Let’s see some hustle, Hollywood. How haven’t you put these together yet?
The Rosie Ruiz Boston Marathon Scandal
What Happened: At the 1980 Boston Marathon, Rosie Ruiz ran off the course, hopped on a subway, and burst out of the crowd about a half mile from the finish line. She "won" the female category, setting a race record, but was soon disqualified. Further investigations revealed that she had cheated in previous marathons, as well.
The Pitch: Get Ben Affleck on the horn. This is basically The Town, except instead of bank robbers, the FBI's chasing a sweaty con artist through the streets of Boston. To make Ruiz sympathetic we pretend she needs the prize money for her grandfather, who was injured in a lobstering accident. The only potential downside is that Affleck will likely demand to play the role of Ruiz himself.
Source: Warner Bros. / via: 11even.wordpress.com
Ten Cent Beer Night
What Happened: As part of a promotion for a 1974 game against the Texas Rangers, the Cleveland Indians sold beer for ten cents a cup — still only 47 cents in today's money. Amazingly, this caused fans to get rowdy, and things got so out of control that the Indians were forced to forfeit in the ninth inning.
The Pitch: In a reprisal of his Frank the Tank role, Will Ferrell plays a reformed ex-party animal catching a ballgame with his rich, uptight father-in-law. If he can keep his cool for nine innings, he can score a cushy gig at the father-in-law's company. There's just one catch: BEER. FOR TEN CENTS. Think Old School meets 28 Days Later.
Source: DreamWorks / via: 34st.com
Fan Man
What Happened: During a 1993 heavyweight title fight between Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe, James Miller (aka "Fan Man") crash-landed a paraglider into the ring, delaying the match for 20 minutes. Bowe's entourage attacked Miller until he was knocked unconscious.
The Pitch: By fudging a few facts, this could make for a pretty riveting action film. Maybe Miller was prolonging the match to stop a group of terrorists from blowing up Caesar's Palace, a la Jean-Claude Van Damme in Sudden Death?
Via: Holly Stein / Getty Images
Spain's 2000 Paralympic Basketball Scandal
What Happened: At the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics, Spain fielded a paralympic basketball team of players who posed as mentally disabled. The scandal was broken by a journalist who went undercover as a player on the team, causing the IPC to suspend all sporting events involving those with learning disabilities for nine years.
The Pitch: Pedro Almodovar. Javier Bardem. Penelope Cruz. Done. Enjoy your garbage truck full of Oscars.
Source: El Deseo S.A. / via: worldmovies.com.au