Believeland

Episode aired May 15, 2016
1h 17m

7.1/10

611

S3.E9

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Documentary Biography History

There's a special place on the southern shore of Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. Known as Cleveland, it is the site of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the home of the India... Read allThere's a special place on the southern shore of Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. Known as Cleveland, it is the site of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the home of the Indians, the Browns and the Cavaliers. But it's also the home of an agonizing losing streak. Of... Read allThere's a special place on the southern shore of Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. Known as Cleveland, it is the site of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the home of the Indians, the Browns and the Cavaliers. But it's also the home of an agonizing losing streak. Of all American cities that have at least three major sports franchises, Cleveland is the on... Read all

7.1/10

611

Director
- Andrew Billman
Stars
- Hank Aaron
- Ernie Accorsi
- Sandy Alomar(archive footage)

Top credits

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Photos6

Scott Raab and Judah Raab in 30 for 30 (2009)

Hank Aaron

Selfas Self

Ernie Accorsi

Selfas Self

Sandy Alomar

Selfas Self
(archive footage)

Ruben Amaro Jr.

Selfas Self
(archive footage)

Jim Bailey

Selfas Self

Carl Banks

Selfas Self

Chris Berman

Self - Anchoras Self - Anchor
(archive footage)

Jim Brown

Selfas Self

Mike Brown

Selfas Self

Earnest Byner

Selfas Self

Craig Counsell

Selfas Self
(archive footage)

Jim Donovan

Self - Browns Radio Play By Play Announceras Self - Browns Radio Play By Play Announcer

Craig Ehlo

Selfas Self

John Elway

Selfas Self
(archive footage)

Tony Fernandez

Selfas Self
(archive footage)

Connor Flynn

Cavs Fanas Cavs Fan

George Forbes

Selfas Self

Dan Gilbert

Self - Cavaliers Owneras Self - Cavaliers Owner

There's a special place on the southern shore of Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. Known as Cleveland, it is the site of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the home of the Indians, the Browns and the Cavaliers. But it's also the home of an agonizing losing streak. Of all American cities that have at least three major sports franchises, Cleveland is the only one that has failed to win a championship in the last half-century. Those sports teams, and the hearts they've broken over and over again, have inspired a different name for the city, and the title for this 30 for 30 film: Believeland. Directed by Ohio native Andy Billman, this evocative documentary will take you on a trip that goes back 50 years and captures the seminal ups and downs of the once-thriving metropolis - Superman, after all, was created there. Despite the economic and athletic misfortunes, and the T-shirt that reads "God Hates Cleveland," the people still believe and worship Jim Thome and Jim Brown and LeBron James. But they also can't forget Edgar Renteria and John Elway and Michael Jordan, the men who extinguished their dreams of a long-awaited championship. Painful as it is, Believeland is a celebration of faith, a testament to how much sports mean to Cleveland, and how much Cleveland means to sports. —ESPN Films

reference to lebron james cleveland indians cleveland browns cleveland cavaliers cleveland ohio

Genres
Parents guide
- Add content advisory

Trivia
This documentary was shown on ESPN on 15 May 2016, only 6 weeks after its film festival premiere in hopes that the Cleveland Caveliers would win the NBA championship after losing in the previous finals 4 games to 2.

Connections
Featured in SportsCenter: Episode #42.115 (2020)

Top review

7/10

Interesting timing....

When this film debuted on ESPN this year, Cleveland had been the most hapless city with at least three major league sports teams. This is because no city in this category has gone as long as they have without winning one sort of championship or another for their sports teams-- more than 50 years! The last time they were champs was back before the Superbowl...with the old Cleveland Browns becoming NFL champions several times. As for the team since then as well as the Indians and Cavaliers...losers since. And don't even ask about hockey (the film sure didn't)...as the old Barons left the city decades ago. Unfortunately (or fortunately), right after the film was released, the Cavaliers DID win the NBA championship...talk about great timing!

What follows is a history of the sports teams of Cleveland with an emphasis on the league titles. And, there is also a history of the city--with the spiraling down of Cleveland as a city mirroring the spiraling down of the quality of their teams. So, when things get worse for the city, it seemed to also create a pessimism that somehow became attached to the sports franchises. It's all very interesting and very much what you'd expect from a "30 for 30" production. Well made and worth seeing....even if the Cleveland Cavaliers just broke this supposed curse.

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