Swoopes

Swoopes premieres on ESPN television tonight as part of that cable network’s Nine for IX series of sports documentaries. Swoopes also has a Houston connection since Sheryl Swoopes played for the now defunct Houston Comets and Storm was a Houston radio sportscaster who’s gone on to fame as a television personality (NBC Olympics, CNN, ESPN and co-host for CBS’s The Early Show). Storm seemingly has a new career path as a documentarian.

Swoopes follows a straight trajectory from Sheryl’s college years to her multiple championships with the WNBA, as well as the bullet points of her personal life including a marriage and an openly gay relationship with one of her coaches. As far as role models go, Swoopes should be a contemporary poster child of positivity. The doc is as straight forward an account of a graceful sports career as you could expect to see.

The film was screened last week at the River Oaks Theater with Swoopes and members of her family as well as Storm in attendance.

- Michael Bergeron