Viewed in
2009
Premise
Part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series, Mike Tollin chronicles the rise and fall of the USFL, and confronts Donald Trump about his role in the league.
Who should watch
Pro American football fans.
Thoughts
As an NFL fan without much knowledge about the USFL, this was insanely educational for me. It's quite fortunate that Tollin saved tons and tons of footage of a three year league that's been defunct for 25 years.
The parallels of USFL vs NFL and ABA vs NBA are quite striking. I loved the stories of bidding wars, outrageous characters (Burt Reynold!?), and silly promotions. Unlike the ABA, the USFL managed to sign the best college player each year of its existence. Every now and then, my jaw dropped as the film introduced players and Hall of Famers who I never knew played in the USFL.
The most compelling part was the tug of war between Donald Trump and John Bassett. I never heard of this story. It was amazing to see Trump transform from a dopey-looking kid, to this squinting, bombastic-looking man. It's awesome that they kept the three dollar check.
I liked the tone of the film, as it was mostly straight-forward, but carved with a lot of love. While he did not slander Trump's failed vision and power-grabbing actions, Tollin did confront him (25 years later).
The story was similar to the ABA, but it was never told to me. I found the mountain of great footage and the stories to be fantastic to behold.
What I would change
Nothing.
