30 FOR 30: THE BIRTH OF BIG AIR (TV)
Summary
One in this series of sports documentaries presented by ESPN about important figures and events in athletic history. This program explores the career of bicycle motocross (BMX) innovator and athlete Mat Hoffman. In the 1970s and early 1980s, "trick riders" were seen largely as side entertainment at sporting events, but Oklahoma native Hoffman gained fame within the sport as a teen for his impressive stunts and fearless attitude, winning an expert-level contest at Madison Square Garden and enticing a number of sponsors. Other notable riders, including Eddie Fiola and Mike Dominguez, quickly realized upon seeing Hoffman's talents that they had to "step it up," and Hoffman turned pro in 1989 and stunned everyone with a series of never-before-accomplished feats, including a "no-handed 900," or two and a half turns in midair, and a 180-degree backflip. Filmmaker Spike Jonze's photographs of Hoffman's accomplishments appeared on magazine covers and Hoffman began inventing a number of his own tricks, though his efforts took a toll on his body, making him an "orthopedic surgeon's nightmare" with his many broken bones, damaged joints and concussions.
BMX entered a recession of sorts in the 1990s and, troubled by his mother's 1990 death, Hoffman decided to "resuscitate" the sport by building his own bikes and mounting various BMX shows and contests around the United States with the help of his best friend, Steve Swope. Many pros and enthusiasts turned out for the contests despite the lack of prestige and prize money, and stuntman Johnny Airtime encouraged Hoffman to design a 20-foot ramp that would allow him to reach an unprecedented – and dangerous – height on his bike. At a Hoffman Bikes event, Hoffman mounted the "sketchy" hand-built ramp on a motorcycle, needing the motor's power to achieve the desired velocity, and his friends describe their astonishment at seeing him achieve the seemingly impossible. Evel Knievel, Hoffman's longtime hero, even took note of his achievements, though Swope began to worry about his friend's safety. MTV cameras were rolling when Hoffman later crashed and ruptured his spleen, and Swope and Hoffman's wife Jaci recall how his serious internal bleeding left him minutes from death. Hoffman's friends later told him that his 20-foot ramp was "blown down" by Oklahoma winds after his near-fatal accident, though he notes that he suspects otherwise.
The ESPN X-Games, celebrating extreme sports, debuted in 1995, and the sport of BMX gained considerable fame and attention. Hoffman turned his interests to the relatively "safer" sports of base-jumping and skydiving, though he was frustrated when a magazine erroneously claimed that Dave Mirra's 19-foot aerial was a world record and resolved to outdo even himself with a 30-foot ramp. He hit a height of 26 ½ feet, but repeatedly crashed and eventually knocked himself into a coma, requiring a full year to recover and admitting that the pressure of proving himself to others harmed his focus. Despite Knievel's encouragement, Jaci convinced Hoffman to part ways with the sport by pointing out that he could easily miss out on their children's lives with a fatal injury. The X-Games added a "big air" ramp in 2004, and other BMX stars as well as skateboarders, including Tony Hawk, cite Hoffman's vital influence on the sport. Hoffman himself came out of "retirement" in 2007 to appear at the X-Games and challenged himself to ride the MegaRamp without brakes, though he crashed mildly on the ramp's deck. He concludes that his interest in the sport has always been about personal challenge and ambition rather than public recognition, citing the importance of innovation and creativity in sports. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: ESPN
- DATE: July 29, 2010 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:54:31
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 114721
- GENRE: Sports
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Sports; Sports; Biography
- SERIES RUN: ESPN - TV series, 2009-
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Cadillac automobiles
- TV - Promos - "30 For 30" home videos
CREDITS
- Mat Hoffman … Executive Producer
- Mark Lewman … Executive Producer
- Keith Clinkscales … Executive Producer
- John Dahl … Executive Producer
- Joan Lynch … Executive Producer
- Connor Schell … Executive Producer
- Bill Simmons … Executive Producer
- John Skipper … Executive Producer
- John Walsh … Executive Producer
- Johnny Knoxville … Producer
- Spike Jonze … Producer
- Priya Swaminathan … Producer
- Mitch Wright … Producer
- Jeff Tremaine … Producer, Director
- Matt Staley … Associate Producer
- Deirdre Fenton … Associate Producer
- Mike Tollin … Consulting Producer
- Laura Tremaine … Field Producer
- Mat Hoffman … Interviewee
- Tony Hawk … Interviewee
- Eddie Fiola … Interviewee
- Mike Dominguez … Interviewee
- Spike Jonze … Interviewee
- Jaci Hoffman … Interviewee
- Steve Swope … Interviewee
- Johnny Airtime … Interviewee
- Dave Mirra … Interviewee
- Evel Knievel … Interviewee