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DW: To be very general, briefly describe why you feel documentaries are important - why should we make documentaries? PM: I think documentaries done well ask questions people arent asking. Can they give us insight into lives we dont know about? They can help us understand, they can help us rethink things, and they can also get new ideas out there. I think documentaries are a wonderful format, but you have to have interesting documentaries, and documentaries that are asking interesting questions to broaden the way we see things. Theyre super important to expanding the way we see the world. DW: How long did it take you to direct the ‘Sports on Fire series? PM: We did it in about a year I guess, the six episodes in just under a year. DW: Describe the appeal you think this series will have for audiences, and why? PM: The sports genre is huge right now; people love sports. And the reason people love sports is because games give us a great narrative. They give us all the drama, all the rivalries, and everything else. They give us the act one, act two, act three kind of narrative where if its an exciting game, given lots of pressure in whatever the moment is, human beings are fascinated and ecstatic with that. Historically I think its really deep into key moments of the 20th century, and the 21st century, the steroid story and the one on gender testing. I think it just has a wild appeal because its both human nature and sports. Its the drama of sports and the compelling nature of history. Not to have a terrible sports metaphor, but it seems to be a bit of a slam-dunk in terms of entertainment that way. Its a wide demographic. DW: You were a big hockey fan growing up, and I know the series premiere is delving into the 1972 Summit Series, of course played at the height of the Cold War, as a hockey fan, what was it like for you to be able to work on a hockey project of that magnitude? PM: It was actually, that is a great question, because it was fantastic, and it was nostalgic, and it was a privilege. From my childhood it was kind of a bit of a dream to be able to rework the 1972 Summit Series. That series really etched itself in my imagination. I read a lot about that series as a kid growing up. I remember a book that I had called ‘Twenty-Seven Days in September, and I just read page for page for page after page, and it had French translations, and I learned my French from that book! I was like 8 years old and I could not get enough of that series. It was just such a riveting spectacle, the way the Canadians came back and the narrative of that series. For me to be able to do an episode on the Summit Series was a real thrill. And to be able to dig in ways no one had done before was really interesting. My second novel I wrote was called ‘Understanding Ken, Ken in that novel being Ken Dryden. To interview Dryden for that was great, and he wrote ‘The Game, one of the greatest sports books of all-time. And I was a big time Habs fan, but of the non-Habs players Bobby Clarke was definitely my favourite. Every dad was into Bobby Clarke if he was a hockey dad, and he would be like “WHY CANT YOU BEAR DOWN LIKE BOBBY CLARKE” and you would be like “Dad, its because Im only eight!” so the whole thing is viewed with nostalgia for me. Its a great Canadian moment too. Even Phil Espositos speech after Game 4 in Vancouver is known as one of the five great Canadian historical speeches, if you can believe it. It really captured the nation. (Image courtesy of National Post) DW: It really shows you how important hockey is here in Canada. PM: Yeah, and arguably after that time things started to change a little bit. Other sports and other channels started seeping in and hockey became less the religion of the country. But in 1972 it certainly was the religion, and we saw that when the religion was sort of attacked by the Soviet win in Montreal. Thats when it really heated things up. That was such a shock to the Canadian psyche and the Canadian system. That loss heightened the drama of the Cold War, the difference in ideologies, it had everything the narrative of a good drama would want. The Canadian fan turning against the team in Game 4 in Vancouver, and Espositos speech, and Dryden saying “maybe were in this thing together, maybe were all in this together,” and the 3,000 people that went to the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. You could have told me 150 people went there, like when I was reading about that, and I wouldve said “wow,” but 3,000 people, thats like a small town in Canada going to the Soviet Union to watch Canada, and they made their presence known as well. I remember a Quebecois guy saying, “This is the first time I ever felt like Quebec is part of Canada,” and he was at those games. It was an interesting time. (Image courtesy of 1972SummitSeries.com) DW: Now I know we just talked about the premiere, but was there a specific episode or topic that intrigued you the most while working on ‘Sports on Fire? PM: You know, the interview subjects were all so great that I find myself riveted in different moments. Not to pick names, but in different times, Tyler Hamilton and Bill Romanowski. Hamilton was a teammate of Lance Armstrong, and Romanowski won four Super Bowls and was one of the toughest players of all-time. I think he played 240 consecutive games as a linebacker, which is unheard of. Those guys were just riveting to me. And then in the gender piece on gender testing in womens sports it was amazing. It was humbling how much I didnt know about trying to test someone for his or her sex. And then the Jesse Owens piece to undercover some things that had never been said before was very exciting, and I met Harry Edwards, who is an amazingly important figure in the 1960s protest civil rights movements, and then the 1968 black power salute. And Munich was something else, I sat down with Ankie Spitzer who was a widow of one of the murdered Israeli athletes, and she was just fascinating and courageous. And she came to Munich for the interview from Israel. There were so many times I found my jaw on the ground, and I was so grateful for the people who gave these interviews at different times. I feel like a grandmother, because I liked all of them in different ways. And Im not kidding when I say that, I truly enjoyed… theyre so different, when you go from hockey to steroids, and then from steroids to gender, and gender to Munich where youre narrating a story about terrorism, and then youre into the 1936 Olympics in Berlin with the rise of the Nazis. Its all just so different. And when you capture the essence of each one and you think you have what you hope you have its very inspiring and very fulfilling. Its so tough man; I just loved making the series. (Image courtesy of NFL.com) DW: It sounds like it. Youre obviously passionate about the project. PM: I just loved it! I feel extremely fortunate to have been able to make these shows. And HBO and Bell and everyone there was just so open about allowing us to push it as far as we could, and do what we wanted to do, so it was just great. DW: Explain