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Cool Runnings

1993
Posted By Andres Larranaga

Cool Runnings is partly based on the true story of Jamaica's first bobsled team in the Winter Olympics.

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About Cool Runnings

Cool Runnings is a 1993 sports comedy that is loosely based on the true story of Jamaica's first bobsled team in the 1988 Winter Olympics. Derice Bannock is originally training to qualify for the 100 metres in the Summer Olympics, but after a fellow racer stumbles, taking him down with him, Bannock is disqualified. While complaining to Barrington Coolidge, the President of the Jamaican Olympic Association, he sees a picture of his father Ben with a gold medalist. It is Irv Blitzer, a disgraced bobsled champion disqualified for cheating in the 1972 Winter Olympics. It is here that Bannock decides to start his own bobsled team.

Bannock enlists the help of his friend, a pushcart derby champion and Blitzer, now working in Jamaica as a bookie. Blitzer is hesitant at first until he realizes Derice is Ben's son. Meanwhile, not believing in the team, Coolidge refuses to pay the necessary fee for their participation in the Olympics. The team begin to raise funds by different means to be able to pay the $20,000 needed and for their travels to Calgary, host of the games. Through many struggles, they make it to the competition. It's an inspiring story that is fun for the family and gets you rooting for the underdogs.

Cool Runnings's Relation To Sport Business

Beyond being a fun and wholesome movie, we learn some important lessons from Cool Runnings. The main one being cheating. The team's coach, Irv Blitzer is a former champion of bobsledding himself. However, he was disqualified after it was found he cheated in the 1972 Olympics by hiding weights in his sled to go faster. Right when things are looking good for the Jamaican team, they are disqualified by the Olympic Committee solely for Blitzer's past. Blitzer pleads with the Committee to not punish the historic team for his own past actions and the team is reinstated. It was a very close call that would have ended such a monumental moment in sport. The effects of even just one individual participating in cheating are clearly seen and can ruin not just the athlete, but the entire team. For me, it's a far bigger disgrace to be caught cheating and disqualified than to come in the last place. 

Today, we still see cheating going on in sport and in the Olympics. These unfair advantages should not be taken lightly and result in the harshest of punishments. However, to be fair, the situation in Cool Runnings was different. For one, the team did not cheat. There was no justifiable way they should have been punished and their reinstatement was well deserved. If we can learn anything from this film, it's that cheating can have its consequences even well past the time it occurred. So next time you're ready for your big moment, remember that you're not just affecting yourself, but your sport and teammates.

Cool RunningsSport Industry Areas Touched

Cool Runnings Industry Endorsements

Cool Runnings has been suggested to us by sport industry professionals we talk to on a regular basis. See a list of those individuals below.

 Industry Professional  Organization  Position
Josh Peacock Cycling Canada Events and Partnership Manager
Joshua Alexander FC Edmonton Head of Partnerships
Tim Brogdon The University of Miami Athletics Assistant Athletic Director, Digital Strategy
Yanna Pantelis University of Florida Athletic Association Assistant Director of Marketing
Corinne Ethier Hockey Canada Manager, Event Volunteers

Why watch Cool Runnings?

Some of the best movies are ones based on true stories. Cool Runnings is no different! There is no doubt you will find the story very wholesome and inspiring. Just picture it. A team from a very hot climate, competing in a very cold sport and country. Not having the financial support from their country's own Olympic Committee and having to raise money out of pocket. Being coached by a disgraced cheating athlete. All odds were stacked against the team, yet they stuck together and saw it all through. And with some comedy added in, plus the brilliant late John Candy, it's a must-watch for the whole family. Sports and non-sports fans alike will want to cheer the underdogs on after seeing this film. 

Trailer & Extras

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