It’s only 12 minutes, but the subject really requires two hours at minimum. A very good 30 for 30 short on the 1972 US Olympic basketball team’s refusal to accept the silver medal has debuted today at Grantland. Director Rory Karpf got all of the members from that team for a meeting to look at the game footage as it aired on ABC and discuss what happened in the chaotic final seconds in which FIBA Director Dr. Robert Jones interfered and meddled so the Soviet Union could win a controversial gold medal final, 50-49 over the United States.
The film is very good and I wish it was longer. It’s now available for viewing at Grantland.
30 for 30 Shorts: 1972 USA Men’s Olympic Basketball Team Come Together for Silver Reunion
The next installment of ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 Shorts series, Silver Reunion, debuted today on Grantland.com. Forty years after the USA Men’s Olympic Basketball team declined their silver medals after controversially losing the gold to the Soviet Union, the 12 team members gathered together to ultimately either accept or refuse the medals for a game the players believe they never lost.
The short film, directed by 5-time Emmy award-winning filmmaker Rory Karpf, features the complete team together for the first time since the 1972 Olympics discussing the controversial calls surrounding the Soviet Union’s win and if they will ever accept the silver medal as a team.
Previous films from the ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 Shorts series include Arnold’s Blueprint, Ali: The Mission, and Holy Grail: The T206 Honus Wagner, among others. All can be viewed on Grantland.com.
That will do it.