how this series is different from other documentaries and stories about the same subjects that we already know. PM: I think one way is that we really focus on not historical sports moments, but moments when sport and history collide. Some people do that as one-offs, but we did it as a series, which is completely unique. And I think another way is the key to our series is that were asking questions we think nobody else is asking. For instance, for the ‘All the Rage episode on steroids we dont ask them what did you take, we ask them why did you take them, what was going on? With gender we dont say, what were the results of your gender tests, we ask what was it like being put under a mirror and under scrutiny being tested for your gender when you know youre a woman. We took on asking questions no one else was asking. How far is too far in trying to win a hockey game? We didnt ask if it was a great series, the series speaks for itself, but why do we do what we do to win, and what makes that right or wrong? We asked with prohibition and the rise of NASCAR, we asked has NASCAR lost its independent roots now, is it too corporate? We just kept asking questions we didnt think other people were asking, and thats what I love to do anyway. And with Munich we explored what the German authorities might have known, and their connections at the time, and why there hasnt been a moment of silence given to the families of the victims in the actual opening ceremonies of the Olympics? So we just tried to ask questions other people arent asking, or ask them differently. So the key is to just get a different take on why things unfolded the way they did. DW: Was there a specific moment from researching and digging that genuinely surprised you to learn on any of the subjects? PM: In the hockey one I was startled, and grateful by the honesty of Bobby Clarke. He just told us exactly how he felt. Clarke has no sense of trying to reshape himself for some sort of brand. He just straight-up said, “I saw him coming from the corner of my eye, I hunted him down,” thats what he actually said, “I hunted him down, and I knew where I was swinging when I swung the stick.” And for steroids with Romanowski, the way he talked about steroids was so honest, and that surprises you. Just wow that is not a cliché answer in any way, hes not saying he feels bad or any of that, hes just saying why he did it. Why do we do what we do? Because he wanted to be someone, because of fear, because he didnt want to lose his job, he loved what he did and wanted to do it for the rest of his life, and he would do it right now all over again the exact same way. There were moments of “wow, did he just say that?” So what surprised me most was what the subjects had the courage to say. (Image courtesy of The Lou Marsh Legacy) DW: What are the main reasons people should check out the ‘Sports on Fire series this Friday, January 9th at 9pm on HBO Canada? PM: I think first and foremost its entertaining, but after that these are such seminal moments in the human journey, and I think its just exciting to relive them. And then to see them from a different angle than the way you thought you knew those moments in history is really worth tuning into. And it was certainly worth making! DW: Awesome. Im genuinely excited to watch the series, and thanks a lot for taking the time. PM: My pleasure, Danny. DJ Moore Jersey . -- Craig Anderson has quite a record against his former team, the Florida Panthers. Sam Mills Womens Jersey . The 2010 batting champ showed what he can do when hes mostly healthy. Gonzalez homered, doubled and singled in his return to the lineup, and the Colorado Rockies snapped a five-game losing streak with a 13-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night. http://www.thepanthersofficialstore.com/authentic-brian-burns-panthers-jersey/ . On Saturday night, Winnipegs strong offense was again accompanied by some fantastic pitching which gave the Fish a commanding victory. Cam Newton Jersey .J. -- The New York Jets have promoted Tony Sparano Jr. DJ Moore Womens Jersey . On paper, it looks a little like Andre the Giant taking on a midget wrestler. It has all the makings of a rout with the Americans adding an eighth win in nine outings of this biennial event. The Yanks have eight players in the top 15 in the world while the Internationals have just one.SAN JOSE, Calif. - Mixed martial arts fighters filed an antitrust lawsuit against the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Tuesday, alleging the organization is a monopoly that chokes off competition, crushes athletes earnings and controls the right to market their names even after their deaths.UFC has taken over the entire industry and dictated its terms upon the fighters ... they dont have any rights. Its the new religion, as it were ... its time for things to change, said Nathan Quarry, who is a plaintiff in the suit along with Cung Le and Jon Fitch.Only Le currently has a UFC contract, although he said at a news conference that he would not fight if called up for a bout.The federal suit was filed in San Jose, where Le lives. Its being brought by high-profile firms involved in suits against such giants as Apple, Google and JPMorgan Chase & Co.At a news conference, lawyers declined to put a price tag on the damages being sought.However, they argued that MMA fighters receive only a fraction of the earnings they could make in a competitive market and their paydays are far less than those of professional boxers.The suit, which seeks class-action status, names Zuffa LLC, the Las Vegas-based company that does business as the UFC.The UFC is aware of the action filed today but has not been served, nor has it had the opportunity to review the document. The UFC will vigorously deefend itself and its business practices, the organization said in a statement.ddddddddddddAccording to the lawsuit, the UFC has achieved a monopoly over the years by buying up competitors such as Strikeforce and locking out rivals by its control of elite fighters, major sponsors and TV and arena venues.While there are MMA competitors, such as Bellator, the suit contends that UFC now controls about 90 per cent of the revenues derived from live elite professional MMA bouts. The suit says UFCs revenues are estimated at about $500 million a year from promotion of live events and from merchandising, licensing fees, sponsorships, advertising fees, video game fees, and digital media revenue streams.The UFC also holds the exclusive worldwide rights to fighters names and likenesses in perpetuity, ensuring that the fighters cannot freely license themselves for commercial products or promotions even after their UFC contracts expire — and the UFCs control doesnt even expire after the fighters death, attorney Michael DellAngelo said at the press conference.The suit contends that fighters who worked with rival sponsors or promoters have faced retaliation, with the UFC refusing to book their bouts or barring them from UFC promotions such as ad campaigns or video games.At the news conference, lawyers wouldnt detail what changes they want to make in the current system. ' ' '