‘Bye Bye Barry’ Tackles an Enduring Football Mystery (REVIEW)

On January 14th of this year, after a 32-year drought, the Detroit Lions won an NFL playoff game. The team has had a rough history with many broken-hearted fans, but it was finally a night for tearful rejoicing. In 1992, however, in their last postseason triumph, the team featured one of football’s greats, Barry Sanders, as running back. Bye Bye Barry documents Sanders’ early days in the league and his abrupt and shocking decision to retire at the top of his game. Why would he do this? The film attempts to disentangle the man from the mystery.

“When God created Barry Sanders, even He didn’t know what He made,” says one unnamed announcer part-way through the documentary. The Detroit Lions, however, had a pretty good idea of who they were putting their faith in for the 1989 draft. The Lions selected Heisman Trophy winner Sanders in the first draft round with the third overall pick. He signed a 9-million dollar contract, the then-highest paying deal in Lions history. On draft day, Sanders disappeared and had to be tracked down for his first interview. Thus began a tradition of Sanders’ rejection of the spotlight, favoring an unassuming approach to the sport.

The film features interviews with famous Lions fans Tim Allen and Jeff Daniels and reporters such as Jemele Hill, who know the team’s and city’s histories. Detroit native and staunch Lions fan Eminem also appears. Early on, he asserts that Sanders is “the greatest running back to ever play the game” and that if not for his early retirement, “he could have broken every single record there ever was and ever will be.”

The documentary covers Sanders’ first game, Week 1 vs. the Cardinals. He wasn’t supposed to play that day, just come out in uniform so the fans could see him, but the roar of “Barry, Barry!” and boos when he failed to take the field in the first half seemed to make the coach decide to put him in. The crowd erupted. Sanders’ professional career had begun.

Through interviews with players who knew him and those who admired him, we see how they viewed Sanders as not one to chase records or want special treatment. As Eminem says, he had “never seen someone be that good at something and be so humble.”

For people who have never had a chance to see Sanders play, the documentary spotlights plenty of footage to back up the assertions of greatness. Sanders could carve up defenses, break through tackles, and make it all look easy. The interviews and off-field footage help tell the story, but the actual worth of the documentary comes from the playtape. Sanders was a marvel with the football in his hands, and directors Micaela Powers, Angela Torna, and Paul Monusky wisely presented play after incredible play.

One of the best storylines in the documentary is that of Sanders’ attempt to get 2,000 yards in the 1997 season. It covers the lead-up and stats of the Lions’ Week 17 game against the Jets (which featured Bill Belichick as coordinator overseeing a tough defense on the run). Although the documentary lags at points, not here. The editing builds tension and excitement around Sanders’ second-half push of the game to reach the massive milestone.

For the documentary, Sanders returns to London, where he initially announced his surprising early retirement, and sits down with his four sons to try and answer the looming question of “why?” Sanders was only 1,458 yards short of the record set by legendary Walter Payton, a record he could have easily broken. The answers may not satisfy all fans wanting a more straightforward explanation. Still, the documentary gives Sanders room to speak for himself, even if he remains elusive despite his humorous engagement with the subject.

Although not the most engaging sports documentary in structure (it may have benefited from a bit more chronological streamlining), this documentary still highlights one of the greatest ever to play football. As a fan of the running back position and someone who enjoys the Lions, I particularly appreciated learning more about the legend Sanders was and is and his place in Detroit’s history. He was unreal, but not actually. He really did all of that.

Rating: 6/10