The Announcement--ESPN

[JackReacher]

Anyone watch that last night? I found it riveting, even though I'm well-versed in everything Magic Johnson. One of my favorites.

I still remember exactly where I was when he announced his retirement. Sitting on the sofa in my living room, stunned and crying. I was 13. I read his book right after it came out a couple years later, but it apparently got lost somewhere along the way. Ordered it again this morning.

I thought Pat Riley was particularly insightful on the ESPN doc. Dude was straight-up depressed just talking about it.

 

[Steak Snabler]

I enjoyed it for the most part. The parts about how he found out and then having to tell his family were especially gripping. And yeah, Riley was great.

I thought the only mistake was having Magic narrate it. Dude can't read a script to save his life.

 

[JackReacher]

Yeah. That got a little awkward and choppy at times.

 

[21]

The fact that Magic is still around to narrate it, instead of a narrator doing it posthumously, made it work for me.

You know what got me? The part with the little girl crying because she just wanted to be 'normal.' And at the very end, right before the credits, there she is as a gorgeous adult devoted to HIV/AIDS causes. Fantastic detail.

It always surprised that there was never another HIV announcement in the NBA; you'd see the same nasty talent circulating around the players all the time, same women over and over, how is possible that Magic was the only unlucky victim? None of those guys--none of them today--cared about safety.

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

The fact that Magic is still around to narrate it, instead of a narrator doing it posthumously, made it work for me.

You know what got me? The part with the little girl crying because she just wanted to be 'normal.' And at the very end, right before the credits, there she is as a gorgeous adult devoted to HIV/AIDS causes. Fantastic detail.

It always surprised that there was never another HIV announcement in the NBA; you'd see the same nasty talent circulating around the players all the time, same women over and over, how is possible that Magic was the only unlucky victim? None of those guys--none of them today--cared about safety.

I have always been surprised at the apparent lack of number of HIV/AIDS cases among pro athletes, given the atmosphere.

 

[Dick Whitman]

The fact that Magic is still around to narrate it, instead of a narrator doing it posthumously, made it work for me.

You know what got me? The part with the little girl crying because she just wanted to be 'normal.' And at the very end, right before the credits, there she is as a gorgeous adult devoted to HIV/AIDS causes. Fantastic detail.

It always surprised that there was never another HIV announcement in the NBA; you'd see the same nasty talent circulating around the players all the time, same women over and over, how is possible that Magic was the only unlucky victim? None of those guys--none of them today--cared about safety.

I have always been surprised at the apparent lack of number of HIV/AIDS cases among pro athletes, given the atmosphere.

Who do we know of?

Alan Wiggins (gay)
Magic Johnson
Roberto Alomar (rumored gay)
Greg Louganis (gay)
Tommy Morrison
Arthur Ashe

 

[Steak Snabler]

The fact that Magic is still around to narrate it, instead of a narrator doing it posthumously, made it work for me.

You know what got me? The part with the little girl crying because she just wanted to be 'normal.' And at the very end, right before the credits, there she is as a gorgeous adult devoted to HIV/AIDS causes. Fantastic detail.

It always surprised that there was never another HIV announcement in the NBA; you'd see the same nasty talent circulating around the players all the time, same women over and over, how is possible that Magic was the only unlucky victim? None of those guys--none of them today--cared about safety.

I have always been surprised at the apparent lack of number of HIV/AIDS cases among pro athletes, given the atmosphere.

Who do we know of?

Alan Wiggins (gay)
Magic Johnson
Roberto Alomar (rumored gay)
Greg Louganis (gay)
Tommy Morrison
Arthur Ashe

Tim Richmond — NASCAR driver
Glenn Burke — Dodgers/A's outfielder in the 1970s; probably the first publicly known gay male pro athlete
Roy Simmons (who's still alive) — Redskins lineman in the early 80s

 

[93Devil]

Is there any fine print in the collective bargaining agreements Post-Magic about announcing this medical condition?

 

[Dick Whitman]

The fact that Magic is still around to narrate it, instead of a narrator doing it posthumously, made it work for me.

