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ESPN 30 for 30 - O.J.: Made in America


YoloinOhio

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What's with the sudden infatuation with this guy? This stuff happens 20+ years ago and suddenly we everyone's doing made for TV movies and specials on him.

 

Nothing sudden about it; people have been infatuated with this guy for almost 50 years.

 

I wasn't much interested in the current mini-series about the trial but I can't wait for the ESPN documentary.

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Complete waste of film, er...., memory chips. OJ is a POS who is right where he belongs. No way he gets out on parole, he's doing every year of that 33 minus what he gets for good behavior. Who cares if he's paying for the wrong crime? Too bad nobody at OBD has the nad to take him down off the Wall of Shame.

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Good summary. I would only add that while it wasn't wholly true, most people that knew him and spent any time with him thought he was a really good and nice guy. There really were not a lot of stories around Buffalo or LA for the vast majority of his life about what a jerk he was. Just the opposite. Sure, in the last portion of his life Nicole's friends and family were scared of him and all that changed. But for the most part, he was thought of very fondly.

It would be worth knowing if CTE shaped his behavior in later life.

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I can see this being the case.

 

@ChrisTrapasso

Prediction: The O.J. Simpson parole hearing in 2017 will be on TV (or streamed online) and *a lot* of people will watch.

 

I could see that happening for sure

 

He is never getting out..............

 

Prediction: We get a new stadium, his name is dropped off the wall

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What's with the OJ infatuation as of late?

F**k OJ. That POS needs no attention at all.

if he was a mediocre player this wouldn't even warrant any exposure.

yet the public ( for the most part) still eat the force fed dribble forced down their throats for the sake of $$$ and $$$ only.

 

 

 

 

 

Imo

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I could see that happening for sure

 

He is never getting out..............

 

Prediction: We get a new stadium, his name is dropped off the wall

What's a new stadium have to do with it? If they wanted to take him off the wall Mr. Wilson could have done it years ago. The Pegula's also could do it. Maybe they don't view it the way some others do? I doubt most fans care that much. To those that it does, you can always not go to the games.

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F**k OJ. That POS needs no attention at all.

if he was a mediocre player this wouldn't even warrant any exposure.

yet the public ( for the most part) still eat the force fed dribble forced down their throats for the sake of $$$ and $$$ only.

 

 

 

 

 

Imo

 

But.....he wasn't a mediocre player. He was one of the greatest of all time. And he was a cultural icon; one of the most recognizable athletes in the world and a guy who had as much to do with breaking down racial barriers in the general public's mindset as almost anyone. So.....that's what makes him a fascinating subject to examine.

 

It doesn't have anything to do with whatever you are dribbling.

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Wow, 5 parts is a lot.

 

Here's my guess how they break it down:

 

Part 1: Childhood through USC

Part 2: the NFL playing days (the only fun part!)

Part 3: Media darling and movie star

Part 4: Murder and Trial of the Century

Part 5: Life after the trial

 

I say the Trial of the Century is two of the parts. One part the abusive toxic relationship between him and Nicole and up to the Bronco chase and the second part the trial itself.

 

The NFL playing days and the media darling will likely be combined into one part.

 

But.....he wasn't a mediocre player. He was one of the greatest of all time. And he was a cultural icon; one of the most recognizable athletes in the world and a guy who had as much to do with breaking down racial barriers in the general public's mindset as almost anyone. So.....that's what makes him a fascinating subject to examine.

 

It doesn't have anything to do with whatever you are dribbling.

 

For 5 seasons OJ averaged about 1500 yards a season in 14 game seasons. Including averaging 143 yards per game in that 2000 yard season he had. Clearly he was a hall of fame player. Throw in his cultural impact in his off the field ventures and it's easy to see why his trial and fall from grace are such a compelling story.

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I say the Trial of the Century is two of the parts. One part the abusive toxic relationship between him and Nicole and up to the Bronco chase and the second part the trial itself.

 

The NFL playing days and the media darling will likely be combined into one part.

 

 

Yeah I think you're right. There's a lot to unpack with the trial. Bronco chase will probably be half of one of the hours. Actually, the 30 for 30 of June 17 1994 is one of the best docs they've done, I think.

Edited by LA Grant
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But.....he wasn't a mediocre player. He was one of the greatest of all time. And he was a cultural icon; one of the most recognizable athletes in the world and a guy who had as much to do with breaking down racial barriers in the general public's mindset as almost anyone. So.....that's what makes him a fascinating subject to examine.

 

It doesn't have anything to do with whatever you are dribbling.

Awesome get a subscription to the Enquirer and keep us updated on a douche no one cares about anymore.

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Awesome get a subscription to the Enquirer and keep us updated on a douche no one cares about anymore.

 

Why would the Enquirer have stories about them if nobody cared anymore? If nobody cared anymore, why was the just completed FX series easily the most talked about show of the year? And, why would espn be doing this?

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Yeah I think you're right. There's a lot to unpack with the trial. Bronco chase will probably be half of one of the hours. Actually, the 30 for 30 of June 17 1994 is one of the best docs they've done, I think.

 

It was such a non-traditional doc, so much good footage that has been rarely seen. I loved how they didn't do the typical talking head interviews spliced in with footage and stills.

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But.....he wasn't a mediocre player. He was one of the greatest of all time. And he was a cultural icon; one of the most recognizable athletes in the world and a guy who had as much to do with breaking down racial barriers in the general public's mindset as almost anyone. So.....that's what makes him a fascinating subject to examine.

 

It doesn't have anything to do with whatever you are dribbling.

