I hated Oakland Raiders team owner Al Davis at the time, and except for George Blanda and Fred Biletnikoff, I never liked any Raiders players. I was young, but still.
So it’s a testament to director Ken Rodgers’ skill as a storyteller that one comes to feel affection for the flamboyant bon vivant and his rebellious ways, and one feels something like pity for former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle. Davis was a thorn in his side for most of Rozelle’s 30 year reign.
Although Davis outlived Rozelle by 15 years – both of the since deceased legends have been brought back to life in ESPN’s latest documentary in the ’30 for 30′ series. By using so-called “deep fake” technology, Rodgers uses voice actors and digital faces to put words in the mouths of the lifelong adversaries. For my money, the device is distracting, and it’s the only thing that doesn’t work in an otherwise compelling and entertaining yarn.
For one thing, the device isn’t neccessary – my god, both men were in front of cameras for their entire careers; There’s a wealth of arhcival footage and, to his credit, Rodgers has assembled good bits.
For those who don’t remember, and just to put it in a sentence: Davis wanted to relocate his Bay Area team to Los Angeles. The NFL was concerned about potential anarchy and team owners extorting cities for ever bigger stadiums, ever more premium VIP suites, etc. Law suits were filed, names were called, sides were taken. It was all very dramatic.
And now that the Raiders are officially the Las Vegas Raiders, well, you won’t be in suspense as to how things have shaken out in the 40 years since those turbulent times.
And yet, those were the glory days for these two men. Football was great. Less innocent than it had been, but way more pure than it has become. The guys on the field were heroes and villains, but mostly squared away individuals. But maybe that’s just an old man’s nostalgia talking.
Al Davis’ oft-repeated tag line was, “Just win, baby.” And you’d have to conclude that he did.
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