You know what got me? The part with the little girl crying because she just wanted to be 'normal.' And at the very end, right before the credits, there she is as a gorgeous adult devoted to HIV/AIDS causes. Fantastic detail.

It always surprised that there was never another HIV announcement in the NBA; you'd see the same nasty talent circulating around the players all the time, same women over and over, how is possible that Magic was the only unlucky victim? None of those guys--none of them today--cared about safety.

I have always been surprised at the apparent lack of number of HIV/AIDS cases among pro athletes, given the atmosphere.

Who do we know of?

Alan Wiggins (gay)
Magic Johnson
Roberto Alomar (rumored gay)
Greg Louganis (gay)
Tommy Morrison
Arthur Ashe

Tim Richmond — NASCAR driver
Glenn Burke — Dodgers/A's outfielder in the 1970s; probably the first publicly known gay male pro athlete
Roy Simmons (who's still alive) — Redskins lineman in the early 80s

Thanks. I knew there was someone I was forgetting. It was Burke. The other two I probably heard about, but didn't remember at all.

 

[Den1983]

Good stuff. Loved the flick, thought it was well-done. Found it interesting Riley worked him out at Madison Square Garden, and that Magic told Simmons he would have actually considered going to the Knicks to play.

And speaking of that young girl, 21, agree completely. Totally got me. And here's something pretty cool: http://hellobeautiful.com/special-features/30-under-30/ldavenport/30-under-30-hydeia-broadbent/

 

[Steak Snabler]

The fact that Magic is still around to narrate it, instead of a narrator doing it posthumously, made it work for me.

You know what got me? The part with the little girl crying because she just wanted to be 'normal.' And at the very end, right before the credits, there she is as a gorgeous adult devoted to HIV/AIDS causes. Fantastic detail.

It always surprised that there was never another HIV announcement in the NBA; you'd see the same nasty talent circulating around the players all the time, same women over and over, how is possible that Magic was the only unlucky victim? None of those guys--none of them today--cared about safety.

I have always been surprised at the apparent lack of number of HIV/AIDS cases among pro athletes, given the atmosphere.

Who do we know of?

Alan Wiggins (gay)
Magic Johnson
Roberto Alomar (rumored gay)
Greg Louganis (gay)
Tommy Morrison
Arthur Ashe

Tim Richmond — NASCAR driver
Glenn Burke — Dodgers/A's outfielder in the 1970s; probably the first publicly known gay male pro athlete
Roy Simmons (who's still alive) — Redskins lineman in the early 80s

Thanks. I knew there was someone I was forgetting. It was Burke. The other two I probably heard about, but didn't remember at all.

NTTAWWT, but I don't think Wiggins was gay. He was a intravenous drug user.

By the way, his daughter, Candace, was an All-American at Stanford and plays in the WNBA.

 

[Dick Whitman]

The fact that Magic is still around to narrate it, instead of a narrator doing it posthumously, made it work for me.

You know what got me? The part with the little girl crying because she just wanted to be 'normal.' And at the very end, right before the credits, there she is as a gorgeous adult devoted to HIV/AIDS causes. Fantastic detail.

It always surprised that there was never another HIV announcement in the NBA; you'd see the same nasty talent circulating around the players all the time, same women over and over, how is possible that Magic was the only unlucky victim? None of those guys--none of them today--cared about safety.

I have always been surprised at the apparent lack of number of HIV/AIDS cases among pro athletes, given the atmosphere.

Who do we know of?

Alan Wiggins (gay)
Magic Johnson
Roberto Alomar (rumored gay)
Greg Louganis (gay)
Tommy Morrison
Arthur Ashe

Tim Richmond — NASCAR driver
Glenn Burke — Dodgers/A's outfielder in the 1970s; probably the first publicly known gay male pro athlete
Roy Simmons (who's still alive) — Redskins lineman in the early 80s

Thanks. I knew there was someone I was forgetting. It was Burke. The other two I probably heard about, but didn't remember at all.

NTTAWWT, but I don't think Wiggins was gay. He was a intravenous drug user.

That's right. I knew he was high-risk. For some reason, I was thinking that he was gay.

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

The fact that Magic is still around to narrate it, instead of a narrator doing it posthumously, made it work for me.

