except there is less front office action and play isn't as vicious.
Rating: C+
It isn't very focused and not very well made. The movie touches any some interesting sports point, which keeps the viewers attention.

'Go Tiger!' is an Understatement

The high school football documentary "Go Tigers!" shows how people take high school sports too seriously. It documents the 1999 football season of the Massillon Washington High School Tigers.

It is crazy the lengths these people would do to win. All the captains on the team were held back so they could play football for one more year.
The film is similar to a real life "Varsity Blues" with less partying.

Football is treated as a religion in the Ohio town.The team is treated as Gods in the town even though they didn't win anything.

One of the most interesting aspects is the amount of the pressure these teenagers have. The whole has such high expectations for these kids, it's hard for anyone to live up to the hype.

Rating: B+
It has great insight into high school football fanatics.

'A Player to be Named Later' Matters

The 2005 documentary "A Player To Be Named Later" realistically shows the pressures of minor league baseball. The film follows four players through a season with the Milwaukee Brewers' Triple-A Indianapolis Indians.
The diversity of the four players enhances the view point of the documentary. Marco Scutaro, a young Venezuelan player adapting to a foreign country;  Micah Franklin, a former major leaguer coming back from playing in Japan; Brad Tyler, a 32-year-old career minor leaguer who is still trying to fulfill his major league dream and Kyle Peterson, a former top prospect recovering from injuries.

The players were not the only aspect of the film. It is impressive to watch management try to construct the rosters with players moving up to the majors and back to the minors.
The documentary was filmed in 2001 but released in 2005. Manager of the Indians, Bruce Kimm became interim Cubs in 2002, he also caught for the Cubs in 1979 and the White Sox in 1980.
Rating: B-
The movie is pretty serious and depressing at times, it is a unique view of sports. A little bit of fun would have helped this film.

I like 'The Damned United'

The 2009 film "The Damned United" is the best soccer movie ever.
The movie retells the true story of Brian Clough's 44 day tenure with the famous English soccer club Leeds United. While the film follows Clough, it depicts all the ins and outs of English 'football.'


Clough came from a small team, when he made the jump to Leeds all hell breaks loose. Martin Sheen, "Frost/Nixon," carried the film as Clough, he was perfectly cast for this role. Clough tough yet fun personality is tough to portray but Sheen did it well.
The story has its ups and downs but it is directed perfectly by Tom Hooper, "The King's Speech." At every turn Hooper keeps the viewer in mind, he explains everything so non-soccer fans don't get lost.
Rating: A-
The great cast and story makes for a great movie for everyone.