Kyle Krieger | Sports! / 2018

court confessions

by Douglas Messerli

 

Eduardo Sanchez-Ubanell (screenplay), Kyle Krieger (director) Sports! / 2018 [5 minutes]

 

Eduardo Sanchez-Ubanell and Kyle Krieger’s short comic film is about as simple-minded as a film can get without totally alienating is viewers.

    Zach (Zack Graves) and Eduardo (Sanchez-Ubanell) are unlikely roommates who are about as different—at least on the simple level that this work takes character—as possible, the muscle-rippled Zach being obviously a sportsman, while the scrawny, somewhat effeminate Eduardo is, well we don’t really know what he is since he’s presented simply as a physical stereotype.

    In this case as Zach goes off to play some hoops with his straight friend Cody (Cody Callahan), Eduardo insists that he tag along, something that Zach is not at all happy with.

    His reasons soon become apparent. Eduardo is a sissy when it comes to making his way down the basketball court. His first shot at the hoop is so far off that he might as well have closed his eyes, although with a little coaching from his roommate, he amazingly puts the second shot in the hoop (maybe because he uses the limp wrist method).

    Embarrassed to even be there with Eduardo, when Cody shows up, Zach suggests his friend stand in the corner without moving, the empty-headed roommate obeying him like a little-leaguer in baseball being sent out by the coach forever to right field.

     Finally, when Zach tosses him the ball, instead of shooting he instinctively throws it over to Cody. But Eduardo is not totally dumb, quickly realizing that Zach hasn’t told his straight friend he’s queer.

     Given Eduardo’s little pep talk about how important it is to speak out about one’s sexuality, Zach finally admits to his friend that he’s gay. Cody could care less; as the online reviewer Cyd Zeigler for OutSports puts it: “giving the Heisman to gay-sports stereotypes for a couple nice moments…Cody shows that, no, straight athletes don’t give a crap if you’re gay. But every once in a while, it’s not hard for them to figure it out.”

      When Eduardo explains that he’s gay too, Cody laughs, commenting that “Ahh, no I could tell.”

      Bit Eduardo goes back to being a dumb: “I could be straight right? People say I give off these really masculine vibes.”

      Cody, fortunately, has the last line: “Yeah, sure. You’ve also been checking out my ass all day.”

      I guess a chuckle is the highest rating I can give this short movie.

 

Los Angeles, September 10, 2025

Reprinted from My Queer Cinema blog (September 2025).