Documentary in Terms of the Essential Questions (TOW 31)

Documentaries play a special role in society, as they can dictate how large percentages of the American community perceive certain events or people. By using the essential questions from this unit, we can explore how Winning Time: Reggie Jackson vs. The New York Knicks is constructed to change the perspective people have on the two teams depicted. The first question we must address is as follows: "How have modes of communication been a reflection of history and society?" This relates more to the content of the documentary, the themes and facts that drive the story. The movie shows the progression of the hatred that existed between the Knicks and the Indiana Pacers, even building up momentum only to contrast it by showing Reggie Miller saying "It could have been anybody." Not only does this system help in establishing chronological order and historical accuracy, but it also establishes the grounds for competition, the breeding ground for the history that would begin between the two teams. Although this is important to the overall understanding of the documentary, I personally feel that the answer to the second essential question, "How have modern modes of communication been perceived and received by the global community?", is more crucial for the film's overall success. The rhetorical decisions the director makes in his production of the movie are critical to the perception of the players involved in the memorable battle of New York and Indiana. For example, one of the worries producers had while creating the video was observing a backlash against Reggie Miller because of his excessive trash-talking. The director combatted this by adding a five-minute section devoted solely to explaining the career of Reggie's sister Cheryl and how that drove his competitive and aggressive nature. Now, instead of seeing Reggie as a merciless predator feeding on the youth of the NBA, Miller simply becomes the product of his sibling rivalry, something Americans can easily relate to, whether having seen them or being in one themselves. Through these methods, the documentary is able to effectively tell the sports story through the intended lens.