I am a huge fan of NFL Films. I grew up on them. They taught me the structure and strategy of the game. I owe a debt of gratitude to Steve Sabol for this. However, Mr. Sabol has pissed me off many times. It is kind of a love-hate thing.
Why?
The early portion of the man's career (late 1970s to the late 1990s) basically focused on mythologizing NFL history (both players and teams). His myths are full of men of destiny who rarely or never failed. Invincible juggernauts who could not be defeated. Men who could snatch victory from the jaws of defeat despite major orthopedic injury, etc. These are all miracle stories of a sort. They are close cousins to tales of feeding thousands with 7 loaves and 5 fishes, or walking on water. We love a good Paul Bunyon, Perseus, Samson, Hercules, Beowulf story, and so we sit transfixed and listen.
The interesting thing is Steve has been experiencing a change of religion in the past 3 to 5 years. It would be hard for me to put my finger on the exact moment when his conversion happened. Two different series of programs have manifested a fundamental shift in his goals and purposes. The first is the "America's Game" documentary series. The second is "The NFL's Top 10" series.
Both of these are hard documentary series. Both of these try to do the most objective job possible of ranking important events and teams and players and facts about NFL history. The focus is about who, what, where, when, why and how. Myth makers are sitting on the bench. Smart players who lived through it all are asked to be brutally honest about tough subjects. Ugly flies in the mythological ointment are exposed. Controversial subjects are argued well by many sides. Some youngsters are shocked by what they see.
This is especially true with the "America's Game" documentary series. There are many youngsters who cannot remember the Steelers or the 49ers first hand. They never saw them play during their classic eras. I remember it first hand. What these youngsters see of the Steelers and 49ers often shocks their minds. They can't believe the real Terry Bradshaw was on the bubble for several years. They can't believe the 49ers wanted to replace Joe Montana in 1988. Their eyes bug out of the skulls when they see this. I know. I have dis-infected several true believers by showing them these documentaries on DVR. Their reactions have been funny to watch.
This series plays like a Mea Culpa from Steve Sabol. It is as if he feels he must correct the distortions of NFL history he created in his earlier life.
I love both of these new series. The older I get, the more NFL history I know. It is hard for me to believe that I have seen and understood every Super Bowl since XIV. I saw a portion of XIII, but I didn't really understand what I was looking at. I was just 12 years old. I have watched (closely) every season since 1980. I know this history first hand. I lived through much of it. I remember it well. For this reason, the myth making thing has become very tired and very transparently false in many cases. Lately, many myths, particularly those surrounding the Raiders and 49ers, have irked me a great deal. For those who do not know, I grew up in Fresno California during the 1980s. Believe me, I saw the Raiders and 49ers every week. There was no NFL Prime Ticket or Super Fan in those days. You watched what NBC and CBS showed you. NBC showed the Raiders. CBS showed the 49ers. I know them well. You can fool some of the people most of the time, but you can't fool me.
