30 for 30 Broke: Rounding Up Reviews for Latest ESPN Documentary

On Tuesday night, ESPN aired the latest of its critically acclaimed documentary series "30 for 30"—this one entitled Broke, directed by Billy Corben.

The film takes a deeper look into the financial aspect of athletes’ lives and attempts to figure out why so many go “broke” either during their careers or not long after retirement.

Some feature subjects include former NFL, NBA and MLB players—all of whom have had financial difficulties despite making millions of dollars during their careers.

It’s an awesome documentary and highly recommended for anyone interested in why its commonplace in sports for many of the most wealthy players to go bust. But don’t take our word for it; take a look at some of the many reviews found around the ‘net.

Alan Sepinwall - HitFix.com

"

Corben breathes new life into it [the subject] with an exhaustive, intimate series of interviews with athletes both famous (Bernie Kosar, Curt Schilling, Andre Rison) and more obscure (former Yankees pinch-running specialist Homer Bush). He gets them all to really open up about the many ways and motivations for throwing their money away; every time the film threatens to feel repetitive, we get some remarkable new detail about a business deal gone awry, or a surprising emotional moment. (Kosar's explanation for why he let his father mismanage his money is devastating.)

"

Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s and holds a highly respected opinion on the medium. If he believes that Broke is worth watching, then it’s best to listen and tune in immediately.

Will Eidam - The Austin Chronicle

"

I would rather have watched a two-hour program on the rise and fall of Andre “Bad Moon” Rison over this how-to-guide doc. Rison comes out as the clear star of this story, for better or worse. While Leon Searcy and Keith McCants dress themselves in T-shirts and remorse, Rison presents himself in a shiny suit, resplendent with arrogance. I imagine that a two-hour doc on him would have taken off the sunglasses and exposed a few layers of Rison that we were unable to see in Broke.

"

Eidam wasn’t as impressed with this documentary as some of the other reviewers, and he felt that Rison should have gotten his own documentary in order to delve deeper into why he lost everything and still acts the way he does.

Glenn Garvin - The Miami Herald

"

The sketchy relationship between athletes and money involves more than just over-indulging in strippers. More fundamentally, as Broke points out, it’s a matter of young men who suddenly find themselves with a ton of money that they obtained not with business acumen but for their ability to throw a ball. Even the most sober of them has little idea how to handle it.

"

Garvin sums up the heart of what Broke is about—young men who come across too much too fast and are ill-prepared for that success. It’s a riveting subject and a reason why you must watch this incredible doc.