(ThyBlackMan.com) While much of the U.S. has been covered by strong winter storms that have knocked out power in some areas of the Midwest, the cold weather that has accompanied the month of December should remind people of the vulnerability of those who do not have consistent shelter and warmth. Severe cold weather and heavy snow can negatively affect the living conditions of millions of people and winter storms are reminders of the challenges of how storms of any type can alter lives. 20 years ago, Hurricane Katrina was one of the more impactful hurricanes of the last 50 years and had an impact on millions of lives in the South that is still felt over two decades later.
Arguably the best sports documentary of 2025 was ESPN’s “Above the Tide – 20 Years After Katrina“, as a documentary that captures much of everlasting impact of Hurricane Katrina on Louisiana, the city of New Orleans, and the role the New Orleans Saints had in giving the city and state of Louisiana some semblance of its spirit back after the devastating hurricane.
“Above the Tide – 20 Years After Katrina” is a gripping documentary that details the effects of the Hurricane Katrina to the state of Louisiana and features Louisiana native and former NFL player Ryan Clark as the main voice and reporter. He is a solid fit as he described the essence of Louisiana culture, the people, and gives the right balance of passion and thoughtful commentary. The images of the documentary are powerful as the E:60 doc captured the essence of what it means when people lose loved ones and the community that they lived and grew up in. Through interviews of Louisiana natives and video clips, it allows the viewer to get a sense of what was really going on during and following Katrina. The interviews with former New Orleans Saints players Steve Gleason and Drew Brees and former Saints head coach Sean Payton describing the Saints return to the Superdome on Sept. 25, 2006, the first game in New Orleans after Katrina more than a year after the hurricane, were able to capture the energy from that big night in Louisiana sports history.
The documentary was directed and produced by Julian Gooden, who has made more than the standard sports documentary with “Above the Tide”. It is a documentary that speaks to human connection as well. The words of the Louisiana residents during “Above the Tide” will resonate with most who show an understanding of people connecting with each other in various ways and circumstances. Two decades later, one of the major aspects of Hurricane Katrina is that the delayed response by the government to the Katrina victims was likely due to classism because most people affected by Hurricane Katrina were from the working poor class.
It remains fair to question why it took the government as long to get assistance to all the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina and even question the intent behind the less than sturdy construction of the levees that allowed for more destruction of New Orleans. Perhaps it is because the people affected were from a lower social class that the government responded with the speed they did. “Above the Tide” unintentionally reignites those type of questions and is one of the better E:60 documentaries in recent memory.
Staff Writer; Mark Hines
