Most sports documentariesprofessedly follow that familiar narrative arc: the rise – the success – the fall – the rebuild – the success and retention. These documentaries more or less tap into the audience’s hunger for that endorphin kick, the feel-good factor when the little guy conquers Everest against all odds, when the impossible meets the possible. Yet, what happens when a documentary doesn’t meet our Hollywood-ending expectations? When the intended storyline takes a turn for the worse, not the better?
When it comes to Amazon Prime’s fly-on-the-wallAll or Nothingseries and Netflix’sLast Chance,we are given an unsullied glimpse of how sport doesn’t always offer a fairytale ending. In 2018 and 2019,Netflixreleased a 12-part docuseries, running across two seasons, following the demise of Sunderland football club in the form ofSunderland ‘Til I Die.Just two months ago, Sunderland went on to regain their status as a Championship Club at the fourth time of asking, but the docuseries tells a different story, one of a rapidly deteriorating team, and so, gifts us a brilliantly unconventional tale of a sporting institution at the weakest point of a dominant history…
Sunderland: A Background
Sunderland, a city situated in the Northeast of England, was once famed for its shipbuilding, coal mines, and most prominently, its football club. In the 1980s, under the hard-line conservatism of Thatcherism, the city’s thriving industry was shattered by the government’s closures of its collieries. Henceforth, many of the people on the banks of the River Wear descended into lives of economic hardship, unemployment, and a great depression, closely akin to that of the 1930s.
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Despite the government-imposed austerity, Sunderland’s prized asset still remained intact, an institution that was, and still is, the lifeblood of the community, Sunderland AFC. The football club, a six-time champion of English football, had fallen into decline, seemingly mirroring the fortunes of the city.
The Football Fan Community in Sunderland
As is common practice in a large proportion of sports docuseries, the focus is almost solely on the team, athlete, or coach. Rarely does the concept of community, or fan engagement ever really feature. However,Sunderland ‘Til I Dieembraces the club’s strength; it’s supporters and the support staff that make the club tick, and those of the local vicinity, they’re the ever-constant in an increasingly disloyal, and fluid industry… where players, managers, and owners come and go.
The incorporation of fan interviews throughout both series add a unique narrative strand, it giftsSunderland ‘Til I Diea heartbeat, a human, benevolent edge. The raw, non-doctored emotion on display encases the docuseries in this palpably emotional state. It is arguably, where the Hollywood-inspired documentaries of the past have failed, capturing the true essence and backbone of a sporting team, the fans. From the documentary’s Sunderland-supporting production company, Fulwell73, the local cab driver, Petter Farrer, and the kitchen team, to the involvement of the local priest and his church congregation, authenticity is one of the shows key strengths. Achieving this by staying true to the people it means most to. As the cab driver, Peter Farrer says, “Sunderland is a working-class city, where the main talking point is Sunderland football club."
Depicting a Team’s Demise
Sunderland ‘Til I Die’s narrative is almost the converse of the kinds of arcs we see play out in many big sports documentaries. For instance,Michael Jordan’sThe Last Danceportrayed the Chicago Bulls’ glittering six-championship dynasty, with Jordan’s hiatus in-between the two three-peats after the tragic death of his late father reinforcing the fall, return, and retention arcs. However, early in series one ofSunderland ‘Til I Die, much is made of an immediate return to the Premier League and the appropriate pre-season implementations to ensure top-flight football once again. It later transpires that Sunderland suffer consecutive relegation, and their future as a club is cast into the abyss, something which inverses your typical arc
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Series two, like that of the maiden season, ends in disappointment with the club failing to secure promotion back to the Championship. The seasons explore a club embroiled in failure, turmoil, and under-performance. Perhaps it paints a rather bleak picture, yet for all its unadulterated reality, the gritty realism conveyed provides a refreshing take on a sports team at its dysfunctional, un-unified worst, and offers a compelling insight into the inner-workings of a club on a downward spiral.
The Real-Life David Brent
In season two ofSunderland ‘Til I Die, “salmon pants Charlie” (as Charlie Methven has come to be known by the Sunderland faithful) assumes part-ownership of the club alongside Stewart Donald. In any sporting, business, or commercial operation, the owner’s remit is to be the leading figurehead of the company, commanding respect and making the fundamental decisions. Charlie Methven, however, is painfully un-self-aware, evidently out of his depth, and to be totally frank, a bit of a w*nker. His patronizing speeches to staff, and his pompous, Etonian manner ostensibly makes him the football reincarnation of the Office’s David Brent. Unnecessary shouting, chastising staff for their efforts prior to his arrival, and clearly utilizing the presence of documentarians to further his own career, this is Brent 2.0 minus the creepy sexual innuendos and guitar.
Sunderland ‘Til I Diehighlights the meaning of a club to the community, and its paramount importance to a city continuously neglected by the powers that be in their Westminster bubble.The excellent documentaryproves that loss offers a greater lesson than winning ever will, and inSunderland ‘Til I Die’scase, that class is in loyalty, strength of character, and resoluteness.
