Politics in Sport – ESPN 30 for 30 short “Silver Reunion”

Regarded as the most controversial in Olympic basketball history, the 1972 Olympic men’s basketball final was the first ever loss for the USA Team since the sport began Olympic play in 1936. The team’s silver medals remain today unclaimed, in a vault in Lusanne, Switzerland.

See video below for footage of the controversial call in the 1972 basketball final.

Reuniting more than four decades after the team controversially lost the gold to the Russians and declined the silver medal, the 12 team members met to make a decision.  In order to get the medals, it has to be a unanimous decision among the team.

 

Directed by Rory Karpf, ESPN 30 for 30 short “Silver Reunion” documents a 2012 meeting between the 12 members of the 1972 U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team, as they break down the controversial gold medal game they lost to the Soviet Union, and try to decide if they want to stand by their original declining of the silver medal. Check it out below:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:9105242