30 FOR 30: STRAIGHT OUTTA L.A. (TV)

Summary

One in this series of sports documentaries presented by ESPN about important people and events from 1979 to 2009.

This film examines the relationship between the Raiders football team and their fans in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994, as well as its effect on the hip-hop and rap music scene there. In 1963, Al Davis becomes the youngest head coach and general manager in the country, hoping to turn the Oakland Raiders into a professional, national-level team. The first few years of the team’s existence is fraught with failure and disinterest from the public, but Davis manages to vastly improve the team’s record. In 1980, the Raiders defeat the Eagles in Super Bowl XV, and are at that time recognized as a highly skilled football team. Their players also gain a reputation for being imposing and intimidating, labeled by some as “thugs.” In 1982, Davis decides to move the team to Los Angeles, much to excitement of the many Raiders fans there. This is accomplished despite resistance from the NFL and a spat of legal action. The players themselves have mixed feelings about the move: some have no problem with it, while others are attached to the Oakland community and feel uprooted.

The move proves to be quite successful, and Los Angeles citizens of all ethnicities use the Raiders games as a means of coming together. At this time, the spread of drugs, gang warfare, and hip-hop music serves to shape the culture and people of Los Angeles. The proliferation of crack cocaine plays a particularly important role in this cultural development, and the development of hip-hop music in New York City has consequences for the music scene throughout the nation. In Los Angeles, artists such as Ice T pioneer what comes to be known as gangster rap, being more explicit and “reality”-based than its equivalent on the east coast. The gang warfare situation in south central Los Angeles goes on largely unnoticed by the rest of the country, motivating rap artists there to relay stories of gang life and police brutality in their music. When Ice Cube forms NWA, they go so far as to characterize themselves as a gang rather than a music group.

Meanwhile, the Raiders get to Super Bowl XVIII in 1983 and secure victory, much to the excitement of the people of Los Angeles, as it marks the first time a team representing their city has achieved such a victory. The Raiders enjoy an unprecedented level of celebrity and media attention, embodying a more “Hollywood”-type lifestyle. In the mid-1980’s, an adolescent Ice Cube meets up-and-coming DJ Andre “Dr. Dre” Young, and they join together for a hip-hop act. Together with fellow aspiring hip-hop musician Eric “Eazy-E” Wright, they form a group and practice in a garage, eventually becoming NWA Soon NWA gains acclaim and in 1987 signs a contract with Ruthless Records, releasing their first album, “NWA and the Posse,” later that year. In November 1988, they release the album “Straight Outta Compton,” which becomes so controversial that in 1989 MTV bans the video for its title track. Their sensationalist and controversial lyrics fascinate audiences, and rap gains newfound popularity as a result; “Straight Outta Compton” goes platinum by July 1989. In August 1989, the FBI accuses NWA of encouraging unrest and opposition to law enforcement via their lyrics, although they insist that they are merely relaying the truth of street life for many people in Los Angeles.

Contemporaneous with these developments is the gradual juxtaposition of the Raiders with the gang culture of Los Angeles; it is noted that some elements of the Raiders’ image and attitude are not dissimilar to gangs and to NWA. NWA’s uniforms are mostly black and unadorned, but are given identification via their Raiders hats; they feel that the Raiders’ goal of “win[ning] it your own way” matches their own philosophy. The endorsement from NWA increases the popularity of Raiders hats and gear, and the two become identified with each other, making the Raiders a “brand” unto themselves. Other sports teams alter their aesthetics to match those of the Raiders, hoping to themselves capitalize on their success; NFL merchandise profits in general skyrocket in only a few years.

However, eventually the Raiders start losing, causing much of their popularity and celebrity to unravel in a relatively short time. This is caused by a string of disastrous draft picks to replace the star players leaving the team. The new head coach, Mike Shanahan, elects to use a more “finesse” style of play which does not align with the team’s usual play style. Davis has a highly-publicized feud with player Marcus Allen, but refuses to discuss his reasoning behind it; many fans take this as an insult and protest against Davis’s decisions. In 1987, Davis moves the team to the small town of Irwindale, California, angering and baffling many fans. Construction begins on a large, state-of-the art stadium in an abandoned rock quarry, although the construction never finishes. This decision alienates Davis in the eyes of the people of Los Angeles, making him something of a pariah. He also gets into, and mostly wins, several high-profile court battles against NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle concerning possible violation of antitrust laws.