You know what got me? The part with the little girl crying because she just wanted to be 'normal.' And at the very end, right before the credits, there she is as a gorgeous adult devoted to HIV/AIDS causes. Fantastic detail.

That was great. Magic was supposed to be dead within a few years, and now he and others in the doc have lived with HIV for 20 years.

I enjoyed it for the most part. The parts about how he found out and then having to tell his family were especially gripping. And yeah, Riley was great.

I thought the only mistake was having Magic narrate it. Dude can't read a script to save his life.

Magic's narration sometimes sounded like he was narrating a children's show.

They didn't skewer Karl Malone enough for being a short-sighted jerk in 1992. They also didn't really touch on some of the negative coverage of the time (i.e., "Magic needs to COME CLEAN!!!!!!").

But I did like it a lot. Brought back some strong memories.

 

[hondo]

The fact that Magic is still around to narrate it, instead of a narrator doing it posthumously, made it work for me.

You know what got me? The part with the little girl crying because she just wanted to be 'normal.' And at the very end, right before the credits, there she is as a gorgeous adult devoted to HIV/AIDS causes. Fantastic detail.

It always surprised that there was never another HIV announcement in the NBA; you'd see the same nasty talent circulating around the players all the time, same women over and over, how is possible that Magic was the only unlucky victim? None of those guys--none of them today--cared about safety.

I have always been surprised at the apparent lack of number of HIV/AIDS cases among pro athletes, given the atmosphere.

Who do we know of?

Alan Wiggins (gay)
Magic Johnson
Roberto Alomar (rumored gay)
Greg Louganis (gay)
Tommy Morrison
Arthur Ashe

Tim Richmond — NASCAR driver
Glenn Burke — Dodgers/A's outfielder in the 1970s; probably the first publicly known gay male pro athlete
Roy Simmons (who's still alive) — Redskins lineman in the early 80s

Thanks. I knew there was someone I was forgetting. It was Burke. The other two I probably heard about, but didn't remember at all.

NTTAWWT, but I don't think Wiggins was gay. He was a intravenous drug user.

By the way, his daughter, Candace, was an All-American at Stanford and plays in the WNBA.

Former Redskins tight end Jerry Smith died of Aids. One helluva player in the 70s.

 

[TigerVols]

I didn't see the program, but...was it pointed out how few heterosexual males had contracted HIV by that period? How it was NEARLY impossible to be infected by the virus thru male-female sex?

 

[Rockbottom]

I, too, was riveted. Remember exactly where I was when Magic took the stage, just as I remember exactly where I was when OJ's verdict was announced.

I kinda liked Magic narrating it, actually. His inflection sold some of the parts well. Riles is, and continues to be, fantastic. Talk about a guy who walks the walk.

rb

 

[MileHigh]

Great stuff. I too remember where I was when it came down, and it was especially tough since I grew up in SoCal and was/still am a big-time Lakers and obviously a huge Magic fan.

 

[Kato]

They didn't skewer Karl Malone enough for being a short-sighted jerk in 1992. They also didn't really touch on some of the negative coverage of the time (i.e., "Magic needs to COME CLEAN!!!!!!").

Karl did a fine enough job skewering himself. Even in his current interviews on there he came across as quites a jackass. At least until his last line when he talked about educating a country bumpkin like himself. But, sheesh, Karl.

 

[Lugnuts]

I didn't see the program, but...was it pointed out how few heterosexual males had contracted HIV by that period? How it was NEARLY impossible to be infected by the virus thru male-female sex?

That was touched on and raised even more pointedly in the televised Bill Simmons podcast after the film. I actually thought Simmons did a nice job with how he posed the gay question.

Aside from the tearful little girl-turned-activist part, the tidbit that really got me was Riley flying Magic to New York to work him out when nobody else would even play pickup with Magic. After seeing that, I'm now a Riley fan for life.

 

[Lugnuts]

Another part that really struck me: Hearing Peter Jennings read the news of Magic's announcement with the gravity of a death sentence.

Little did anyone know Peter Jennings would be dead in 15 years, and Magic would be alive and well.

Life is so filled with irony, isn't it?