‘Untold’ Dives Into Jake Paul & More Controversial Sports Figures
It’s Round 3 for this acclaimed series, Untold, where controversial sports figures talk — sometimes exhaustively — about the line between their fame and infamy. “Our athletes know we’re offering an unvarnished view,” says Maclain Way, who exec produces alongside his brother Chapman. “And they know they’ll have no say in the final edit.” The latest roster is an ambitious one.
Take Jake Paul, the internet star who raked in millions on his way to becoming among the most hated YouTubers, thanks in part to accusations of scamming fans. Paul later counterpunched with a successful career in professional boxing. As he claims in Jake Paul the Problem Child (recently available), “This is a story of a kid who lost himself; boxing saved his life.”
Similar confessions come in Johnny Football (recently available) from Johnny Manziel, who, as a Texas A&M quarterback 11 years ago, was a Lone Star State hero. But the Cleveland Browns’ top pick in 2014 became a hard-partying NFL bust. “I was a 19-year-old kid with $100,000 stuffed under my bed. It was awesome,” he candidly offers.
Don’t expect regrets in Hall of Shame (Tuesday, August 15). Steroids remade the sports world, and after years of denials, Victor Conte, founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative, admitted in 2004 to pumping up performances of home run king Barry Bonds, champion sprinter Marion Jones and many more in his quest to build the perfect athlete.
And Swamp Kings (Tuesday, August 22) looks at Urban Meyer’s six seasons at the University of Florida, where he coached, among others, squeaky-clean quarterback Tim Tebow. Also, 31 players were arrested for myriad offenses while the team won two national championships. “Urban Meyer did the minimum…to correct the discipline problems,” says ESPN commentator Paul Finebaum, seemingly summing up this series’ study of the high price of success.
Untold, Streaming now, Netflix
