Is 30 for 30’s Rand University the Best Movie Ever?

Who wants to double down on some Purple Pride? I had originally planned on saving this topic for a later date. With a big Vikings win yesterday, it was only appropriate to write it immediately. All it took was a quick Case Keenum-like audible on my end and here we are.

Most of you are aware of ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentaries surrounding different sports topics. The most recent version of the Emmy Award winning series was just released. This one happened to feature The Nature Boy, Ric Flair. One of my uneducated friends referred to it as “The Best 30 for 30 ever.” He’s lucky it’s not former friends after that comment. The Flair version doesn’t even make the top ten. It’s my strong opinion that Rand University, featuring Randy Moss, is the best 30 for 30 ever released. Not only that…it’s the best movie ever made.

Per Rotten Tomatoes, The Wizard of Oz is the best move of all time. I’ve never heard of it. I can’t even find Rudy on their Top 100 list. That probably has something to do with the fact he got put into a body bag by Dwayne Johnson yesterday……join the club:

 

Rand University is directed by Marquis Davis. Davis centers much of the story around Moss’ hometown of Rand, West Virginia. Rand is small, unincorporated area, and located in the heart of Mountaineer country. A surprising amount of Minnesotans are yet to see this gem of a documentary, so I don’t want to say too much. Especially in regards to how its title relates to the plot.

Only a small percentage of the film focuses on Randy’s athletic ability, as a youth. It’s almost worth the watch just for the few highlights and stories told by people who were closest to him. In high school, he looked like a grown man competing in a Pop Warner league.

 

The WR with the most pure talent in the history of the NFL (@ me. That’s fine) fell to the Dennis Green-coached Vikes (21 overall), in the draft, because of character issues. How many of those so called “character issues” were Randy’s fault? How many weren’t? Davis does a great job of breaking down the bias that faced the future Hall of Fame WR. It’s amazing how much hatred people can feel over an 18 year-old’s decision on where to play football. Which, at the end of the day, is a game. It’s equally amazing how close he was to slipping through the cracks. Now, his name is a verb, he’s employed by the world-wide leader, and will grace us with his presence during tonight’s MNF broadcast. Too bad he won’t be playing:

 

My Mount Rushmore of 30 for 30’s: Rand University, You Don’t Know Bo, The Fab Five, Fantastic Lies. Does your list look a lot different from mine? Let us know your top four!

There is still NFL football remaining tonight. If you’re a watch all weekend type of person, I love the passion. If you want to pull your eighty-four jerseys out, and enjoy the best movie of all time, you can pay $1.99 to watch the entire episode on YouTube here. Well worth it.

Johnny Minnesota @mnsportsnstuff
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

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