This unassuming little tape, which follows several Kentucky high schools through their 1998-99 basketball seasons, has cleared up a perennial mystery for me: why are sports so important? Why are newspaper sections, news broadcast segments, and entire TV channels devoted to what seems the height of ephemera? Well, I now know that for many, many people, sports fills a void in their lives; provides camaraderie and common goals for whole schools, towns, counties, and states; is no respecter of social or economic class; and above all, is just flat something to do. Via wonderful segments with players, coaches, refs, fans, parents, media, and even security personnel, I got completely caught up in the road toward Kentucky's 1999 state championship, rooting for my favorites, and completely enjoying my sports-epiphany. A good bit of the tape does replay hefty chunks of that tournament--some of those scenes could have been cut--and I was turned off by the use of "it's" for "its" on screen, but, other than that, this tape is highly recommended for sports fans and pop culture students in non-Kentucky libraries, and is essential for Kentucky libraries. Aud: H, P. (K. Glaser)
A Way of Life: Basketball in Kentucky
(1999) 88 min. $29.95. Duckworks. PPR. Color cover. Vol. 15, Issue 5
A Way of Life: Basketball in Kentucky
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: