The Best That Never Was

A great look at the curse of being a world-class talent when you're too young to really know who you are or what you want yet.

As someone not familiar with the story, or even college football, I was on the hook for this one big time. Some of the documentary footage of Dupree running over and through his high school competition was borderline frightening. He was in a class by himself, and more than that, the documentary revealed him to be a shy, humble person with a stronger work ethic than anyone could have known. Hock blends all of this together very well and keeps us invested throughout. One of the best "30 for 30"s.

Such a shame that another great running back's career had to be cut short cause of injury. (#1212)

A reasonably interesting story marred by a horribly uninteresting presentation. The biggest takeaway is that high school football cures everything, even racism. Can't wait to see Black Lives Matter intercept a pass at the 40 yard line and cry into a microphone for four and a half minutes!

What is it about sports stories that just write themselves? I didn't know much about Dupree other than his name, but this is a classic sports story. And the filmmakers tie it together with background, the history of his hometown, and tons of archival footage. It's a classic story, but done better than almost any other sports doc I've seen.

Of all the 30 for 30s in Volume 1, this one certainly feels the most complete, most revealing, and most intimate. This doc is even more prescient in the wake of CTE, student-athlete exploitation, dictatorship coaching, and the shortened careers of running backs in modern football. Paralleled with Run Ricky Run, this doc is both an amazing look at the past and a perfect crystal ball for evolving modern sports.

Great documentary about a great man.