This story appears in ESPN The Magazines College Football Preview issue. Subscribe today!The link to the new Steve Gleason documentary sat in my email for three days before I opened it. People told me Id love it. The reviews of the film, which won acclaim at Sundance and is now in wider release, are uniformly positive and talk about the spirit of life and hope laced through his journey. That didnt matter much. I didnt want to watch someone die of ALS in front of my eyes. I know Steve and his wife, Michel, a little, spending time with them for a story, and even that brief interaction showed me enough of their struggles to know that there wouldnt be some Hollywood ending.The movie follows five years of Steves life as he goes from a vibrant football folk hero for the New Orleans Saints to a man trapped in a wheelchair, unable to speak or move. After seeing his struggle up close - not only the valiant bits that raise awareness, but the awkward fights with his stressed-out wife and his son gently pushing his limp head back into place - I thought I knew what the movie would be about and how it would make me feel.Then I watched Gleason. I was wrong.The film opens with Steve starting to record video journals for his still unborn son, Rivers, that would teach him about love and about taking chances, about being his own person and building a campfire: things a boy needs to learn from his father if he wants to grow into a good man. Soon the cameras are around Steve all the time, as he gets his diagnosis of ALS and then starts to lose things. We see Michel see him try to swim and struggle, crying at the sight of the strong man she married actually beginning his slide toward nothing. His dad takes him to a faith healer and Steve gets down in his football stance, like hes covering a kickoff, with his hand up in the air. He takes four steps and hits the ground hard and sliding, like a big bull thats been shot. In the crowd, Michel fumes at Steves dad for making him do this to himself. Later we see Steve speaking some of his last words before ALS traps him in a silent body, in one of the purest moments of desperation and despair ever recorded on film.The arc is sophisticated and layered, its central thesis revolving around the things passed down from father to son, moving through generations. We see Steve try to make peace with his own father while attempting to give as much of himself as he can to Rivers. We see Steve and Michel argue. We see Steve struggle with the same things as many healthy people, just in an extreme way: He wants to work on his foundation because it makes him feel good to be helping, gives him a purpose, while Michel thinks hes not spending enough time with her and with his video journals for Rivers. That conflict drives the second half of the movie.If reality television is the worst of the American impulse to film, and a window into the very worst of what the human animal is capable of being, then this movie and its hours of personal footage is a window into the best. It is one of the finest documentaries that Ive ever seen, period. Go see it for the first time and just cry and feel empty and like theres no point in even dreaming because life crushes all of us eventually, and then go see it again so that the hope and the victory emerge from all those ashes. Its the visual version of the Dylan Thomas poem.Everyone faces the challenges confronting Steve, only most of us deal with them slowly over seven or eight decades. All of the business of life hit him at once, and in his sped-up horror, there are powerful messages. Im writing this in my kitchen, and my wife is outside drinking coffee on our porch, and thats where I should be, not doing a job but living my life and making sure I understand what matters and what doesnt while I still can. Those are the things youll think in the hours after Gleason ends. Its a movie that seems, in its first scenes, to be about watching up close as a man dies, but it turns out to be the opposite. We watch as Steve Gleason rages against the dying of the light, and when its over, we realize that continuing to fight in the face of certain defeat is at the heart of what it means to live. Cheap Nike Air Max 90 Mens . General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. Nike Air Max 90 White . 