New York, NY – The Tribeca Film Festival which gets underway next week is showcasing a lot of sports-related films. A Woman’s Work: The NFL’s Cheerleader Problem” examines the financial exploitation that has long plagued what would seem to be on the surface a very glamorous showcase for attractive young ladies.
Former St. John’s University Red Storm basketball star Felipe Lopez is the subject of “The Dominican Dream” which looks at the unreasonably high hoops expectations people had for him when he was a high school student in the Bronx but how he has still been a success in spite of enjoying just a brief NBA career.
On a lighter note, a documentary on the annual July 4th Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, “The Good, The Bad, and the Hungry,” is debuting at the Tribeca Film Festival as well. Expect longtime champ Joey Chestnut to get a lot of screen time.
Every TV sports executive had to have been popping bottles of champagne after Tiger Woods won the 2019 Masters. Woods is to golf tournament television ratings what President Trump is to political analysis TV networks as Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC.
Showtime’s recent four-part Sunday night documentary series, “Action,” detailed how sports gambling has turned into a legitimate billion-dollar and growing industry thanks to the United States Supreme Court’s decision giving states the right to accept wagers on professional sports leagues and college sports.
The show provided an inside look at the media personalities, fantasy sports organization executives such as the CEOs of both FanDuel and Draft Kings, as well as those who allegedly make a living being professional gamblers.
“Action” was very well-done and is certainly worthy of Emmy consideration. While visiting sports book casinos is a harmless diversion for most, the big question is whether all of this easy access to sports gambling will lead to a spike in addictive behavior. The impending imprisonment of former WFAN morning air personality Craig Carton serves as a stark cautionary tale.
Last week wasn’t a good one either for the greatest basketball player in Forest Hills High School history, Ernie Grunfeld, who was dismissed as president of the NBA’s Washington Wizards after sixteen years there. The Wizards have been a perennial disappointment even though they possess one of the NBA’s best backcourts with guards Bradley Beal and John Wall.
Grunfeld probably should have gotten canned years ago but he came to the Wizards with a strong resume as an executive with both the New York Knicks and the Milwaukee Bucks. He also enjoyed a solid friendship with Wizards’ owner Ted Leonsis who was basically forced by Wizards fans and the Beltway sports media to fire Grunfeld when the Wizards failed to make the NBA playoffs yet again this season.
Every TV sports executive had to have been popping bottles of champagne after Tiger Woods won the 2019 Masters. Woods is to golf tournament television ratings what President Trump is to political analysis TV networks as Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC.
