Idols of the Game

 ((Nov. 27, 28, 30; 8:05-10:05 p.m.; TBS))

By JONATHAN TAYLOR

Filmed by Bobkat Prods. in association with TBS Originals. Executive producer, Steven Weinstock; series producer, Kathy Sulkes; episode producers, Cathe Neukum (Part 1), Mary Brown and Sulkes (Part 2), Oren Jacoby (Part 3); script, Robert Lipsyte; camera, Ken Kelsch; editors, Peter Odabashian, Jay Freund, Kenneth Levis; music, Michael Whalen. #Host, Dabney Coleman. Ted Turner may still be basking in his Atlanta Braves' World Series win, but his TBS takes a much more sober view of the sports world in the often -- but not always -- insightful miniseries "Idols of the Game." At once a history of bigtime American sports in the 20th century and a sociological study of our need for heroes, this six-hour docu is at the very least an admirably ambitious undertaking. Whether offering fairly conventional profiles of such sportsicons as Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali and Billie Jean King, or exploring the impact of television money, the series attempts to change the way we look at sports. Less concerned with reciting statistics than exploring the phenomenon of celebrity, "Idols" seeks to elevate the subject to one worthy of serious scholarship.
 

But the inherent limitations of trying to fit an in-depth analysis of a century's worth of sports heroes into three two-hour segments results in an inevitable once-over-lightly treatment.

The gimmick linking the series' wide-ranging agenda is Dabney Coleman as the Scribe, a sportswriter who has chronicled all the personalities and trends in the sports world this century. A potentially hackneyed device, this Everywriter instead serves as an effective navigator through a rapidly changing sports landscape.

It starts, appropriately, with the century's first great athletic star, Jim Thorpe. The segment immediately sets the tone for what follows: It's part recap of his illustrious multisport career (football, track, baseball), and part expose of the country's cruel treatment of Native Americans (a topic dear to Turner's heart).

Subsequent segments in the first part profile Ruth, Arnold Palmer and Joe Louis, among others.

In many ways, part 1 -- titled "Inventing the All-American"-- is the weakest, as it treads familiar terrain. An intriguing insight into Palmer's appeal as the first suburban white hero in the turbulent postwar years notwithstanding, little fresh is offered about most of these personalities. The archetypal baseball heroes were more thoroughly explored in Ken Burns' "Baseball."

The two subsequent installments -- each mixing archival footage and interviews with generally enlightening talking heads -- improve by moving into fresher territory.

The second part, "Babes in Boyland," is the strongest, introducing viewers to female athletes with little of the expected stridency. Instead, we get a side-by-side examination of trendsetters King and her male counterpart, football star Joe Namath. The segment also examines lesser-known but equally deserving subjects, such as Babe Didrikson and basketball star Nancy Lieberman-Cline (dubbed Lady Magic for her ball-handling skills while at Old Dominion).

The best story in the series comes at the end of this segment, an inspirational look at two cliche-busting teenage female weight lifters.

The third part, "Love and Money," encompasses subjects as diverse as Shoeless Joe Jackson -- again, his story has been told elsewhere with more skill -- and Charles Barkley. Incendiary observations by former major league pitcher Jim Bouton, a surprisingly appealing portrait of Mary Lou Retton and an impressively aggressive assault on Notre Dame football are the standout segments here.

Ultimately, "Idols of the Game" has too big an agenda to satisfy everyone. Rabid sports fans will decry the lack of more film-clip highlights, while the academics will feel cheated by the slimness of Robert Lipsyte's script. Everyone else, though, will decide this game's a winner.