The Swimmers (2022)
A Quick Film Review

Swimmer Yusra Mardini's road to the Olympics received a lot of attention at Rio 2016 - compelling in its foundation of a dramatic survival as an asylum-seeker-turned-Olympian, it finally has a cinematic outlet in The Swimmers, released this week on Netflix.

Olympic watchers will be well-familiar with the outline of Mardini's story - a competitive swimmer in Syria looking to escape the civil war at home, she and her sister embark on a journey that includes an Aegean Sea crossing turned treacherous. To ensure survival of the raft's passengers, the two swim for three hours tethered to the overcrowded vessel until they reach Europe, i.e. Lesbos, Greece.

That alone is enough for a media firestorm, but The Swimmers is here to provide context. So, we see the Mardinis in a relatively standard and stable household, with the sisters trying to live carefree lives as much as possible before the volatile political civil war encroaches too close. Yes, the sea crossing with its dramatic overnight swim is the highlight, but far from the only difficult moment of an arduous  journey. Yusra and Sara, their cousin Nizar, and the multiple fellow refugees from across various origins face uncertain routes, questionable guides, the threat of arrest, and discrimination from locals, and worse, on their way to safety. But once in Berlin, the sisters find some sense of stability despite, with Yusra making her way to a local swim club to continue training. From there, it's onward to the Rio Games despite some reluctance accepting 'refugee' nomination.
​
Yes, The Swimmers provides a certain level of Hollywood-ization breeziness about it all, but it is fresh to see not only a remarkable Olympian's story, but a refugee's story. It's a reminder of the humanity behind asylum seekers' journeys that are too often reduced to headlines. And, credit to The Swimmers for making the story as much about Sara as Yusra. Sara, not as accomplished nor driven a swimmer as the younger Yusra, is equal a hero in the crossing, and her own search to find purpose in her new home is thankfully acknowledged.

That breeziness mentioned earlier is an unfortunate distraction, but, in the end, The Swimmers is a must-watch for Olympic fans to commemorate one of the most colorful and impactful stories of recent Games. And, who doesn't choke up when watching stirring Olympic competition, even if cinematically-driven?

The Redeem Team (2022)
A Quick TV Review

​"Bring back the gold" is the mission both ordered and acknowledged clearly by basketball stars Kobe Bryant and LeBron James ahead of Beijing 2008. And they, along with their Team USA colleagues, do just that, as recounted by "The Redeem Team", a Netflix documentary released on Friday, and which documents the 2008 return to basketball dominance for Team USA.

For even just casual followers of international and Olympic basketball, The Redeem Team offers a well-known story: Team USA, long the powerhouse of the sport, loses three times at Athens 2004 and finishes with 'just' the bronze medal, its worst overall performance at a Games.

Laying the blame for that on a lack of respect for the increasingly-strong international game, and the poor mix and use of selected veterans and younger players, USA Basketball's response is the hiring of Jerry Colangelo as general manager and of Mike Krzyzewski as head coach to set order. Shaping a team built on a multi-year commitment and instilled with a stirring sense of team (USA) duty, the mission is set.

Four players - James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Carlos Boozer, return from that ill-fated 2004 team seeking team and personal redemption, but the real catalyst is the inclusion of Kobe Bryant. A superstar looking to rehabilitate his own image, Bryant sets a dedicated and focused tone on the team.

His appearance also sets a focused tone on The Redeem Team as the program goes as the team does: influenced by his presence and in awe of his commitment. His addition to the team  - and to The Redeem Team - provides the jolt needed for the story arc's completion.

It's interesting to watch The Redeem Team when considering the state of USA Basketball's men's team today. Yes, Tokyo 2020 ended with a fourth-straight gold for Team USA. But that came after two exhibition losses (one to Team Nigeria!) and a preliminary loss in Olympic play to Team France. It was certainly conceivable that the team might not win it all again. And that came after a seventh-place finish at the 2019 World Cup by a decidedly B-list team of NBA stars.

As Paris 2024 approaches, and as Team France in particular bolsters its credentials, it might take a renewed sense of mission by top U.S. stars to secure the gold again. Both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 teams faced some struggle in attracting that top-level. Next year's World Cup in Asia will certainly be a roster test for Team USA, and its commitment to retain its global leadership. Will we need another 'Redeem Team' soon?

Stay On Board: The Leo Baker Story (2022)
A Quick Film Review

​Even at just over an hour of watching, "Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story" packs a punch. Timely and emotion-provoking, Nicola Marsh's and Giovanni Reda's documentary gives us a quick introduction to Leo Baker, a professional skateboarder who stepped away from the U.S. Olympic team in order to live openly.

As Lacey Baker, Leo became one of the more successful skateboarders on the women's circuit, with seven X Games medals and a 2017 nomination for a 'Best Female Action Sports Athlete' ESPY.

Stay on Board starts right at the height of Baker's career, in 2019, at a point when "skateboarding has given (Baker) everything (he's) ever experienced in (his) life". Traveling the world for competition, video shoots, sponsor and marketing responsibilities, and on the fast track to make Team USA's first-ever skateboarding team bound for Tokyo 2020.

