10 Films That Unveil The Dark Side Of Sports
These films show that sometimes athletic glory can come at a great cost.
For centuries, sports have entertained and inspired people all over the world. Warriors of the athletic stage put their hard work, sweat, and tears to the test to try to become living legends every day. These champions become our mentors as we praise their glory once they are in the spotlight. But beyond that spotlight lies a dark side that most people would like to believe does not exist.
Behind the trophies and the glory, there remains a sordid history of terrible things that have gone down when the need to win eclipsed morality. People have gone on to do some very shady acts shaking the fabric of fans' beliefs every time the story comes out. Most people in the industry would rather have these moments forgotten or swept under the rug, but there is another industry who makes a living off adapting these travesties into major motion pictures.
Hollywood has a knack for making memorable sports movies. Hoosiers, Remember The Titans and The Natural are all solid classics within the world of cinema. And while some films glorify the world of sports, some movies give audiences a glimpse of their dark side. These ten films lift the veil on the dark world of sports, revealing all of their nasty little secrets.
10. Icarus
There are always rumors and rumblings of steroids in every sport, but it never truly hits people until it is inevitably proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Icarus lifted the veil and uncovered the largest doping scandal in the history of the Olympics. The documentary by filmmaker Bryan Fogel exposes how Russian sports doctors plotted with athletes to obtain false negative results on drug tests.
As the film progresses, the story goes from an informative sports feature to sinister conspiracy thriller. You soon begin to realize that this no longer about tradition, games, and gold medals: it has risen the ranks and become a chilling matter of life and death.
As you witness the smorgasbord of interviews, live-action footage, and Skype calls it becomes apparent that this Russian doping fiasco rose to the higher echelons of government. An entity representing one of the great superpowers going to great lengths to win a gold medal at the Olympics.
The rules they would break, the integrity they would omit and the lives of so many put in danger all to maintain dominance in this world-renowned athletic event. The lengths they went to achieve greatness is morally inexcusable. It is amazing how this atrocity could have happened in the shadows of such an honorable tradition that has athletes shine so bright.