ESPN 30 For 30: Believeland (2016)
A- Netflix Streaming
Starring LeBron James, Ernest Byner, Jim Brown, Hank Aaron,
Directed by Andrew Billman
The Story:
There are cities across the United States that host the "Holy Trinity" of professional sports teams: Baseball. Basketball. Football. They've all hoisted a trophy or two in their time. Some even repeatedly.
Then there is Cleveland, Ohio. Home of the Indians. The Cavaliers. The Browns.
No championship banner was raised in the city since 1964.
For over 50 years, the city would endure tantalizing heartache in one sport or another as their teams came within inches...within minutes...of raising that trophy, only to have fate come and snatch it from them at the last minute.
Sports fans in general, and Cleveland fans in particular know how close they were on so many occasions, and as the poster for this riveting documentary shows, their troubles are often summed up in succinct moments of failure.
Relive the pain of a World Series trophy being wheeled into the Indians locker room, only to have them turn it around and take it next door!
Watch Michael Jordan do what he did best, and crush the spirits of Cavalier fans.
Grab a tissue when Ernest Byner recounts the horrors of The Fumble.
Relive the anger of a city when Art Modell steals the franchise away from Ohio, relocates it to Baltimore and wins that championship they had worked so hard to bring to Cleveland.
Finally, watch as LeBron James arrives on the scene to save the day, destroys a fanbase with one fateful decision, then ultimately comes back and fulfills a promise.
The documentary has the best possible ending you could hope for, and is something right out of Hollywood. That it was filmed and wrapped after the Cavaliers had to write their own David vs. Goliath ending is pure synchronicity.
The curse is finally dead.
At least for a minute.
This is Cleveland after all.
Currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.
Final Grade: A-