But all is not well. Baker struggles to be happy - uncomfortable with presenting as female in order to compete, but doing so in order to do just that - compete in the sport he loves, and which has been a source of needed income for his family. Baker's initial, big step in publicly acknowledging himself - after arriving to "a space where he has to "have a conversation about it with the world" - announcing on social media his preferred pronouns proves an important step in the journey. It is testing the waters for reaction, in a way, but also allows for a moment of confidence and bravado when reeling from a life so often in the shadows.

​But the internal pressure ramps up. And, faced with the prospect of delaying further transition in order to compete in Tokyo, Baker reaches a breaking point. He steps aside from the national team in order to live fully, relinquishing an Olympic spot. I certainly am someone passionately in favor of athletes striving for and honoring the opportunity of Summer Games' competition. But, through Stay on Board, it's hard to argue against Baker's decision. I know what it is like to have a weight lifted off one's shoulders when more publicly at peace with oneself. And, the empathetic lens from Marsh and Reda acknowledges this personal choice by Baker.

As transgender rights are increasingly challenged, it's incredibly needed to glean a personal perspective to remind us all of the individual human element. To paraphrase Baker, simply to exist openly and honestly can be power enough. For Baker, it took a would-be Olympic berth to do it.

Olympic Pride, American Prejudice (2015)
A Quick Film Review

Well, this was certainly one long overdue task...watching Olympic Pride, American Prejudice, the 2016 documentary from writer / director Deborah Riley Draper on the experience of Team USA's 18 Black American athletes at the Berlin 1936 Olympics., currently available on Hulu, Amazon Prime and other platforms. And what a shame it took me so long, for it's both a celebration of these athletes and a stark reminder of the, well, stark circumstances of the times.

Narrated by actor Blair Underwood, Olympic Pride proves especially noteworthy with its focus on all 18 members of the team, including those *other* Black athletes - those 'who weren't Jesse Owens, the track & field star celebrated for his four gold medals that belittled Adolf Hitler's aim of Aryan dominance at those Games.

It was that potential to counter Hitler that pushed the Americans to ultimately not boycott the Games. And the subsequent irony of fair and open treatment by the German public to the competing Black Americans - in direct contrast to segregation realities back in the United States - is well documented by Riley Draper.

Despite the general understanding of Jim Crow-era life in the U.S., it's hard to realize today the daily struggle Black Americans faced then, and star athletes were no exception. Archival interviews with Olympic team members James LuValle and Archie Williams, and with family members of John Brooks, Tidye Pickett, and Louise Stokes puts their personal experiences leading into, during, and post Olympics into compelling perspective.

Unfortunately, what some of the members had hoped would be a "blow to racial prejudice on both sides of the Atlantic" didn't materialize, as some members faced racially-inspired indignities from team officials in Berlin, and when back home, the American media honed its lens solely on Owens, to the neglect of the other Black athletes and their successes This, despite a tally of 14 total medals won by the 'Black Eagles'.

Olympic Pride also offers a wealth of footage that takes the viewer through those pre-Games deliberations on boycott discussions to life on the SS Manhattan voyage to Germany and then to Olympic action itself. For an Olympics fan, watching such rarely-seen film of non-Owens events is a treat.

What's also a treat is the breadth of interviews Riley Draper secured beyond the athletes' families. Surviving spectators from the 1936 Games, as well as the great 'get' of would-be Olympic Jewish-German high jumper Gretel Bergmann provide contrasting perspectives of the German outlook of the Olympics.

And a plethora of recent Team USA Olympians and figures offer their comment in support of their forbearers, including Isaiah Thomas, Joanna Hayes, Terrence Trammell, Carl Lewis, Leroy Burrell, Tommie Smith, and Anita DeFrantz. A poignant surprise is catching Burrell's son Cameron, filmed a few years before his premature death in 2021.

Olympic Pride offers an indelible look at a key moment in Olympic and Team USA history, and is must to understand the drama of Berlin 1936. I couldn't have been more thankful to finally enjoy it - and to better appreciate the full contingent of the 'Black Eagles'.

Olympic Pride's featured subjects are Dave Albritton (high jump), John Brooks (long jump), James Clark (boxing), Cornelius Johnson (high jump), Willis Johnson and Howell King (boxing), Jimmy LuValle (400 meters track), Ralph Metcalfe (100 meters track), Art Oliver (boxing), Jesse Owens (sprints and long jump), Tidye Pickett and Fritz Pollard, Jr. (sprint hurdles), Mack Robinson (200 meters track), Louise Stokes (100 meters track), John Terry (weightlifting), Archie Wilson (400 meters track), Jack Wilson (boxing), and John Woodruff (800 meters track).

We here at Games and Rings are obviously fans of Olympic sports and Olympic sports athletes, but even with a growing list of relevant book and media reviews it's been striking to see the abundance of Olympic-related books available.

And, thanks to Bookshop.org, Games and Rings has a dedicated roundup of many (many) of them. Historical accounts of the Games, (auto)biographies of star Olympians, critical assessments of Olympism, children's books to get kids inspired, or general sports fun...there's a book out there for every level of fan. 

Bookshop.org's mission is to "help local, independent bookstores thrive in the age of e-commerce", and works with an international network of independent booksellers to sell books to consumers in a manner that supports profits to local bookstores.

Take a look at the Games and Rings page on Bookshop.org, and get shopping!

p.s. Let me know in the comments any other titles that should be added to the page.