ESPN’s “30 for 30” documentary series concludes its initial, six-week run Tuesday night with “The Legend of Jimmy the Greek,” a look at Jimmy Snyder, the famed Vegas handicapping expert who became much more famous as a member of CBS’ “The NFL Today” cast.
Snyder helped turn gambling into a more mainstream concept for sports fans as a pop culture figure with enormous reach.
But Snyder had a dark side to his personality, presumably related to family tragedy in both his childhood and adult lives.
Then Snyder lost everything after publicly expressing his theory on the perceived superiority of black athletes.
This film, by Fritz Mitchell, a young researcher on “The NFL Today” in the Greek’s era, is dark and slow moving at times, but will fill in younger viewers on the phenomenon behind a sports media name they probably have heard but know little about.
Thus far the series has had a dark tone overall, and has skewed heavily toward the first decade of ESPN’s 30-year window.
Happier, more recent subjects are promised in 2010.
The series resumes Dec. 12 with a two-hour look at the University of Miami football program that follows the Heisman Trophy presentation.
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