ESPN Films 30 for 30: You Don't Know Bo

Sharon, Jack and I watched You Don't Know Bo after the Heisman Award Ceremony on Saturday. This is the fifth installment of ESPN's 30 for 30 Vol II. An episode guide for Vol II is here.

You Don't Know Bo looks at the athletic career of Bo Jackson. Bo was the first athlete to be named an All-Star in two major American sports.

In baseball, he played left field and was a designated hitter for the Kansas City Royals, the Chicago White Sox and the California Angels of the American League in Major League Baseball. Bo was voted to start for the American League All-Star team in 1989. Bo was named the game's MVP for his play on both offense and defense. He is one of two players in All-Star Game history to hit a home run and steal a base in the same game (the other is Willie Mays).

Playing football after the baseball season ended, Bo played running back for the Los Angeles Raiders. In 1990, Bo was named to the NFL Pro Bowl. He also ran a 40-yard dash in 4.12 seconds which is still the fastest verifiable 40-yard dash time ever recorded at any NFL Combine.

Bo played football and baseball at Auburn University He won the 1985 Heisman Trophy, the prize annually awarded to the most outstanding collegiate football player in the United States.

In 1989 and 1990, Bo starred in a series of ads for Nike along side Rock and Roll Hall of Fame musician Bo Diddley promoting a cross-training athletic shoe. I have some very strong memories of the "Bo Knows" advertising campaign.

I was really looking forward to seeing this documentary and was not disappointed; it was very good. I was surprised that they said almost nothing about what Bo Jackson did after this career was over.

Sharon said afterwards how much she enjoyed the film. Additionally, after the game on Sunday, Jack said that he was just like Bo when he turned on the jets going from first to third against the Golden Spikes. Obviously, the film left an impression on him too!

I am not crazy of how they used a few cartoons to illustrate a couple of sequences early in the film. The same technique and maybe even the same artist were used in Benji.

You Don't Know Bo is available on iTunes.

A trailer for the film is here.