Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay (2012)
This biography traces the influences of magician Ricky Jay, one of the most prolific magicians in Hollywood, appearing in dozens of films and consulting on many more.
David Blaine, David Copperfield, Penn and Teller, and Criss Angel are household names, but there’s a significant gap between Harry Houdini and these illusionists.
It’s interesting to learn the stories of twentieth century pioneers of magic like Cardini and Dai Vernon.
Jay is a master storyteller and this is a fun way to see some of his vintage act.
Mysteries of the Rimet Trophy (2014)
This chronicles the bizarre story of the Jules Rimet Trophy, given to the winners of the World Cup until the 1970 tournament.
Jules Rimet spearheaded the creation of the tournament and intended for the winning nation to keep the trophy until the next edition.
Italy won the 1938 World Cup and kept the trophy throughout the second World War when the trophy was hidden in a shoebox to avoid Nazi thieves.
In 1966, the trophy was stolen from a public display and recovered days later underneath a garden hedge by Pickles, a black and white collie.
A replica was made during the same World Cup by the England’s governing body (without permission of FIFA, which oversees the tournament). Conspiracy theorists claimed the original cup was replaced by this replica during the confusion. In 1997, FIFA purchased the second trophy and tests confirmed it was not the original.
Jules Rimet stipulated when a nation won the World Cup a third time, they would keep the trophy and a new one would take its place, so when Brazil won the 1970 edition, it was given permanent possession of the original trophy, which was then stolen in 1983 and has not been recovered.
This entry of ESPN’s 30 for 30: Soccer Stories is a fun look at a piece of soccer lore.
Barbosa: The Man Who Made All of Brazil Cry (2014)
In the 1950 World Cup final, Brazil was a prohibitive favorite to win, but Uruguay’s Alcides Ghiggia scored a goal on Brazilian goalkeeper Moacir Barbosa Nascimento in the 79th minute to upset the Brazilian team and propel Uruguay to their second World Cup victory.
Barbosa became a national pariah. Before his death in 2000, he lamented he had been punished for fifty years, while the maximum prison sentence in Brazil is only thirty years.
This entry in ESPN’s 30 for 30: Soccer Stories is a fascinating look at the casual cruelty of sports fans seeking to assign blame for the failure of their teams.