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It certainly cant be planned for, Bopanna shot back -- possibly with a certainly not with Leander thrown in under his breath -- following the pairs Davis Cup win against Korea on Saturday.The fabled chest bumps that Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi almost turned into an insignia of their storied partnership before inflated egos tore them apart, are probably farther than the farthest thing on the minds of Indias Rio-bound pair, Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna.Maybe we need to plan on the jump or do you want to try something new? Paes butts in, directing the query at Bopanna. Its met with a feeble smile. The need to appear cordial is compelling. After all in less than a fortnights time they would be playing under the flag at the biggest sporting stage with little room for baring hurt egos or personal misgivings.Currently ranked 14 and 59 in doubles respectively, Bopanna and Paes havent exactly been friends, with every Olympics only unravelling the longevity of their bitter ties. While Bopanna refused to pair up with Paes at the London Olympics in 2012 -- where India ended up fielding two teams as a conciliatory measure -- this time around, he chose Saketh Myneni as his partner. The national tennis body, though, overruled his request and picked Paes instead.Thankfully for them, Saturdays Davis Cup rubber, their first and last one as a pair ahead of the Olympics, against the Korean duo of Seong Chan Hong and Hong Chung was one they could pretty much sleepwalk their way through. Or as former national champion Gaurav Natekar fittingly terms it, play in autopilot mode.They honestly didnt need much chemistry against the Koreans since the match was a pretty easy one, says Indias non-playing Davis Cup captain Anand Amritraj.There was no need for one to put a reassuring arm over the other or talk each other up having thrown away a set. The going was good and the communication needed was minimal. As long as things are going well and youre rolling over the other team its fine, its only when matters turn against you and youve got to lift your partner up or sit down and discuss changing tactics, that the need for an equation becomes crucial, says Amritraj, Thats going to be the challenge for Leander and Bopanna at the Olympics.The crevices in their already strained ties turned pronounced and took a toll on Indias World Group playoff tie against Czech Republic in New Delhi last September. With the tie delicately poised at 1-1 at the end of the first day, Paes and Bopanna went down to Radek Stepanek and Adam Pavlasek to hand Czechs the lead with India eventually falling back into the Asia/Oceania pool. It was only Paes second defeat in 15 years in a Davis Cup doubles rubber -- the previous one also coming with Bopanna in an away tie against Uzbekistan in 22012.dddddddddddd. They both were absolutely terrible, adds Amritraj, It was just one of the worst doubles matches I have ever seen.While Amritraj feels that the duo seems to be getting along a little better now than they did last September, their true test would lie in a tough match -- one that seems likely to come their way in Rio. Since theyve both been playing for so many years they know what will work against them and what wont, adds Natekar, I think the key would be to stay consistent and play well at the crucial points which is often the difference between winning and losing a set.With the cardinal maxims with regard to doubles partners being like-mindedness, complementary styles of play and most crucially rapport, Paes and Bopanna might not exactly fit the bill. The truth, however, remains that this is Indias best-possible doubles pair for the Olympics. Bopanna picking a 100-odd ranked Saketh, who has featured in little apart from Challengers and Grand Slam qualifiers so far, over an 18-time Grand Slam champion does defy tennis logic. While rapport forms a crucial factor in doubles, it cannot be mistaken to be the sole criteria.Personal equations are no doubt important, at the same time the very aspect that makes doubles interesting - contrasting personalities playing on the same side of the court - can sometimes be a double-edged sword, says Natekar.With the Olympics in sight, questions about their chemistry have been exasperating for both players. One may argue that theyve possibly brought it upon themselves. Thats all that we are asked about, the Olympics, a far from amused Paes said, when faced with the same query yet again. Here weve won a Davis Cup tie with some great performances, so maybe we should just focus on that.A lot would depend on how Paes serves, because once he gets into position at the net, his angles and drop volleys would pretty much take care of the rest. With age players tend to get a step slower getting to the net and instead of being in front of the service line, they end up being behind it and are then forced to half-volley, making it difficult to hold serve.With Bopanna, who plays on the ad side, returns are an area of concern. In that they could go completely awry. The few days of practice that the pair manage to get together ahead of the Olympics, would be crucial in getting their combination into sync. For us to win a medal in either mens doubles or mixed doubles this time seems like a pretty long shot, observes Amritraj. At 43 and 36 respectively, this could well be Paes and Bopannas final Olympic appearance. One that they wouldnt want to look back with regret for not having shown the heart to let go. ' ' '