Quotable Quote of the Month

What does it take for Republicans to take off the flag pin and say, 'I am just too embarrassed to be on this team'?".- Bill Maher

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Documentary On the Fab Five Airs On ESPN

From left to right: Ray Jackson, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, and Jimmy King

On Sunday March 13 at 9 pm EST, "The Fab Five" premieres on ESPN. Billed as "warts and all", the 100 minute documentary tells the story of the University of Michigan’s 1991 men’s basketball recruiting class of Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. The documentary features interviews by many of the key players in the Fab Five saga.  The glaring holdout is star forward Chris Webber who after much prodding, declined to participate.

With their baggy shorts, black socks (with shoes to match), and trash talk, the Fab Five revolutionized basketball by bringing a hip-hop flavor to the game. This didn't sit well with many as the documentary displays racist letters sent to U of M and its players at that time. Among the racist letter writers were alums from the school who actually signed their name and year of graduation! The documentary also details how the Fab Five felt about their nemeses Duke and its recruiting practices when it came to black players.

The Fab Five never won an NCAA title during their two years at the University of Michigan (losing in the championship games in 1992 and 1993 to Duke and the University of North Carolina, respectively). However, they remain one of the most talked about stories in college hoops history. 

Below is a clip of Ray Jackson, Jimmy King, and Jalen Rose during an appearance on ESPN First Take in which they discuss the documentary. For more on The Fab Five and the accompanying documentary, click here for an article by Detroit Free Press sports writer Mark Snyder.


5 comments:

Josh said...

I always thought Webber was overrated. I liked Howard. I also had a beef with C-Webb because he stole Tyra from me way back when. But I'll let that slide.

I played a lot of basketball growing up. I was pretty awful at it, but growing up around Maryland/DC and playing in Jersey in that culture, I learned that basketball embodies who you are as a person more than what you can do as an athlete.

You bring your baggage to the court. The scars are there and who you are is worn on your sleeve (or where your sleeve should be).

If you're forged steel, that's what you are. If you're heartless you're (LeBron James? lol) just heartless. You can't pretend in basketball.

Michigan bringing something that different that was also that talented and allowed to be what it was undoubtedly upset a lot of people. But such is life.

There are only two ways to go when you're dealing with something truly unique and phenomenal: you jump on the wagon or you find a reason to hate it. There's really no in between if you're attached to the sport (or equivalent).

Not only were they black kids, but they were black kids doing their own thing and not presenting that polished poise like a Hill in Duke. This certainly made them easy targets.

But with the good comes the bad.

The haters out there use anything they can to tear someone down, whether it's some BS about race, weight, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Bitter people know no boundaries.

I was a Georgetown fan, myself, but I respect the raw talent.

Malcolm said...

Josh: Agreed... there are still people today who cannot handle the triple threat of blackness, brashness, and talent. It would be interesting to see what type of reaction (good and bad) The Fab Five would get in the age of blogs/Twitter, Facebook, etc.

By the way, did you watch the "Fab Five" special? If so, what were your thoughts?

Since Chris is out of the picture, you should give Tyra a ring. However, Pharrell Williams might have something to say about any designs you have on Ms. Banks.

Josh said...

I don't know much, but I'm confident I could crush Pharrell's little nerd head.

I caught about 20 minutes of the special. My personal bias against basic cable is just too strong.

I'm waiting until it shows up via Comcast On Demand. Then I can FF through the garbage.

But to date I've yet to see a special on ESPN be anything less than excellent. (Although I'm sure I could find one I didn't like if I thought it about long enough. Perhaps the Tim Tebow special. Roll Tide.)

One of the things I appreciate the most about anything sport is that there's little room for interpretation and it's nearly impossible to impose revisionist historical standards. The stage has always simply been too large to spin in one direction or the other.

And though some have tried to tweak things along the way, like the dreaded asterisk in baseball, the public knows the truth.

innominatus said...

OK, I think I now feel officially old, because I remember them like it was last year.

Malcolm said...

Josh: Pharrell may have a slight build, but he looks to be quick and nimble so you may wanna think twice before going up against him.

Although there is much to criticize ESPN about, the documentaries they produce are tops. I enjoyed all of the "30 for 30" specials I saw and was a huge fan of "SportsCentury".

Inno: It's hard to believe that the Fab Five was 20 years ago!