Another problem surfaces in the form of increasingly rowdy and violent Raiders fans; in 1990 police intervention is required in order to quell a riot during a Raiders game. Injuries abound; some of the blame is placed on the Raiders embodying a gang-type image, particularly to many of their fans. Some school authorities label Raiders gear as being “gang-affiliated” for this reason. Criminal actions perpetrated by or against people in Raiders gear are reported in the news regularly, and tailgate parties for the Raiders become notorious for their violent and chaotic atmospheres. Near the end of 1989, Ice Cube quits NWA to become a solo artist, starting to appear in films and distancing himself from the Raiders. Similarly, the Raiders become uncomfortable at being utilized by gangster rappers and try to disassociate themselves with groups like NWA.

In 1992, Los Angeles is embroiled in chaos and controversy after four white police officers are acquitted in the beating of African-American Rodney King, causing riots across the entire city. Much of the rioting occurs near the Raiders’ stadium, and people begin to consider it a “bad neighborhood.” The Raiders do not reach the playoffs that year, and on January 17th, 1994, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake shakes Los Angeles; the Raiders also miss the playoffs that year. On April 12th, 1995, Los Angeles approves the Rams’ move to St. Louis, and on June 23rd, 1995, the Raiders decide to return to Oakland owing to disputes about a proposed stadium in Hollywood Park; Davis claims that the stadium was only offered to him on the condition that he take on ownership of a second team, and he outright refused. However, Davis’s plans for a stadium in Oakland have yet to materialize. Despite the uncertain status of the Raiders, their legacy remains tangible for the fans they had in Los Angeles during their thirteen seasons there. Commercials deleted.

Details

• NETWORK: ESPN
• DATE: May 11, 2010
• RUNNING TIME: 0:54:31
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: 114756
• GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries; Sports
• SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Sports; TV - Public affairs/documentaries; TV - Sports
• SERIES RUN: ESPN - TV series, 2009-
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Jamie Patricof … Executive Producer
• Matt Alvarez … Executive Producer
• Keith Clinkscales … Executive Producer
• John Dahl … Executive Producer
• Joan Lynch … Executive Producer
• Connor Schell … Executive Producer
• John Skipper … Executive Producer
• Bill Simmons … Executive Producer
• John Walsh … Executive Producer
• John Weinbach … Producer, Writer
• Arunima Dhar … Producer
• Katie McNeill … Associate Producer
• Kristin McDowell … Associate Producer
• Mike Tollin … Consulting Producer
• Ice Cube … Director
• No Mas … Animation
• James Blagden … Animation
• Ice Cube … Narrator
• Snoop Dogg … Interviewee
• Al Davis … Interviewee
• Glenn Dickey … Interviewee
• John Madden … Interviewee
• Howie Long … Interviewee
• Mike Ornstein … Interviewee
• Todd Christensen … Interviewee
• Marcus Allen … Interviewee
• Rod Martin … Interviewee
• Steve Springer … Interviewee
• Bill Plaschke … Interviewee
• Zev Yaroslavsky … Interviewee
• Todd Boyd … Interviewee
• Chuck D … Interviewee
• Chris Reid … Interviewee
• MC Ren … Interviewee
• Ice-T … Interviewee
• Skipp Townsend … Interviewee
• DJ Pooh … Interviewee
• Steve Hartman … Interviewee
• Rupert Wainwright … Interviewee
• Soren Baker … Interviewee
• Russell Simmons … Interviewee
• David Beckerman … Interviewee
• Frank Vuono … Interviewee
• Bruce McNall … Interviewee
• Willie Gault … Interviewee
• David Israel … Interviewee
• Greg Townsend … Interviewee
• Yolanda Mendoza … Interviewee
• Rodney King
• Mike Shanahan
• Eric "Eazy-E" Wright
• Andre "Dr. Dre" Young