Not to say there aren't merits to the "who gives a !@#$" argument, but I grow increasingly aware, on TBD, of the age gaps between some of us...if I hadn't grown up during the OJ era of Bills football, I probably wouldn't care so much either...just as, for a long time, I didn't give a lot of thought to Cookie Gilchrist, because I was a bit too young to have actually seen him play...but to me, growing up in the 1970's, OJ Simpson is as a big a part of my experience as a Bills fan as the 4 Super Bowls, Doug Flutie, the 15 year drought...but the thing that made him stand out, everybody loved the player...it wasn't just Bills fans.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

I hope they include some of OJ's best Bills highlights.

 

He turned out to be a POS as a human being. But he was transcendent with the football. To understand OJ's fame and reputation, the viewer needs to understand his grace, speed, power, & magic on the gridiron.

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I hope they include some of OJ's best Bills highlights.

 

He turned out to be a POS as a human being. But he was transcendent with the football. To understand OJ's fame and reputation, the viewer needs to understand his grace, speed, power, & magic on the gridiron.

I wonder how hard it would be to field an all-criminal All-Pro team? OJ, Aaron Hernandez, Rae Carruth, etc.

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F**k OJ. That POS needs no attention at all.

if he was a mediocre player this wouldn't even warrant any exposure.

yet the public ( for the most part) still eat the force fed dribble forced down their throats for the sake of $$$ and $$$ only.

 

 

 

 

 

Imo

Yeah. I'm sick of all this renewed interest in everything OJ. Who cares? We've all heard the story a million times. The guy is a murderer, there's nothing much more to the story. The strange twist is that all of it has made him more immortal than he would have ever been had he not committed the crimes. OJ would have likely been remembered for a great career at USC, and not a lot more outside of Bills fans. As an NFL all time great there are plenty of other running backs that seem to overshadow him. Now combine his college and NFL careers with the murders and the guy lives in infamy. He also lives on with a whole new generation due to the recent television series. Edited by DriveFor1Outta5
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Not to say there aren't merits to the "who gives a !@#$" argument, but I grow increasingly aware, on TBD, of the age gaps between some of us...if I hadn't grown up during the OJ era of Bills football, I probably wouldn't care so much either...just as, for a long time, I didn't give a lot of thought to Cookie Gilchrist, because I was a bit too young to have actually seen him play...but to me, growing up in the 1970's, OJ Simpson is as a big a part of my experience as a Bills fan as the 4 Super Bowls, Doug Flutie, the 15 year drought...but the thing that made him stand out, everybody loved the player...it wasn't just Bills fans.

 

I grew up watching Cookie, then OJ and had my first season tickets at the Ralph watching OJ. The experience of the 2000 yard season was unlike anything else. Never to be repeated of course because it was a 14 games season. I was incredibly sad when I first heard the news of the murders and it became more and more apparent he was guilty. You sort of had to be there. I do not feel sorry for him, but is a very sad story for all involved.

OJ would have likely been remembered for a great career at USC, and not a lot more outside of Bills fans.

You are dead wrong about that. He would have been simply remembered as one of the greatest of all time, which he was. Edited by MDFan
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I saw OJ first at the old rockpile against cincinnati where bills lost like 42-36 but he ran for a lot of yards, my favorite bands ok growing up was Czonka, Brown, Simpson and Sayers... remember him handing out gratefruit sized oranges from old fashion cars while traveling down Delaware and Hertel avenues while slapping us five as we chase him on our bananna seat bikes.

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I saw OJ first at the old rockpile against cincinnati where bills lost like 42-36 but he ran for a lot of yards, my favorite bands ok growing up was Czonka, Brown, Simpson and Sayers... remember him handing out gratefruit sized oranges from old fashion cars while traveling down Delaware and Hertel avenues while slapping us five as we chase him on our bananna seat bikes.

 

I saw his first game as a Bill - preseason game at the Rockpile vs. Johnny Unitas and the Colts.

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I grew up watching Cookie, then OJ and had my first season tickets at the Ralph watching OJ. The experience of the 2000 yard season was unlike anything else. Never to be repeated of course because it was a 14 games season. I was incredibly sad when I first heard the news of the murders and it became more and more apparent he was guilty. You sort of had to be there. I do not feel sorry for him, but is a very sad story for all involved.

You are dead wrong about that. He would have been simply remembered as one of the greatest of all time, which he was.

I stated my point poorly. He was an all time great, but still wouldn't be remembered like athletes such as Jordan or Ruth. Now he's every bit as famous as those guys for all the wrong reasons. Without the murders he'd still be overshadowed by backs like Sayers,Payton,Smith, and Brown in the eyes of many NFL fans. Now everyone on the street knows who the guy is.
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If OJ is second tier, it's only behind Jim Brown. There may be other guys on the same tier with OJ, but he's right up there based on talent and production.

 

 

(And Emmitt Smith is highly overrated IMO after playing so many years, generally behind great lines - but I digress.)

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If OJ is second tier, it's only behind Jim Brown. There may be other guys on the same tier with OJ, but he's right up there based on talent and production.

 

 

(And Emmitt Smith is highly overrated IMO after playing so many years, generally behind great lines - but I digress.)

I'm too young to have had the chance to see OJ play so I'll take your word for it. However, the sad truth is that guys who become the biggest legends aren't always based on their individual merits. Playing on winning teams often plays just as big of a role as individual accomplishments. That's one thing OJ didn't have going for him. I think that really made him slip on many rankings of all time great NFL backs. Had he won a Super Bowl or played in a big market I think he'd rank much higher. None of what I mentioned are my personal beliefs. I'm just stating why I think he's often ranked lower by the average NFL fan compared to the average Bills fan. Now he has a level of fame that is far greater than he would have had otherwise. Edited by DriveFor1Outta5
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No question his later crimes raised his profile in some ways. That doesn't take away from what he did on the field for most people who saw him back in the day. Amazing stuff.

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